Purchasing Power of Money in the United States from 1774 to 2009


Initial Year*:
Initial Amount: $
Desired Year*:

* Select Initial and Desired Years within 1774 and 2009 period. Enter data as a number without a $ sign or commas.

The measure used in this calculator is the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Other comparison series might be preferable, depending on the context of the question.

For more choices consult

Six Ways to Compute the Relative Value of a US Dollar Amount, 1774 - 2009

where you will find a much more extensive discussion of how to compute relative worth with many examples.

To determine the value of an amount of money in a particular ("original") year compared to another ("desired") year, enter the values in the appropriate places below. For example, you may want to know: How much money would you need in the year 2000, to have the same "purchasing power" of $500 in year 1960. If you entered these values in the correct places, you will find that the answer is $2,906.82.

You can make this computation among all the years between 1774 and 2009.


Citation

Lawrence H. Officer and Samuel H. Williamson, "Purchasing Power of Money in the United States from 1774 to 2009," MeasuringWorth, 2010. URL http://www.measuringworth.com/ppowerus/

Please read our Note on Data Revisions.

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