Investment Tools · CPI purchasing power

$1.00 in 1915 is worth $33.03 today

$1.00 in 1915 has the same purchasing power as $33.03 today, a cumulative price change of +3,203.39% over 111 years.

  • Data as of July 2026
  • Latest year is a partial-year figure
  • Powered by FRED®

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U.S. dollars, up to two decimals.

This tool covers 1800 to 2026. Reverse swaps From and To so you can convert today’s dollars back to a past year.

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Results update as you type. “Today” means the July 2026 CPI reading. Years before 1913 use labeled historical estimates.

Equivalent value today
$33.03

$1.00 in 1915 has the same buying power as $33.03 today.

The price level today is 33.03× its 1915 level, so $1 today buys 3.03% of what $1 bought in 1915.

  • “Today” uses the July 2026 CPI reading, a partial-year figure that will move as more months publish.

Cumulative price change +3,203.39% 1915 to today, 111 years
Average annual inflation 3.20% Compound annual rate
Price multiplier 33.03× $1 today has 3.03% of the buying power of $1 in 1915
Purchasing power over time

What $1.00 from 1915 is worth in each year

Official CPI-U (solid)

Year-by-year values are listed in the table below.
Year-by-year equivalent of $1.00 starting in 1915. Rows tagged “est.” are pre-1913 estimates.
Year Equivalent value Inflation vs prior year CPI-U index
1915$1.00 +0.92%10.108
1916$1.08 +7.67%10.883
1917$1.27 +17.84%12.825
1918$1.49 +17.28%15.042
1919$1.71 +15.24%17.333
1920$1.98 +15.63%20.042
1921$1.77 -10.94%17.850
1922$1.66 -6.16%16.750
1923$1.69 +1.79%17.050
1924$1.69 +0.44%17.125
1925$1.74 +2.43%17.542
1926$1.75 +0.90%17.700
1927$1.72 -1.93%17.358
1928$1.70 -1.15%17.158
1929$1.70 0.00%17.158
Other amounts

Other 1915 amounts today

Amount in 1915 Equivalent today
$1.00 $33.03
$5.00 $165.17
$10.00 $330.34
$20.00 $660.68
$25.00 $825.85
$50.00 $1,651.70
$100.00 $3,303.39
$500.00 $16,516.97
$1,000.00 $33,033.93
$5,000.00 $165,169.66
$10,000.00 $330,339.32
$25,000.00 $825,848.31
$50,000.00 $1,651,696.62
$100,000.00 $3,303,393.24
$1,000,000.00 $33,033,932.40
Methodology

How this result is calculated

Adjusted amount = $1.00 × (333.918 ÷ 10.108) = $33.03

CPI values from 1913 onward are annual averages of BLS CPI-U, all items, not seasonally adjusted (FRED CPIAUCNS). The current year uses the latest monthly observation. Years before 1913 are Minneapolis Fed estimates rebased so 1913 matches BLS. The average annual rate is the compound growth rate of the CPI ratio over the years spanned.

The underlying index values used here are 10.108 → 333.918 (1915 vs today, BLS scale where 1982–84 = 100). Most people can ignore this; it is the official index, not a dollar amount.

FAQ

Inflation calculator FAQ

How does this inflation calculator work?

It multiplies your amount by the ratio of the Consumer Price Index in the end period to the index in the start year. From 1913 onward that is BLS CPI-U, not seasonally adjusted, the same method the BLS CPI Inflation Calculator uses. Years before 1913 use Minneapolis Fed estimates rebased to the 1913 BLS level.

Why do pre-1913 results not match other websites?

There is no official BLS CPI before 1913. Different calculators splice different historical series. This tool uses the Minneapolis Fed 1800 table and labels every year before 1913 as an estimate, in the year picker, in the results, and in the table.

Does “today” mean the current calendar year?

Today uses the latest published monthly CPI-U observation, currently July 2026, not a completed annual average. The page always shows the data-as-of month, and the figure will move slightly as more months of the current year publish.

Can I convert today’s dollars back to an earlier year?

Yes. Pick a later “from” year and an earlier “to” year, or use the swap button between the year pickers. The calculator applies the same CPI ratio in the other direction and labels the result as a reverse conversion.

Data sources

Where the numbers come from

1913–present: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), all items, U.S. city average, not seasonally adjusted, retrieved via FRED series CPIAUCNS.

1800–1912: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, Consumer Price Index 1800–, rebased to the 1913 BLS annual average.

Data from FRED®, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. This product uses the FRED API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

Educational estimate only. CPI does not measure every household’s cost of living, and pre-1913 figures are historical reconstructions. This is not investment, tax, or legal advice.

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