The Great Inflation, 1965–1982
Compare dollars from the oil shocks, wage-and-price controls, and the end of gold convertibility without mistaking CPI inflation for a gold or exchange-rate calculation.
Example: $100 in 1970 or $1,000 in 1980What would an old dollar amount be worth today?
Enter a year and amount in US dollars to estimate its value at 2025 prices. The main result stays in dollars; a recent exchange rate is used only for the optional comparisons below.
Calculator
Price comparisons use annual data through 2025. Only optional currency conversions use a recent exchange rate.
What currency was it in?
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What would it be worth in each year?
An estimate based on prices in each yearUSD USD
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—See what an old dollar amount would be worth today.
Enter an old dollar amount and year to get a quick comparison in today’s money, then use the guides for wages, the 1970s and the Great Depression.- 01
Choose the year and amount
Enter the year printed on the receipt, wage record, advertisement, or story and the dollar amount you want to understand.
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See the amount in today’s money
The calculator compares everyday US prices then with prices today and gives you an easy-to-read estimate.
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Read the result in context
Treat the result as an estimate based on average consumer prices, then check the relevant guide if the amount is a wage, a Depression-era price, or a 1970s figure.
Dollar questions the generic answer misses
A national CPI estimate is useful, but the meaning changes with the document and the period. These starting points keep the comparison honest.Federal minimum wage history
See what a historical statutory wage would be worth today, while keeping FLSA coverage and state wage laws separate from the arithmetic.
Example: $1.60 an hour in 1968Depression-era prices
Compare 1929, the 1933 deflation low, and the later 1930s instead of treating the entire Great Depression as one price level.
Example: $100 in 1929, 1933, and 1938Receipts, salaries, and family records
Put an old rent, paycheck, menu, or purchase into today’s money before researching the specific item or local market.
Example: a 1950 paycheck or a 1995 grocery billUS dollar field guides
Three guides explain 1970s inflation, what an old minimum wage would buy today, and why Depression-era dollar values changed sharply.THE GREAT INFLATIONWhat is $100 from 1970 worth today?Calculate the amount, then place it inside the 1965–1982 inflation era.→WAGES AND PRICES$1.60 an hour in 1968Compare a federal wage rate without erasing changes in legal coverage.→1929–1939Depression-era dollarsSee why the same dollar amount meant something different in 1929, 1933, and 1938.→
See all US guidesCheck the estimate against the source
Use these official pages when you want to check a date, a wage rate or the history behind one of the guides.CPI Inflation CalculatorBureau of Labor Statistics calculator using the average CPI for a selected calendar year.↗Consumer Price Index databasesBLS tables for national, regional, local and detailed consumer-price figures.↗How to compare dollars from different yearsBLS explains how consumer-price figures show the amount needed in another year to buy a similar mix of goods and services.↗Federal minimum wage historyUS Department of Labor statutory rates and the changing coverage of the Fair Labor Standards Act.↗The Great InflationFederal Reserve History account of the 1965–1982 period and the 1971 break with gold convertibility.↗
What this dollar estimate does—and does not—answer
How do you calculate what a past dollar amount is worth today?
The calculator compares average consumer prices in the selected year with prices today. It shows roughly what the old amount would buy now; it does not calculate investment growth.
Why does the official US range begin in 1913?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI begins in 1913. Earlier estimates were reconstructed by historians and are not official BLS CPI figures, so this calculator does not label them as such.
Will a house, college tuition, or gasoline match the CPI result?
Usually not exactly. The all-items CPI represents a changing consumer basket. Housing, tuition, medical care, gasoline, and other categories can rise faster or slower than the national average.
Is this a historical exchange-rate calculator?
No. The main result compares US prices over time. If you choose another currency, it changes today’s dollar amount using today’s exchange rate; it does not use the exchange rate from the old year.
Does this tell me what an old bill or coin is worth to a collector?
No. Collector value depends on the date, mint, issue, condition, rarity, metal content and demand. This calculator only estimates what the amount could broadly buy at the time.
Can I use the result for taxes, damages, a contract, or accounting?
Not by itself. A legal or accounting calculation may require a named index, exact months, interest, contract terms, or a court rule. Use the governing source and a qualified professional.
Can I compare a historical minimum wage with today's wage?
You can compare what the wage would be worth today, but not legal coverage or labor conditions with one number. Federal coverage changed, states may set higher rates, and a statutory minimum wage is not an average wage.
Why are all results shown in today’s money?
Using one year’s prices makes amounts from different years easy to compare on the same basis.