$100 in 1972 is worth $791 today
What US dollars from 1972 are worth in 2026 money, adjusted for inflation with the official price index from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
1972 money in 2026 money
- Prices since
- +690.9%
- Per year
- +3.90% compounded
- Multiplier
- ×7.909
| In 1972 | Worth in 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $7.91 |
| $5 | $39.54 |
| $10 | $79.09 |
| $20 | $158 |
| $50 | $395 |
| $100 | $791 |
| $1,000 | $7,909 |
| $10,000 | $79,088 |
US Bureau of Labor Statistics — CPI-U, US city average, all items, not seasonally adjusted, 1982-84 = 100. Retrieved 2026-08-06. 2026 figures are the January–June average so far and will shift slightly as the year completes. Open in the calculator to compare any two years.
Inflation in 1972
Prices in the US rose 3.3% during 1972 — close to the middle of the range in this series, 43rd highest of 112. Across the 1970s, prices rose an average of 7.1% a year, peaking at 11.3% in 1979.
| Year | Rate | Bar |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | +5.8% | |
| 1971 | +4.3% | |
| 1972 | +3.3% | |
| 1973 | +6.2% | |
| 1974 | +11.1% | |
| 1975 | +9.1% | |
| 1976 | +5.7% | |
| 1977 | +6.5% | |
| 1978 | +7.6% | |
| 1979 | +11.3% |
How far the US dollar has fallen since 1972
An US dollar in 2026 buys about 12.6% of what one bought in 1972, a loss of 87.4% of its buying power. Prices had doubled from their 1972 level by 1981, 9 years later. Read the other way, here is what today's money would have been in 1972:
| In 2026 | Same as, in 1972 |
|---|---|
| $10 | $1.26 |
| $20 | $2.53 |
| $50 | $6.32 |
| $100 | $12.64 |
| $1,000 | $126 |
| $10,000 | $1,264 |
What these numbers can and cannot tell you
The figures compare the price index in 1972 with 2026: the cost of the same broad basket of goods and services, averaged across each year. That is the right measure for "what would this amount be in today's money" — a wage, a price, an inheritance. It is not a measure of what any particular thing cost: housing, education, and healthcare have mostly risen faster than the average, while electronics and clothing have risen far slower or fallen. And it says nothing about exchange rates, so it cannot turn 1972 US dollars into another currency.
Common questions
How much is $100 from 1972 worth today?
$100 in 1972 is worth about $791 in 2026 money, adjusted with the official price index published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Prices have risen 690.9% over that span, an average of 3.90% a year compounded. 2026 figures are the January–June average so far and will shift slightly as the year completes.
What was the inflation rate in 1972?
Prices in the US rose 3.3% during 1972 — close to the middle of the range in this series, 43rd highest of 112. That is the change in the annual average of the index from 1971 to 1972, which is the basis statistics agencies use for long-run comparison; a news headline quoting a twelve-month change at a particular point in 1972 may differ.
How much buying power has the US dollar lost since 1972?
About 87.4%. Put the other way round, $100 in 2026 would have bought what $12.64 bought in 1972. Prices had doubled from their 1972 level by 1981, 9 years later.
1972 in other countries: United Kingdom , Canada , Australia , New Zealand .