What is $1 from 1961 worth today?
$1 in 1961 is worth $11.27 in September 2026, based on the official Consumer Price Index. Prices have risen 1027% since 1961, an average of 3.78% a year over 65 years. In other words, prices have doubled about 3.5 times, and a dollar today buys 8.9% of what it bought in 1961.
The same ratio applies to any amount: $20 from 1961 is worth $225.38, $100 is worth $1,127 and $1,000 is worth $11,269 in today's dollars.
Inflation in 1961
The CPI-U averaged 29.9 in 1961, up 1.0% from 29.6 in 1960. From December 1960 to December 1961, prices rose 0.7%. Ranked by annual inflation, 1961 is number 89 of the 112 years from 1914 to 2025.
In the 1960s, annual inflation averaged 2.3% a year. The highest rate was 5.5% in 1969 and the lowest 1.0% in 1962.
1961 prices in today's money, and today's prices in 1961 money
If something cost $5 in 1961, the same buying power today is $56.34. Going the other way, $100 in September 2026 would have bought what $8.87 bought in 1961, and a $60,000 salary today has the buying power of a $5,324 salary in 1961.
If your pay in 1961 was, say, $1,000 a month, you would need about $11,269 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 1961 inflation figure is calculated
The calculation divides the latest CPI-U (336.94 for September 2026) by the 1961 annual average (29.9): 336.94 ÷ 29.9 = 11.2689. Multiply any 1961 amount by 11.2689 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 1961 or a different end date. See also $1 in 1960 and $1 in 1962. All years are on the main US inflation calculator page.