How much is $100 from 1940 worth today?

About $2,388.57 in 2026 dollars, based on the annual-average U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI-U). 2026 is an estimate until the full-year CPI is published.

What was the inflation rate from 1940 to 2026?

Cumulative inflation was 2288.6%, an average of 3.76% per year over 86 years.

What would $100 today have bought in 1940?

Today’s $100 buys what about $4.19 bought in 1940.

What was the highest one-year inflation since 1940?

1947, when the CPI rose 14.4% over the year before.

$100 in 1940 is worth $2,389 in 2026

$100 in 1940 has the same buying power as $2,389 in 2026. Prices rose 2288.6% — about 3.76% a year. See $1 to $100,000 from 1940 in today’s dollars, using U.S. CPI-U.

Cumulative inflation

2288.6%

1940 → 2026

Average per year

3.76%

over 86 years

$100 today in 1940

$4.19

same buying power

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2026 uses the Minneapolis Fed’s estimate of the annual-average CPI until the full year is published.

What $100 from 1940 is worth, year by year

Year	$100 from 1940 equals
1940	$100.00
1950	$172.14
1960	$211.43
1970	$277.14
1980	$588.57
1990	$933.57
2000	$1,230.00
2010	$1,557.86
2020	$1,848.57
2026	$2,388.57

1940 dollars in 2026 dollars

In 1940	In 2026
$1.00	$23.89
$5.00	$119.43
$10.00	$238.86
$20.00	$477.71
$50.00	$1,194.29
$100.00	$2,388.57
$500.00	$11,942.86
$1,000.00	$23,885.71
$5,000.00	$119,428.57
$10,000.00	$238,857.14
$50,000.00	$1,194,285.71
$100,000.00	$2,388,571.43

How this is calculated

Value today = amount × (CPI in 2026 ÷ CPI in 1940). The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U, annual average) tracks what a typical basket of goods and services costs. Between 1940 and 2026the index rose by a factor of 23.886, so every 1940 dollar needs about $23.89 today to buy the same things. The biggest single-year jump in that span was 14.4% in 1947.

Frequently asked questions

How much is $100 from 1940 worth today?: About $2,388.57 in 2026 dollars, based on the annual-average U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI-U). 2026 is an estimate until the full-year CPI is published.
What was the inflation rate from 1940 to 2026?: Cumulative inflation was 2288.6%, an average of 3.76% per year over 86 years.
What would $100 today have bought in 1940?: Today’s $100 buys what about $4.19 bought in 1940.
What was the highest one-year inflation since 1940?: 1947, when the CPI rose 14.4% over the year before.

$100 in other years

Any amount, any two years — open the inflation calculator