What is $1 from 1970 worth today?
$1 in 1970 is worth $8.68 in September 2026, based on the official Consumer Price Index. Prices have risen 768% since 1970, an average of 3.92% a year over 56 years. In other words, prices have doubled about 3.1 times, and a dollar today buys 11.5% of what it bought in 1970.
The same ratio applies to any amount: $20 from 1970 is worth $173.68, $100 is worth $868.40 and $1,000 is worth $8,684 in today's dollars.
Inflation in 1970
The CPI-U averaged 38.8 in 1970, up 5.7% from 36.7 in 1969. From December 1969 to December 1970, prices rose 5.6%. Ranked by annual inflation, 1970 is number 23 of the 112 years from 1914 to 2025.
In the 1970s, annual inflation averaged 7.1% a year. The highest rate was 11.3% in 1979 and the lowest 3.2% in 1972.
1970 prices in today's money, and today's prices in 1970 money
If something cost $5 in 1970, the same buying power today is $43.42. Going the other way, $100 in September 2026 would have bought what $11.52 bought in 1970, and a $60,000 salary today has the buying power of a $6,909 salary in 1970.
If your pay in 1970 was, say, $1,000 a month, you would need about $8,684 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 1970 inflation figure is calculated
The calculation divides the latest CPI-U (336.94 for September 2026) by the 1970 annual average (38.8): 336.94 ÷ 38.8 = 8.6840. Multiply any 1970 amount by 8.6840 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 1970 or a different end date. See also $1 in 1969 and $1 in 1971. All years are on the main US inflation calculator page.