$1 in 1950 had the same buying power as $14.00 in September 2026. Prices are 1,300% higher than in 1950, an average of 3.5% a year, based on the U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
A dollar in September 2026 buys what 7 cents bought in 1950.
Convert any amount from 1950 in the Inflation Calculator
1950 dollars in today's money
| In 1950 | In September 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1.00 | $14.00 |
| $5.00 | $70.00 |
| $10.00 | $140.00 |
| $20.00 | $280.00 |
| $50.00 | $700.00 |
| $100.00 | $1,400 |
| $500.00 | $7,000 |
| $1,000 | $14,000 |
| $10,000 | $140,001 |
What $100 from 1950 cost in the years since
Annual averages of CPI-U; 2026 uses September 2026. Source: BLS via FRED.
Inflation in 1950
Prices rose 1.1% in 1950, comparing its average CPI-U with 1949's. That ranks 88th of the 112 years since 1914, from the highest inflation to the lowest.
| Year | Inflation |
|---|---|
| 1948 | 7.7% |
| 1949 | -1.0% |
| 1950 | 1.1% |
| 1951 | 7.9% |
| 1952 | 2.3% |
Wages in 1950 and today
- The federal minimum wage rose from $0.40 to $0.75 an hour in January 1950. $0.75 then is worth $10.50 in today's dollars; the federal minimum has been $7.25 since July 2009.
What $100 from 1950 was worth over the years
| Year | $100 from 1950 is worth |
|---|---|
| 1960 | $123 |
| 1970 | $161 |
| 1980 | $342 |
| 1990 | $543 |
| 2000 | $716 |
| 2010 | $906 |
| 2020 | $1,075 |
| 2025 | $1,338 |
| September 2026 | $1,400 |
How this is calculated
Divide today's price index by the index for 1950, then multiply by the amount:
$100 × (336.94 ÷ 24.067) = $1,400.01
1950's index is the average of its monthly CPI-U values; today's is the latest month, September 2026. Other calculators can differ slightly if they use a different month or index. More in our methodology.
Data: CPI-U through September 2026. Next BLS release: November 10, 2026. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, via FRED; minimum wage from the U.S. Department of Labor.