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Value of 1979 US Dollars today

$100 in 1979
$428.26 in 2024

The inflation rate in the United States between 1979 and today has been 328.26%, which translates into a total increase of $328.26. This means that 100 dollars in 1979 are equivalent to 428.26 dollars in 2024. In other words, the purchasing power of $100 in 1979 equals $428.26 today. The average annual inflation rate between these periods has been 3.29%.

Inflation timeline in the United States (1979 - 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 1979-2023 319.84%
Cumulative inflation 1979-today 328.26%
Avg. Annual inflation 1979-2023 3.31%
CPI 1979 30.62
CPI 2023 128.56
CPI 2024-02 (latest official data) 130.93
CPI today 131.13

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 1979 and 2023, use the corresponding CPI values:

Value2023
=Value1979 ×
CPI2023/CPI1979
=$ 100 ×
128.56/30.62
$419.84

To obtain the equivalent value today (present value), plug in the CPI for today, which is estimated as 131.13:

Valuetoday
=Value1979 ×
CPItoday/CPI1979
=$ 100 ×
131.13/30.62
$428.26

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 44 years between 1979 and 2023 and the average inflation rate was 3.3145%. Therefore, we can resolve the formula like this:

Value2023
=PV × (1 + i)n
=$100 × (1 + 0.033145)44
$419.84

US inflation - Conversion table

Initial Value Equivalent value
$1 dollar in 1979 $4.2 dollars in 2023
$5 dollars in 1979 $20.99 dollars in 2023
$10 dollars in 1979 $41.98 dollars in 2023
$50 dollars in 1979 $209.92 dollars in 2023
$100 dollars in 1979 $419.84 dollars in 2023
$500 dollars in 1979 $2,099.22 dollars in 2023
$1,000 dollars in 1979 $4,198.44 dollars in 2023
$5,000 dollars in 1979 $20,992.19 dollars in 2023
$10,000 dollars in 1979 $41,984.38 dollars in 2023
$50,000 dollars in 1979 $209,921.92 dollars in 2023
$100,000 dollars in 1979 $419,843.85 dollars in 2023
$500,000 dollars in 1979 $2,099,219.24 dollars in 2023
$1,000,000 dollars in 1979 $4,198,438.48 dollars in 2023
Cumulative inflation From 1979 328.26%
Avg. annual inflation From 1979 3.29%
CPI 1979 30.62
CPI today 131.13

Value of Dollar over time (by year)

Period Value
1979 100
1980 113.55
1981 125.28
1982 132.97
1983 137.24
1984 143.14
1985 148.21
1986 151.03
1987 156.56
1988 162.95
1989 170.81
1990 180.03
1991 187.66
1992 193.34
1993 199.05
1994 204.24
1995 209.97
1996 216.12
1997 221.17
1998 224.61
1999 229.52
2000 237.27
2001 243.98
2002 247.85
2003 253.47
2004 260.26
2005 269.09
2006 277.77
2007 285.69
2008 296.66
2009 295.61
2010 300.46
2011 309.94
2012 316.35
2013 320.99
2014 326.2
2015 326.58
2016 330.7
2017 337.75
2018 346
2019 352.27
2020 356.61
2021 373.37
2022 403.24
2023 419.84
2024-02 427.59
Today 428.26

All available years

Today's value of US dollars by year:

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 |

Other currencies: