Between 1900 and 2025, US consumer prices rose by 3775.2%. That means 45 cents then had roughly the same buying power as $17.44 now — an average of 2.97% inflation per year over 125 years.
What 45 cents in 1900 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 1900 itself ran at 0.0%. 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.
45 cents in 1900 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $17.44 in 2025. That is an increase of $16.99 over 125 years, or a total price rise of 3775.2%.
Prices rose at an average of 2.97% per year between 1900 and 2025. Compounded over 125 years, that turns 45 cents into $17.44.
The amount is multiplied by the ratio of the Consumer Price Index in 2025 to the index in 1900: 322.8 divided by 8.3 equals 38.7515. Multiplying 45 cents by 38.7515 gives $17.44. 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, $0.45 in 2025 has roughly the same buying power as $0.01 in 1900.
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.
