$1 in 1965 had the same buying power as $10.69 in September 2026. Prices are 969% higher than in 1965, an average of 3.9% 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 9 cents bought in 1965.
Convert any amount from 1965 in the Inflation Calculator
1965 dollars in today's money
| In 1965 | In September 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1.00 | $10.69 |
| $5.00 | $53.47 |
| $10.00 | $106.94 |
| $20.00 | $213.88 |
| $50.00 | $534.69 |
| $100.00 | $1,069 |
| $500.00 | $5,347 |
| $1,000 | $10,694 |
| $10,000 | $106,938 |
What $100 from 1965 cost in the years since
Annual averages of CPI-U; 2026 uses September 2026. Source: BLS via FRED.
Inflation in 1965
Prices rose 1.6% in 1965, comparing its average CPI-U with 1964's. That ranks 77th of the 112 years since 1914, from the highest inflation to the lowest.
| Year | Inflation |
|---|---|
| 1963 | 1.2% |
| 1964 | 1.3% |
| 1965 | 1.6% |
| 1966 | 3.0% |
| 1967 | 2.8% |
Wages in 1965 and today
- The federal minimum wage was $1.25 an hour in 1965. $1.25 then is worth $13.37 in today's dollars; the federal minimum has been $7.25 since July 2009.
- Production and nonsupervisory workers earned an average of $2.63 an hour in 1965, or $28.10 in today's dollars. In September 2026 they averaged $32.54, so their pay buys 15.8% more than in 1965.
What $100 from 1965 was worth over the years
How this is calculated
Divide today's price index by the index for 1965, then multiply by the amount:
$100 × (336.94 ÷ 31.508) = $1,069.38
1965'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; prices and wages from BLS average price data and Current Employment Statistics; minimum wage from the U.S. Department of Labor.