What is $1 from 1930 worth today?
$1 in 1930 is worth $20.18 in September 2026, based on the official Consumer Price Index. Prices have risen 1918% since 1930, an average of 3.17% a year over 96 years. In other words, prices have doubled about 4.3 times, and a dollar today buys 5.0% of what it bought in 1930.
The same ratio applies to any amount: $20 from 1930 is worth $403.52, $100 is worth $2,018 and $1,000 is worth $20,176 in today's dollars.
Inflation in 1930
The CPI-U averaged 16.7 in 1930, down 2.3% from 17.1 in 1929, so prices actually fell (deflation). From December 1929 to December 1930, prices fell 6.4%. This was the period of the Great Depression. Ranked by annual inflation, 1930 is number 107 of the 112 years from 1914 to 2025.
In the 1930s, annual inflation averaged -2.1% a year. The highest rate was 3.6% in 1937 and the lowest -9.9% in 1932.
1930 prices in today's money, and today's prices in 1930 money
If something cost $5 in 1930, the same buying power today is $100.88. Going the other way, $100 in September 2026 would have bought what $4.96 bought in 1930, and a $60,000 salary today has the buying power of a $2,974 salary in 1930.
If your pay in 1930 was, say, $1,000 a month, you would need about $20,176 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 1930 inflation figure is calculated
The calculation divides the latest CPI-U (336.94 for September 2026) by the 1930 annual average (16.7): 336.94 ÷ 16.7 = 20.1760. Multiply any 1930 amount by 20.1760 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 1930 or a different end date. See also $1 in 1929 and $1 in 1931. All years are on the main US inflation calculator page.