What is $100 in 1949 worth in 1953?

$100 in 1949 has the purchasing power of about $112 in 1953, based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U).

What was the average inflation rate between 1949 and 1953?

Prices rose 12.2% in total between 1949 and 1953, an average of 2.92% per year.

How much is $1 in 1949 worth today?

$1 in 1949 is equivalent to about $1.12 in 1953. Equivalently, a 1953 dollar buys what $0.89 bought in 1949.

U.S. inflation · 1949–1953

Value of $100 in 1949, adjusted to 1953

Amount From year To year

$100 in 1949 has the same buying power as

$112

in 1953

Detailed inflation statistics
Cumulative price change	12.2%
Average inflation rate	2.92% per year
Converted amount ($100 base)	$112
Price difference ($100 base)	$12.18
CPI in 1949	23.8
CPI in 1953	26.7
Inflation in 1949	-1.24%
Inflation in 1953	0.75%
$100 in 1949 → 1953	$112
$100 in 1953 → 1949	$89.14

What happened to prices between 1949 and 1953

Between 1949 and 1953, the Consumer Price Index went from 23.8 to 26.7. Cumulatively, prices increased 12.2%, which works out to an average of 2.92% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 1949 bought what $0.89 buys in 1953.

Common amounts: 1949 dollars in 1953

Amount in 1949	Value in 1953
$1.00	$1.12
$5.00	$5.61
$10.00	$11.22
$20.00	$22.44
$50.00	$56.09
$100	$112
$500	$561
$1,000	$1,122
$5,000	$5,609
$10,000	$11,218
$100,000	$112,185
$1,000,000	$1,121,849

Inflation by spending category, 1949–1953

The headline number is an average. Individual categories moved very differently over this period. Here is what $100 of 1949 spending costs in 1953, by category:

Category	Avg. yearly inflation	$100 in 1949 →
All items (CPI-U)	2.92%	$112
Transportation	4.64%	$120
Medical care	3.98%	$117
Food	3.15%	$113
Apparel	1.38%	$106

Not shown because the BLS began these indexes after 1949: 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 1949

Year	CPI	Inflation rate	$100 from 1949
1949	23.8	-1.2%	$100
1950	24.1	1.3%	$101
1951	26	7.9%	$109
1952	26.5	1.9%	$111
1953	26.7	0.8%	$112

Cite this page

MLA: “Inflation from 1949 to 1953: $100 is worth $112 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1949-to-1953/

APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 1949 to 1953. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1949-to-1953/

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.