What is $100 in 1933 worth in 1938?

$100 in 1933 has the purchasing power of about $108 in 1938, based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U).

What was the average inflation rate between 1933 and 1938?

Prices rose 8.5% in total between 1933 and 1938, an average of 1.64% per year.

How much is $1 in 1933 worth today?

$1 in 1933 is equivalent to about $1.08 in 1938. Equivalently, a 1938 dollar buys what $0.92 bought in 1933.

U.S. inflation · 1933–1938

Value of $100 in 1933, adjusted to 1938

Amount From year To year

$100 in 1933 has the same buying power as

$108

in 1938

Detailed inflation statistics
Cumulative price change	8.5%
Average inflation rate	1.64% per year
Converted amount ($100 base)	$108
Price difference ($100 base)	$8.46
CPI in 1933	13
CPI in 1938	14.1
Inflation in 1933	-5.11%
Inflation in 1938	-2.08%
$100 in 1933 → 1938	$108
$100 in 1938 → 1933	$92.20

What happened to prices between 1933 and 1938

Between 1933 and 1938, the Consumer Price Index went from 13 to 14.1. Cumulatively, prices increased 8.5%, which works out to an average of 1.64% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 1933 bought what $0.92 buys in 1938.

Common amounts: 1933 dollars in 1938

Amount in 1933	Value in 1938
$1.00	$1.08
$5.00	$5.42
$10.00	$10.85
$20.00	$21.69
$50.00	$54.23
$100	$108
$500	$542
$1,000	$1,085
$5,000	$5,423
$10,000	$10,846
$100,000	$108,462
$1,000,000	$1,084,615

Inflation by spending category, 1933–1938

The headline number is an average. Individual categories moved very differently over this period. Here is what $100 of 1933 spending costs in 1938, by category:

Category	Avg. yearly inflation	$100 in 1933 →
All items (CPI-U)	1.64%	$108
Apparel	3.10%	$116
Food	3.07%	$116

Not shown because the BLS began these indexes after 1933: core (all items less food & energy) (1957–), energy (1957–), housing (1967–), medical care (1935–), transportation (1935–), recreation (1993–), education & communication (1993–).

Year by year: CPI and the value of $100 from 1933

Year	CPI	Inflation rate	$100 from 1933
1933	13	-5.1%	$100
1934	13.4	3.1%	$103
1935	13.7	2.2%	$105
1936	13.9	1.5%	$107
1937	14.4	3.6%	$111
1938	14.1	-2.1%	$108

Cite this page

MLA: “Inflation from 1933 to 1938: $100 is worth $108 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1933-to-1938/

APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 1933 to 1938. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1933-to-1938/

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U annual averages (series CUUR0000SA0; category indexes listed on the data sources page). See how these numbers are calculated.