How much is $100 from 1979 worth today?

About $460.61 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 1979 to 2026?

Cumulative inflation was 360.6%, an average of 3.30% per year over 47 years.

What would $100 today have bought in 1979?

Today’s $100 buys what about $21.71 bought in 1979.

What was the highest one-year inflation since 1979?

1980, when the CPI rose 13.5% over the year before.

$100 in 1979 is worth $460.61 in 2026

$100 in 1979 has the same buying power as $460.61 in 2026. Prices rose 360.6% — about 3.30% a year. See $1 to $100,000 from 1979 in today’s dollars, using U.S. CPI-U.

Cumulative inflation

360.6%

1979 → 2026

Average per year

3.30%

over 47 years

$100 today in 1979

$21.71

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 1979 is worth, year by year

Year	$100 from 1979 equals
1979	$100.00
1984	$143.11
1989	$170.80
1994	$204.13
1999	$229.48
2004	$260.19
2009	$295.45
2014	$326.03
2019	$352.20
2024	$432.09
2026	$460.61

1979 dollars in 2026 dollars

In 1979	In 2026
$1.00	$4.61
$5.00	$23.03
$10.00	$46.06
$20.00	$92.12
$50.00	$230.30
$100.00	$460.61
$500.00	$2,303.03
$1,000.00	$4,606.06
$5,000.00	$23,030.30
$10,000.00	$46,060.61
$50,000.00	$230,303.03
$100,000.00	$460,606.06

How this is calculated

Value today = amount × (CPI in 2026 ÷ CPI in 1979). The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U, annual average) tracks what a typical basket of goods and services costs. Between 1979 and 2026the index rose by a factor of 4.606, so every 1979 dollar needs about $4.61 today to buy the same things. The biggest single-year jump in that span was 13.5% in 1980.

Frequently asked questions

How much is $100 from 1979 worth today?: About $460.61 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 1979 to 2026?: Cumulative inflation was 360.6%, an average of 3.30% per year over 47 years.
What would $100 today have bought in 1979?: Today’s $100 buys what about $21.71 bought in 1979.
What was the highest one-year inflation since 1979?: 1980, when the CPI rose 13.5% over the year before.

$100 in other years

Any amount, any two years — open the inflation calculator