1940 dollars in today's money
| In 1940 | In September 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1.00 | $24.05 |
| $5.00 | $120.27 |
| $10.00 | $240.53 |
| $20.00 | $481.07 |
| $50.00 | $1,203 |
| $100.00 | $2,405 |
| $1,000 | $24,053 |
| $10,000 | $240,534 |
Inflation in 1940
Prices rose 0.7% in 1940 compared with 1939. That is below the long-run average of 3.2% a year since 1913.
In the 1940s, the highest yearly rate was 14.4% in 1947 and the lowest was -1.0% in 1949.
The average Consumer Price Index in 1940 was 14.008 (1982–84 = 100). Today's index is 336.940, which is where the multiplier of 24.05× comes from.
Buying power: today's money in 1940
Going the other way, $100 today would have bought what $4.16 bought in 1940.
1940 compared with nearby years
| Year | $1 is worth today | Inflation that year |
|---|---|---|
| 1935 | $24.55 | 2.6% |
| 1936 | $24.30 | 1.0% |
| 1937 | $23.43 | 3.7% |
| 1938 | $23.91 | -2.0% |
| 1939 | $24.23 | -1.3% |
| 1941 | $22.88 | 5.1% |
| 1942 | $20.63 | 10.9% |
| 1943 | $19.47 | 6.0% |
| 1944 | $19.15 | 1.6% |
| 1945 | $18.73 | 2.3% |
How this is calculated
Value today = amount × (CPI in September 2026 ÷ average CPI in 1940). The data is the CPI-U, all items, not seasonally adjusted, published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Use the calculator above to convert between any two years.