US Dollar: Purchasing Power Through Time

Modern Value Calculator

Enter an amount and select a year to see the equivalent value.

Price Lookup

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Sources & Assumptions

  • Price indices from BLS and historical estimates for pre‑1913 years【92785469458037†L384-L414】.
  • Retail price data for 1890–2015 from the U.S. Census and BLS【496565826771503†L88-L117】.
  • 1950 prices: bread 14¢, gas 27¢, milk 83¢, eggs 60¢, minimum wage 75¢【191322390693178†L26-L54】.
  • 1920 prices: bread 12¢, eggs 47¢, milk 33¢, car $525, rent $60【97902625250336†L26-L63】.
  • Roman prices converted using denarius ≈ $43.50 based on minimum wage【446457723257571†L163-L173】.
  • Many values before 1800 are speculative; long‑run inflation is assumed to average roughly 1% per year【937162035301396†L35-L70】.

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