$1 in 1943 is worth $19.82 today
A dollar in January 1943 had the same buying power as $19.82 in Aug 2026. Prices have risen 1882% since then. Change the amount or the months below.
US CPI data through Aug 2026, updated monthly. How we calculate$1 in Jan 1943 is worth, in Aug 2026
Prices rose 1882.1% in total, about 3.64% a year. Cash kept under the mattress since Jan 1943 now buys only 5% 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 1943 is worth now
Prices in the US have risen 1882% since 1943, so it takes $19.82 today to buy what $1 bought then. Put the other way, $1 kept in cash since 1943 now buys only 5.0% of what it did.
That is an average of 3.6% a year over 84 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 1943, with dividends reinvested, would be worth about $11,235 today, 567× what inflation alone requires. Cash loses buying power; invested money has historically outgrown it.
| Year | Same buying power |
|---|---|
| 1943 | $1.00 |
| 1950 | $1.39 |
| 1960 | $1.73 |
| 1970 | $2.24 |
| 1980 | $4.60 |
| 1990 | $7.54 |
| 2000 | $9.99 |
| 2010 | $12.82 |
| 2020 | $15.26 |
| Aug 2026 | $19.82 |
CPI in January of each year; the last row uses the latest month.
Other years
Common questions
How much is $1 from 1943 worth today?
About $19.82 in Aug 2026 dollars, based on the US Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) from January 1943.
How much have prices gone up since 1943?
1882% in total, or about 3.6% a year on average.
What would $1 in 1943 buy today?
It buys about 5.0% of what it bought in 1943. You would need $19.82 to buy the same things.
How is this calculated?
Today's value = $1 × (latest CPI ÷ CPI in January 1943). 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.
Get one chart like this every week
- 1chart from real data
- 1idea in plain English
- 1thing to do this week