What is $1 from 1924 worth today?
$1 in 1924 is worth $19.70 in September 2026, based on the official Consumer Price Index. Prices have risen 1870% since 1924, an average of 2.96% a year over 102 years. In other words, prices have doubled about 4.3 times, and a dollar today buys 5.1% of what it bought in 1924.
The same ratio applies to any amount: $20 from 1924 is worth $394.08, $100 is worth $1,970 and $1,000 is worth $19,704 in today's dollars.
Inflation in 1924
The CPI-U averaged 17.1 in 1924, up 0.0% from 17.1 in 1923. From December 1923 to December 1924, prices rose 0.0%. Ranked by annual inflation, 1924 is number 98 of the 112 years from 1914 to 2025.
In the 1920s, annual inflation averaged -0.1% a year. The highest rate was 15.6% in 1920 and the lowest -10.5% in 1921.
1924 prices in today's money, and today's prices in 1924 money
If something cost $5 in 1924, the same buying power today is $98.52. Going the other way, $100 in September 2026 would have bought what $5.08 bought in 1924, and a $60,000 salary today has the buying power of a $3,045 salary in 1924.
If your pay in 1924 was, say, $1,000 a month, you would need about $19,704 a month in September 2026 to afford the same basket of goods and services. Remember that this is an average across consumer spending: some prices, such as housing, health care and tuition, have risen faster than the CPI, while others have risen more slowly.
How this 1924 inflation figure is calculated
The calculation divides the latest CPI-U (336.94 for September 2026) by the 1924 annual average (17.1): 336.94 ÷ 17.1 = 19.7041. Multiply any 1924 amount by 19.7041 to convert it to September 2026 dollars. The data is the CPI for All Urban Consumers, U.S. city average, all items, not seasonally adjusted (BLS series CUUR0000SA0), published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Use the calculator above to pick a specific month in 1924 or a different end date. See also $1 in 1923 and $1 in 1925. All years are on the main US inflation calculator page.