$1 in 1917 is worth $28.63 today
A dollar in January 1917 had the same buying power as $28.63 in Aug 2026. Prices have risen 2763% since then. Change the amount or the months below.
US CPI data through Aug 2026, updated monthly. How we calculate$1 in Jan 1917 is worth, in Aug 2026
Prices rose 2763.1% in total, about 3.11% a year. Cash kept under the mattress since Jan 1917 now buys only 3% of what it used to.
US Consumer Price Index (CPI-U, all items, not seasonally adjusted), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Data through Aug 2026. Oct 2025 was not published and is estimated from the months around it.
What $1 from 1917 is worth now
Prices in the US have risen 2763% since 1917, so it takes $28.63 today to buy what $1 bought then. Put the other way, $1 kept in cash since 1917 now buys only 3.5% of what it did.
That is an average of 3.1% a year over 110 years. Prices actually fell for several years in the early 1930s, during the Great Depression, before rising again.
For contrast, $1 put into the S&P 500 in January 1917, with dividends reinvested, would be worth about $54,108 today, 1890× what inflation alone requires. Cash loses buying power; invested money has historically outgrown it.
| Year | Same buying power |
|---|---|
| 1917 | $1.00 |
| 1920 | $1.65 |
| 1930 | $1.46 |
| 1940 | $1.19 |
| 1950 | $2.01 |
| 1960 | $2.50 |
| 1970 | $3.23 |
| 1980 | $6.65 |
| 1990 | $10.89 |
| 2000 | $14.43 |
| 2010 | $18.52 |
| 2020 | $22.05 |
| Aug 2026 | $28.63 |
CPI in January of each year; the last row uses the latest month.
Other years
Common questions
How much is $1 from 1917 worth today?
About $28.63 in Aug 2026 dollars, based on the US Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) from January 1917.
How much have prices gone up since 1917?
2763% in total, or about 3.1% a year on average.
What would $1 in 1917 buy today?
It buys about 3.5% of what it bought in 1917. You would need $28.63 to buy the same things.
How is this calculated?
Today's value = $1 × (latest CPI ÷ CPI in January 1917). CPI is the Bureau of Labor Statistics measure of the prices US households pay.
Based on the US Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), all items, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Individual prices, such as homes, college or healthcare, rose faster or slower than the average.
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