What is $1 from 1932 worth today?
$1 in 1932 is worth $24.59 in September 2026, based on the official Consumer Price Index. Prices have risen 2359% since 1932, an average of 3.46% a year over 94 years. In other words, prices have doubled about 4.6 times, and a dollar today buys 4.1% of what it bought in 1932.
The same ratio applies to any amount: $20 from 1932 is worth $491.88, $100 is worth $2,459 and $1,000 is worth $24,594 in today's dollars.
Inflation in 1932
The CPI-U averaged 13.7 in 1932, down 9.9% from 15.2 in 1931, so prices actually fell (deflation). From December 1931 to December 1932, prices fell 10.3%. This was the period of the Great Depression. Ranked by annual inflation, 1932 is number 111 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, so 1932 had the decade's lowest inflation.
1932 prices in today's money, and today's prices in 1932 money
If something cost $5 in 1932, the same buying power today is $122.97. Going the other way, $100 in September 2026 would have bought what $4.07 bought in 1932, and a $60,000 salary today has the buying power of a $2,440 salary in 1932.
If your pay in 1932 was, say, $1,000 a month, you would need about $24,594 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 1932 inflation figure is calculated
The calculation divides the latest CPI-U (336.94 for September 2026) by the 1932 annual average (13.7): 336.94 ÷ 13.7 = 24.5942. Multiply any 1932 amount by 24.5942 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 1932 or a different end date. See also $1 in 1931 and $1 in 1933. All years are on the main US inflation calculator page.