What is $100 in 1934 worth in 1938?

$100 in 1934 has the purchasing power of about $105 in 1938, based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U).

What was the average inflation rate between 1934 and 1938?

Prices rose 5.2% in total between 1934 and 1938, an average of 1.28% per year.

How much is $1 in 1934 worth today?

$1 in 1934 is equivalent to about $1.05 in 1938. Equivalently, a 1938 dollar buys what $0.95 bought in 1934.

U.S. inflation · 1934–1938

Value of $100 in 1934, adjusted to 1938

Amount From year To year

$100 in 1934 has the same buying power as

$105

in 1938

Detailed inflation statistics
Cumulative price change	5.2%
Average inflation rate	1.28% per year
Converted amount ($100 base)	$105
Price difference ($100 base)	$5.22
CPI in 1934	13.4
CPI in 1938	14.1
Inflation in 1934	3.08%
Inflation in 1938	-2.08%
$100 in 1934 → 1938	$105
$100 in 1938 → 1934	$95.04

What happened to prices between 1934 and 1938

Between 1934 and 1938, the Consumer Price Index went from 13.4 to 14.1. Cumulatively, prices increased 5.2%, which works out to an average of 1.28% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 1934 bought what $0.95 buys in 1938.

Common amounts: 1934 dollars in 1938

Amount in 1934	Value in 1938
$1.00	$1.05
$5.00	$5.26
$10.00	$10.52
$20.00	$21.04
$50.00	$52.61
$100	$105
$500	$526
$1,000	$1,052
$5,000	$5,261
$10,000	$10,522
$100,000	$105,224
$1,000,000	$1,052,239

Inflation by spending category, 1934–1938

The headline number is an average. Individual categories moved very differently over this period. Here is what $100 of 1934 spending costs in 1938, by category:

Category	Avg. yearly inflation	$100 in 1934 →
All items (CPI-U)	1.28%	$105
Apparel	1.54%	$106
Food	1.06%	$104

Not shown because the BLS began these indexes after 1934: 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 1934

Year	CPI	Inflation rate	$100 from 1934
1934	13.4	3.1%	$100
1935	13.7	2.2%	$102
1936	13.9	1.5%	$104
1937	14.4	3.6%	$107
1938	14.1	-2.1%	$105

Cite this page

MLA: “Inflation from 1934 to 1938: $100 is worth $105 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1934-to-1938/

APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 1934 to 1938. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1934-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.