$1 in 1940 is worth $24.10 today
A dollar in January 1940 had the same buying power as $24.10 in Aug 2026. Prices have risen 2310% since then. Change the amount or the months below.
US CPI data through Aug 2026, updated monthly. How we calculate$1 in Jan 1940 is worth, in Aug 2026
Prices rose 2309.9% in total, about 3.74% a year. Cash kept under the mattress since Jan 1940 now buys only 4% 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 1940 is worth now
Prices in the US have risen 2310% since 1940, so it takes $24.10 today to buy what $1 bought then. Put the other way, $1 kept in cash since 1940 now buys only 4.1% of what it did.
That is an average of 3.7% a year over 87 years. Price controls held prices down during World War II, then prices jumped when they ended in 1946.
For contrast, $1 put into the S&P 500 in January 1940, with dividends reinvested, would be worth about $11,320 today, 470× what inflation alone requires. Cash loses buying power; invested money has historically outgrown it.
| Year | Same buying power |
|---|---|
| 1940 | $1.00 |
| 1950 | $1.69 |
| 1960 | $2.11 |
| 1970 | $2.72 |
| 1980 | $5.60 |
| 1990 | $9.17 |
| 2000 | $12.14 |
| 2010 | $15.59 |
| 2020 | $18.56 |
| Aug 2026 | $24.10 |
CPI in January of each year; the last row uses the latest month.
Other years
Common questions
How much is $1 from 1940 worth today?
About $24.10 in Aug 2026 dollars, based on the US Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) from January 1940.
How much have prices gone up since 1940?
2310% in total, or about 3.7% a year on average.
What would $1 in 1940 buy today?
It buys about 4.1% of what it bought in 1940. You would need $24.10 to buy the same things.
How is this calculated?
Today's value = $1 × (latest CPI ÷ CPI in January 1940). 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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