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Value of 1972 US Dollars today

$100 in 1972
$756.86 in 2024

The inflation rate in the United States between 1972 and today has been 656.86%, which translates into a total increase of $656.86. This means that 100 dollars in 1972 are equivalent to 756.86 dollars in 2024. In other words, the purchasing power of $100 in 1972 equals $756.86 today. The average annual inflation rate between these periods has been 3.97%.

Inflation timeline in the United States (1972 - 2024)

The following chart depicts the equivalence of $100 due to compound inflation and CPI changes. All values are equivalent in terms of purchasing power, which means that for each year the same goods or services could be bought with the indicated amount of money.

All calculations are performed in the local currency (USD) and using 6 decimal digits. Results show only up to 2 decimal digits to favour readability. Inflation data is provided by governments and international institutions on a monthly basis. Today's values were extrapolated from the latest 12-month rolling average official data.

The following table contains relevant indicators:

Indicator Value
Cumulative inflation 1972-2023 628.66%
Cumulative inflation 1972-today 656.86%
Avg. Annual inflation 1972-2023 3.97%
CPI 1972 41.82
CPI 2023 304.7
CPI 2024-10 (latest official data) 315.66
CPI today 316.5

How to calculate today's value of money after inflation?

There are several ways to calculate the time value of money. Depending on the data available, results can be obtained by using the Consumer Price Index (CPI) formula or the compound interest formula.

Using the CPI formula

When we have both the start and end years, we can use the following formula:

Valuet =Value0 ×
CPIt/CPI0

To obtain the values equivalent in buying power between 1972 and 2023, use the corresponding CPI values:

Value2023
=Value1972 ×
CPI2023/CPI1972
=$ 100 ×
304.7/41.82
$728.66

To obtain the equivalent value today (present value), plug in the CPI for today, which is estimated as 316.5:

Valuetoday
=Value1972 ×
CPItoday/CPI1972
=$ 100 ×
316.5/41.82
$756.86

Alternative: Using the compound interest formula

Given that money changes with time as a result of an inflation rate that acts as compound interest, we can use the following formula: FV = PV × (1 + i)n, where:

  • FV: Future Value
  • PV: Present Value
  • i: Interest rate (inflation)
  • n: Number of times the interest is compounded (i.e. # of years)

In this case, the future value represents the final amount obtained after applying the inflation rate to our initial value. In other words, it indicates how much are $100 worth today. There are 51 years between 1972 and 2023 and the average inflation rate was 3.971%. Therefore, we can resolve the formula like this:

Value2023
=PV × (1 + i)n
=$100 × (1 + 0.03971)51
$728.66

US inflation - Conversion table

Initial Value Equivalent value
$1 dollar in 1972 $7.29 dollars in 2023
$5 dollars in 1972 $36.43 dollars in 2023
$10 dollars in 1972 $72.87 dollars in 2023
$50 dollars in 1972 $364.33 dollars in 2023
$100 dollars in 1972 $728.66 dollars in 2023
$500 dollars in 1972 $3,643.3 dollars in 2023
$1,000 dollars in 1972 $7,286.61 dollars in 2023
$5,000 dollars in 1972 $36,433.03 dollars in 2023
$10,000 dollars in 1972 $72,866.06 dollars in 2023
$50,000 dollars in 1972 $364,330.31 dollars in 2023
$100,000 dollars in 1972 $728,660.62 dollars in 2023
$500,000 dollars in 1972 $3,643,303.11 dollars in 2023
$1,000,000 dollars in 1972 $7,286,606.22 dollars in 2023
Cumulative inflation From 1972 656.86%
Avg. annual inflation From 1972 3.97%
CPI 1972 41.82
CPI today 316.5

Value of Dollar over time (by year)

Period Value
1972 100
1973 106.18
1974 117.92
1975 128.7
1976 136.09
1977 144.94
1978 156
1979 173.56
1980 197.07
1981 217.44
1982 230.77
1983 238.18
1984 248.43
1985 257.23
1986 262.12
1987 271.72
1988 282.8
1989 296.45
1990 312.46
1991 325.69
1992 335.55
1993 345.46
1994 354.46
1995 364.41
1996 375.09
1997 383.86
1998 389.82
1999 398.35
2000 411.8
2001 423.44
2002 430.15
2003 439.92
2004 451.69
2005 467.02
2006 482.08
2007 495.84
2008 514.87
2009 513.04
2010 521.46
2011 537.92
2012 549.05
2013 557.09
2014 566.13
2015 566.8
2016 573.95
2017 586.18
2018 600.49
2019 611.38
2020 618.92
2021 647.99
2022 699.85
2023 728.66
2024-10 754.88
Today 756.86

All available years

Today's value of US dollars by year:

1913 | 1914 | 1915 | 1916 | 1917 | 1918 | 1919 | 1920 | 1921 | 1922 | 1923 | 1924 | 1925 | 1926 | 1927 | 1928 | 1929 | 1930 | 1931 | 1932 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |

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