Consumer prices rose 1.5% in 1936, a third straight annual increase and part of a slow, steady climb back from the 1933 trough, though prices and the broader economy still had not fully recovered to their pre-Depression levels. Voters delivered their verdict on that recovery in November, reelecting Franklin D. Roosevelt over Republican Alf Landon in one of the most lopsided elections in U.S. history: Roosevelt carried 46 of 48 states and won the Electoral College 523 to 8, a broad public endorsement of the New Deal. Public works kept advancing that year, too. Hoover Dam, one of the era’s signature projects, had been dedicated in September 1935, but its first generators did not begin sending electricity over transmission lines to Los Angeles until October 1936, a milestone that showed how long even a celebrated project took to reach full operation. Consumer prices ended the year 40.4% above their 1913 level, still 18.7% below the 1929 peak, a gap that would keep narrowing until a sharp new recession interrupted the recovery the following year. First-class postage held at 3 cents.
Year in review
Inflation in 1936
The U.S. inflation rate in 1936 was 1.5% (CPI: 13.9). Convert 1936 dollars to today →
1.5% 1936 inflation rate
-1.9% 1930s average
2.2% peak month (Aug)
-0.7% lowest month (Apr)
What things cost in 1936
| First-class stamp | $0.03 |
|---|
What $100 from 1936 was worth later
| In 1940 | $101 |
|---|---|
| In 1950 | $173 |
| In 1960 | $213 |
| In 1970 | $279 |
| In 1980 | $593 |
| In 1990 | $940 |
| In 2000 | $1,239 |
| In 2010 | $1,569 |
| In 2020 | $1,862 |
| In 2026 | $2,386 |
Inflation in 1936, month by month
| Month | CPI-U | 12-month rate |
|---|---|---|
| January | 13.8 | 1.5% |
| February | 13.8 | 0.7% |
| March | 13.7 | 0.0% |
| April | 13.7 | -0.7% |
| May | 13.7 | -0.7% |
| June | 13.8 | 0.7% |
| July | 13.9 | 1.5% |
| August | 14 | 2.2% |
| September | 14 | 2.2% |
| October | 14 | 2.2% |
| November | 14 | 1.4% |
| December | 14 | 1.4% |
Economic events of 1936
- Consumer prices rise 1.5% for a third straight year The pace of increase was modest but steady, part of a slow climb back from the Depression's 1933 trough that had not yet returned prices, or the broader economy, to their pre-Depression levels.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt wins reelection in a landslide Roosevelt defeated Republican Alf Landon on November 3, carrying 46 of 48 states and winning the Electoral College 523 to 8, one of the most lopsided presidential elections in U.S. history and a broad public endorsement of the New Deal recovery program.
- Hoover Dam begins delivering power to Los Angeles The dam had been dedicated in September 1935, but its first generators did not begin sending electricity over transmission lines to Los Angeles until October 1936, a milestone for one of the New Deal era's signature public works projects.
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index history; USPS historical postage rates.
Inflation figures: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U annual averages. See the methodology.