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Value of 1985 US Dollars today

$6,995 in 1985
$20,363.02 in 2024

The inflation rate in the United States between 1985 and today has been 191.11%, which translates into a total increase of $13,368.02. This means that 6,995 dollars in 1985 are equivalent to 20,363.02 dollars in 2024. In other words, the purchasing power of $6,995 in 1985 equals $20,363.02 today. The average annual inflation rate between these periods has been 2.78%.

Inflation timeline in the United States (1985 - 2024)

The following chart depicts the equivalence of $6,995 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 1985-2023 183.27%
Cumulative inflation 1985-today 191.11%
Avg. Annual inflation 1985-2023 2.78%
CPI 1985 107.57
CPI 2023 304.7
CPI 2024-03 (latest official data) 312.33
CPI today 313.14

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 1985 and 2023, use the corresponding CPI values:

Value2023
=Value1985 ×
CPI2023/CPI1985
=$ 6,995 ×
304.7/107.57
$19,814.57

To obtain the equivalent value today (present value), plug in the CPI for today, which is estimated as 313.14:

Valuetoday
=Value1985 ×
CPItoday/CPI1985
=$ 6,995 ×
313.14/107.57
$20,363.02

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 $6,995 worth today. There are 38 years between 1985 and 2023 and the average inflation rate was 2.7779%. Therefore, we can resolve the formula like this:

Value2023
=PV × (1 + i)n
=$6,995 × (1 + 0.027779)38
$19,814.57

US inflation - Conversion table

Initial Value Equivalent value
$1 dollar in 1985 $2.83 dollars in 2023
$5 dollars in 1985 $14.16 dollars in 2023
$10 dollars in 1985 $28.33 dollars in 2023
$50 dollars in 1985 $141.63 dollars in 2023
$100 dollars in 1985 $283.27 dollars in 2023
$500 dollars in 1985 $1,416.34 dollars in 2023
$1,000 dollars in 1985 $2,832.68 dollars in 2023
$5,000 dollars in 1985 $14,163.38 dollars in 2023
$10,000 dollars in 1985 $28,326.77 dollars in 2023
$50,000 dollars in 1985 $141,633.83 dollars in 2023
$100,000 dollars in 1985 $283,267.66 dollars in 2023
$500,000 dollars in 1985 $1,416,338.32 dollars in 2023
$1,000,000 dollars in 1985 $2,832,676.63 dollars in 2023
Cumulative inflation From 1985 191.11%
Avg. annual inflation From 1985 2.78%
CPI 1985 107.57
CPI today 313.14

Value of Dollar over time (by year)

Period Value
1985 6,995
1986 7,127.77
1987 7,388.97
1988 7,690.27
1989 8,061.48
1990 8,496.64
1991 8,856.47
1992 9,124.71
1993 9,394.04
1994 9,638.99
1995 9,909.4
1996 10,199.87
1997 10,438.31
1998 10,600.34
1999 10,832.28
2000 11,198.07
2001 11,514.55
2002 11,697.17
2003 11,962.71
2004 12,282.98
2005 12,699.71
2006 13,109.39
2007 13,483.36
2008 14,001
2009 13,951.22
2010 14,180.03
2011 14,627.67
2012 14,930.36
2013 15,149.07
2014 15,394.82
2015 15,413.08
2016 15,607.53
2017 15,939.99
2018 16,329.34
2019 16,625.26
2020 16,830.35
2021 17,621.01
2022 19,031.19
2023 19,814.57
2024-03 20,310.77
Today 20,363.02

All available years

Today's value of US dollars by year:

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