What is $100 in 1938 worth in 1942?

$100 in 1938 has the purchasing power of about $116 in 1942, based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U).

What was the average inflation rate between 1938 and 1942?

Prices rose 15.6% in total between 1938 and 1942, an average of 3.69% per year.

How much is $1 in 1938 worth today?

$1 in 1938 is equivalent to about $1.16 in 1942. Equivalently, a 1942 dollar buys what $0.87 bought in 1938.

U.S. inflation · 1938–1942

Value of $100 in 1938, adjusted to 1942

Amount From year To year

$100 in 1938 has the same buying power as

$116

in 1942

Detailed inflation statistics
Cumulative price change	15.6%
Average inflation rate	3.69% per year
Converted amount ($100 base)	$116
Price difference ($100 base)	$15.60
CPI in 1938	14.1
CPI in 1942	16.3
Inflation in 1938	-2.08%
Inflation in 1942	10.88%
$100 in 1938 → 1942	$116
$100 in 1942 → 1938	$86.50

What happened to prices between 1938 and 1942

Between 1938 and 1942, the Consumer Price Index went from 14.1 to 16.3. Cumulatively, prices increased 15.6%, which works out to an average of 3.69% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 1938 bought what $0.87 buys in 1942.

Common amounts: 1938 dollars in 1942

Amount in 1938	Value in 1942
$1.00	$1.16
$5.00	$5.78
$10.00	$11.56
$20.00	$23.12
$50.00	$57.80
$100	$116
$500	$578
$1,000	$1,156
$5,000	$5,780
$10,000	$11,560
$100,000	$115,603
$1,000,000	$1,156,028

Inflation by spending category, 1938–1942

The headline number is an average. Individual categories moved very differently over this period. Here is what $100 of 1938 spending costs in 1942, by category:

Category	Avg. yearly inflation	$100 in 1938 →
All items (CPI-U)	3.69%	$116
Food	6.21%	$127
Apparel	5.08%	$122
Transportation	2.32%	$110
Medical care	0.96%	$104

Not shown because the BLS began these indexes after 1938: core (all items less food & energy) (1957–), energy (1957–), housing (1967–), recreation (1993–), education & communication (1993–).

Year by year: CPI and the value of $100 from 1938

Year	CPI	Inflation rate	$100 from 1938
1938	14.1	-2.1%	$100
1939	13.9	-1.4%	$98.58
1940	14	0.7%	$99.29
1941	14.7	5.0%	$104
1942	16.3	10.9%	$116

Cite this page

MLA: “Inflation from 1938 to 1942: $100 is worth $116 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1938-to-1942/

APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 1938 to 1942. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1938-to-1942/

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.