$100 in 1920: What Is It Worth Today?
At a Glance
$100 from 1920 — Value at Each Decade
How much $100 in 1920 dollars would be worth at each subsequent decade, through 2024.
| Year | Equivalent Value |
|---|---|
| 1930 | $83.50 |
| 1940 | $70.00 |
| 1950 | $121 |
| 1960 | $148 |
| 1970 | $194 |
| 1980 | $412 |
| 1990 | $653 |
| 2000 | $861 |
| 2010 | $1,091 |
| 2020 | $1,294 |
| 2024 (today) | $1,571 |
How This Is Calculated
This page uses the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) CPI-U (Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers) annual average series, 1913–2024. The formula is straightforward:
Equivalent Value = Original Amount × (CPI2024 ÷ CPI1920)
For $100 in 1920: CPI in 1920 was 20 and CPI in 2024 is 314.2, giving $100 × (314.2 ÷ 20) = $1,571.
The average annual rate uses the geometric mean:
Annual Rate = (CPI2024 ÷ CPI1920)1/years − 1
Understanding Inflation and Purchasing Power
Inflation is the gradual rise in the general price level of goods and services over time. When inflation runs at 2.68%/yr, each dollar buys a little less each year — and over decades, the effect compounds dramatically. That is why $100 in 1920 feels like so much more than $100 today: the same amount of money bought far more back then.
The U.S. Federal Reserve targets 2% annual inflation as its long-run goal. The post-1920 period has seen stretches of high inflation — notably the stagflation of the 1970s–early 1980s, and the post-pandemic surge of 2021–2023 — as well as long periods of relative price stability in the 1990s and 2010s.
For wages and savings, this matters practically: a salary or retirement account that doesn't grow with inflation loses real value year after year. A raise of 3% when inflation is 4% is effectively a pay cut. The CPI-U measure tracks a broad "basket" of goods including food, housing, transportation, medical care, and recreation — what a typical urban household buys.
To run a custom inflation calculation — different years, different amounts, or to compare how your own salary has tracked against CPI — use the interactive tool below.