$100 in 1928 is worth $1,259 in 2008,
because prices increased 1159.1% over that period, an average of
3.22% a year.
$100 in 1928 has
the same buying power as
$1,259
in 2008
Detailed inflation statistics
Cumulative price change
1159.1%
Average inflation rate
3.22% per year
Converted amount ($100 base)
$1,259
Price difference ($100 base)
$1,159
CPI in 1928
17.1
CPI in 2008
215.303
Inflation in 1928
-1.72%
Inflation in 2008
3.84%
$100 in 1928 → 2008
$1,259
$100 in 2008 → 1928
$7.94
What happened to prices between 1928 and 2008
Between 1928 and 2008, the Consumer Price Index went from 17.1 to 215.303.
Cumulatively, prices increased 1159.1%, which works out to an average of
3.22% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 1928 bought what
$0.08 buys in 2008: the 1928 dollar
lost 92.1% of its purchasing power over
these 80 years.
Consumer prices fell 1.7% in 1928, the second straight year of mild decline
even as the stock market climbed sharply, a widening gap between asset
prices and the cost of living that later economists pointed to as an early
warning sign. The Federal Reserve tightened policy repeatedly over the year,
raising its discount rate in an effort to slow the flood of borrowed money
pouring into stock purchases without derailing the broader economy, a
balancing act it ultimately failed to manage. Herbert Hoover won the
presidential election that November, defeating Democrat Al Smith on a
platform built around continuing the prosperity of the Coolidge years; few
voters or policymakers anticipated how quickly that prosperity would end.
First-class postage remained at 2 cents, a price that had now held for nine
straight years.
Every 1928 amount converts to 2008 at the same ratio, 12.59: $1,000 becomes
$12,591, and $10,000 becomes $125,908.
Amount in 1928
Value in 2008
$1.00
$12.59
$5.00
$62.95
$10.00
$126
$20.00
$252
$50.00
$630
$100
$1,259
$500
$6,295
$1,000
$12,591
$5,000
$62,954
$10,000
$125,908
$100,000
$1,259,082
$1,000,000
$12,590,819
Inflation by spending category, 1928–2008
Between 1928 and 2008, food rose the most, up 1213.5%, while apparel rose the least, up 375.6%, against 1159.1% for all items. The headline number is an average; here is what $100 of 1928
spending costs in 2008, by category:
Category
Avg. yearly inflation
$100 in 1928 →
All items (CPI-U)
3.22%
$1,259
Food
3.27%
$1,314
Apparel
1.97%
$476
Not shown because the BLS began these indexes after 1928: core (all items less food & energy) (1957–), energy (1957–), housing (1967–), medical care (1935–), transportation (1935–), recreation (1993–), education & communication (1993–).
Decade by decade: 1928 to 2008
Prices climbed fastest in the 1970s, averaging 7.82% a year, and fell in the 1930s (1.7% a year). Each step below chains into the full 1928–2008 change:
Years
Avg. yearly inflation
Price change
$100 from 1928, at end
1928–1930
-1.18%
-2.3%
$97.66
1930–1940
-1.75%
-16.2%
$81.87
1940–1950
5.58%
72.1%
$141
1950–1960
2.08%
22.8%
$173
1960–1970
2.74%
31.1%
$227
1970–1980
7.82%
112.4%
$482
1980–1990
4.72%
58.6%
$764
1990–2000
2.80%
31.8%
$1,007
2000–2008
2.83%
25.0%
$1,259
Year by year: CPI and the value of $100 from 1928
$100 from 1928 had already become $204 by
1968, on its way to $1,259 in 2008; each row shows the CPI, that
year's inflation rate, and the running value.
Within the span, inflation peaked at 14.4% in 1947, and prices fell 9.9% in 1932, the deepest deflation of the period.
Long periods are sampled every 5 years; the calculator above covers any pair of years.
The destination year: 2008
In 2008, prices rose 3.8% and $100 from 1928 had the buying
power of $1,259; the year's average CPI of 215.303 is the level
behind every 2008 figure on this page.
Inflation averaged 3.8% in 2008, but that figure hides a swing. The 12-month rate reached 5.6% in
July, when oil hit $147 a barrel and gasoline passed $4 a gallon, then fell to 0.1% by December
as crude dropped near $40. For the year, gas averaged $3.27, the highest yet. The financial
system broke in the fall: Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy on September 15, Congress
created the $700 billion TARP bank rescue on October 3, and the Federal Reserve cut its policy
rate to a range of 0–0.25% in December. The median household earned about $50,300, barely
above 2007, and the median new home price fell to $232,100. The minimum wage rose to $6.55 in
July, and a first-class stamp cost 42 cents. The price collapse at the end of 2008 set up the
deflation of 2009.
MLA: “Inflation from 1928 to 2008: $100 is worth $1,259 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1928-to-2008/
APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 1928 to 2008. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1928-to-2008/