Between 1970 and 2025, US consumer prices rose by 732.0%. That means $1 then had roughly the same buying power as $8.32 now — an average of 3.93% inflation per year over 55 years.
What $1 in 1970 was worth at each following decade, adjusted for consumer price inflation.
Inflation adjustment uses the ratio of the Consumer Price Index between the two years — the same method the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics documents for comparing dollar amounts over time.
The index used is CPI-U (all urban consumers, US city average, all items), base period 1982-1984 = 100. Inflation in 1970 itself ran at 5.7%. The 2025 figure is the latest annual average available and may be revised by BLS.
Note: other inflation calculators may show slightly different results because some use a specific month rather than the annual average, or a different end year. This page uses annual averages throughout, and states both index values above so the arithmetic can be checked.
$1 in 1970 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $8.32 in 2025. That is an increase of $7.32 over 55 years, or a total price rise of 732.0%.
Prices rose at an average of 3.93% per year between 1970 and 2025. Compounded over 55 years, that turns $1 into $8.32.
The amount is multiplied by the ratio of the Consumer Price Index in 2025 to the index in 1970: 322.8 divided by 38.8 equals 8.3196. Multiplying $1 by 8.3196 gives $8.32. The index is the CPI-U published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, base period 1982-1984 = 100.
Running the comparison in reverse, $1.00 in 2025 has roughly the same buying power as $0.12 in 1970.
Use the full inflation tool to compare any amount between any two years, or project what today's money will be worth in the future.
