What is $1 from 1939 worth today?
$1 in 1939 is worth $24.24 in September 2026, based on the official Consumer Price Index. Prices have risen 2324% since 1939, an average of 3.72% a year over 87 years. In other words, prices have doubled about 4.6 times, and a dollar today buys 4.1% of what it bought in 1939.
The same ratio applies to any amount: $20 from 1939 is worth $484.81, $100 is worth $2,424 and $1,000 is worth $24,240 in today's dollars.
Inflation in 1939
The CPI-U averaged 13.9 in 1939, down 1.4% from 14.1 in 1938, so prices actually fell (deflation). From December 1938 to December 1939, prices rose 0.0%. Ranked by annual inflation, 1939 is number 103 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.
1939 prices in today's money, and today's prices in 1939 money
If something cost $5 in 1939, the same buying power today is $121.20. Going the other way, $100 in September 2026 would have bought what $4.13 bought in 1939, and a $60,000 salary today has the buying power of a $2,475 salary in 1939.
If your pay in 1939 was, say, $1,000 a month, you would need about $24,240 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 1939 inflation figure is calculated
The calculation divides the latest CPI-U (336.94 for September 2026) by the 1939 annual average (13.9): 336.94 ÷ 13.9 = 24.2403. Multiply any 1939 amount by 24.2403 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 1939 or a different end date. See also $1 in 1938 and $1 in 1940. All years are on the main US inflation calculator page.