US Inflation CalculatorWhat $1 from 1981 is worth today
On average over 1981, a dollar bought what $3.71 buys in October 2026. $100 from 1981 is worth $371.20. Prices are 3.71 times higher: an average rise of 2.94% a year over 45.3 years, which would double prices about every 24 years.
Inflation in 1981
Prices rose by 10.3% from 1980 to 1981, the 10th highest of the 111 years from 1914 to 2024. The average consumer price index was 90.9 in 1981 (82.4 in 1980).
How the value of $100 from 1981 changed
| In | Same buying power as $100 of 1981 | Average inflation a year until then |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | $120.55 | 3.81% |
| 1991 | $149.78 | 4.12% |
| 1996 | $172.50 | 3.70% |
| 2001 | $194.74 | 3.39% |
| 2006 | $221.71 | 3.24% |
| 2011 | $247.39 | 3.07% |
| 2016 | $263.96 | 2.81% |
| 2021 | $298.01 | 2.77% |
| 2024 | $345.00 | 2.92% |
| October 2026 | $371.20 | 2.94% |
Reading the numbers
- The index measures a basket of goods and services bought by urban consumers; it does not follow any one price, so a house, a car or a college year may have risen more or less.
- The yearly figure is the average of the 12 monthly values, so the value at a particular month of 1981 can differ a little: use the calculator for exact months.
- The October 2026 figure uses the latest month in the data (index 337.511).
Common questions
What is $1 from 1981 worth in October 2026?
$3.71, because consumer prices are 3.71 times as high as the 1981 average.
What was the US inflation rate in 1981?
10.3% (the change in the yearly average index from 1980).
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), U.S. city average, all items, not seasonally adjusted, index 1982-84 = 100 (series CUUR0000SA0), January 1913 to October 2026, read through the BLS public data API (bls.gov/cpi) on 13 November 2026.
- BLS shows no value for October 2025 in the data, so that month is left out; yearly figures are the average of the 12 months and are shown only for 1913 to 2024.
- Every result is index arithmetic: amount × (index in the later month ÷ index in the earlier month).
Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics read on 13 November 2026; latest month October 2026. This site is independent and not connected with the BLS or any government. The CPI is an average of urban consumer prices and measures nothing about your own spending. Results are estimates, not financial advice.