Value of $1 from 1977 to 2023
$1 in 1977 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $4.90 today, an increase of $3.90 over 46 years. The dollar had an average inflation rate of 3.51% per year between 1977 and today, producing a cumulative price increase of 389.76%.
This means that today's prices are 4.90 times as high as average prices since 1977, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index. A dollar today only buys 20.408% of what it could buy back then.
The inflation rate in 1977 was 6.50%. The current inflation rate compared to last year is now 6.45%. If this number holds, $1 today will be equivalent in buying power to $1.06 next year. The current inflation rate page gives more detail on the latest inflation rates.
Contents
- Overview
- Buying Power of $1
- Inflation by City / Country
- Inflation by Spending Category
- Alternate Measurements
- Data Source
⌃
| Cumulative price change | 389.76% |
| Average inflation rate | 3.51% |
| Converted amount ($1 base) | $4.90 |
| Price difference ($1 base) | $3.90 |
| CPI in 1977 | 60.600 |
| CPI in 2023 | 296.797 |
| Inflation in 1977 | 6.50% |
| Inflation in 2023 | 6.45% |
| $1 in 1977 | $4.90 in 2023 |
USD inflation since 1977
Annual Rate, the Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI
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Buying power of $1 in 1977
This chart shows a calculation of buying power equivalence for $1 in 1977 (price index tracking began in 1635).
For example, if you started with $1, you would need to end with $4.90 in order to "adjust" for inflation (sometimes refered to as "beating inflation").
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When $1 is equivalent to $4.90 over time, that means that the "real value" of a single U.S. dollar decreases over time. In other words, a dollar will pay for fewer items at the store.
This effect explains how inflation erodes the value of a dollar over time. By calculating the value in 1977 dollars, the chart below shows how $1 is worth less over 46 years.
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According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, each of these USD amounts below is equal in terms of what it could buy at the time:
| Year | Dollar Value | Inflation Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | $1.00 | 6.50% |
| 1978 | $1.08 | 7.59% |
| 1979 | $1.20 | 11.35% |
| 1980 | $1.36 | 13.50% |
| 1981 | $1.50 | 10.32% |
| 1982 | $1.59 | 6.16% |
| 1983 | $1.64 | 3.21% |
| 1984 | $1.71 | 4.32% |
| 1985 | $1.78 | 3.56% |
| 1986 | $1.81 | 1.86% |
| 1987 | $1.87 | 3.65% |
| 1988 | $1.95 | 4.14% |
| 1989 | $2.05 | 4.82% |
| 1990 | $2.16 | 5.40% |
| 1991 | $2.25 | 4.21% |
| 1992 | $2.32 | 3.01% |
| 1993 | $2.38 | 2.99% |
| 1994 | $2.45 | 2.56% |
| 1995 | $2.51 | 2.83% |
| 1996 | $2.59 | 2.95% |
| 1997 | $2.65 | 2.29% |
| 1998 | $2.69 | 1.56% |
| 1999 | $2.75 | 2.21% |
| 2000 | $2.84 | 3.36% |
| 2001 | $2.92 | 2.85% |
| 2002 | $2.97 | 1.58% |
| 2003 | $3.04 | 2.28% |
| 2004 | $3.12 | 2.66% |
| 2005 | $3.22 | 3.39% |
| 2006 | $3.33 | 3.23% |
| 2007 | $3.42 | 2.85% |
| 2008 | $3.55 | 3.84% |
| 2009 | $3.54 | -0.36% |
| 2010 | $3.60 | 1.64% |
| 2011 | $3.71 | 3.16% |
| 2012 | $3.79 | 2.07% |
| 2013 | $3.84 | 1.46% |
| 2014 | $3.91 | 1.62% |
| 2015 | $3.91 | 0.12% |
| 2016 | $3.96 | 1.26% |
| 2017 | $4.04 | 2.13% |
| 2018 | $4.15 | 2.49% |
| 2019 | $4.22 | 1.76% |
| 2020 | $4.27 | 1.23% |
| 2021 | $4.47 | 4.70% |
| 2022 | $4.83 | 8.00% |
| 2023 | $4.90 | 1.42%* |
* Compared to previous annual rate. Not final. See inflation summary for latest 12-month trailing value.
Click to show 40 more rows
This conversion table shows various other 1977 amounts in today's dollars, based on the 389.76% change in prices:
| Initial value | Equivalent value |
|---|---|
| $1 dollar in 1977 | $4.90 dollars today |
| $5 dollars in 1977 | $24.49 dollars today |
| $10 dollars in 1977 | $48.98 dollars today |
| $50 dollars in 1977 | $244.88 dollars today |
| $100 dollars in 1977 | $489.76 dollars today |
| $500 dollars in 1977 | $2,448.82 dollars today |
| $1,000 dollars in 1977 | $4,897.64 dollars today |
| $5,000 dollars in 1977 | $24,488.20 dollars today |
| $10,000 dollars in 1977 | $48,976.40 dollars today |
| $50,000 dollars in 1977 | $244,882.01 dollars today |
| $100,000 dollars in 1977 | $489,764.03 dollars today |
| $500,000 dollars in 1977 | $2,448,820.13 dollars today |
| $1,000,000 dollars in 1977 | $4,897,640.26 dollars today |
Inflation by City
Inflation can vary widely by city, even within the United States. Here's how some cities fared in 1977 to 2023 (figures shown are purchasing power equivalents of $1):
- San Francisco, California: 3.90% average rate, $1 → $5.60, cumulative change of 459.54%
- Seattle, Washington: 3.88% average rate, $1 → $5.55, cumulative change of 455.43%
- Boston, Massachusetts: 3.63% average rate, $1 → $4.98, cumulative change of 398.40%
- Atlanta, Georgia: 3.58% average rate, $1 → $4.88, cumulative change of 387.80%
- New York: 3.56% average rate, $1 → $4.83, cumulative change of 383.34%
- Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas: 3.53% average rate, $1 → $4.77, cumulative change of 377.37%
- Chicago, Illinois: 3.48% average rate, $1 → $4.65, cumulative change of 365.35%
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: 3.43% average rate, $1 → $4.56, cumulative change of 356.28%
- Detroit, Michigan: 3.35% average rate, $1 → $4.41, cumulative change of 341.16%
- Houston, Texas: 3.34% average rate, $1 → $4.38, cumulative change of 338.13%
San Francisco, California experienced the highest rate of inflation during the 46 years between 1977 and 2023 (3.90%).
Houston, Texas experienced the lowest rate of inflation during the 46 years between 1977 and 2023 (3.34%).
Note that some locations showing 0% inflation may have not yet reported latest data.
Inflation by Country
Inflation can also vary widely by country. For comparison, in the UK £1.00 in 1977 would be equivalent to £7.95 in 2023, an absolute change of £6.95 and a cumulative change of 694.92%.
In Canada, CA$1.00 in 1977 would be equivalent to CA$4.50 in 2023, an absolute change of CA$3.50 and a cumulative change of 350.23%.
Compare these numbers to the US's overall absolute change of $3.90 and total percent change of 389.76%.
Inflation by Spending Category
CPI is the weighted combination of many categories of spending that are tracked by the government. Breaking down these categories helps explain the main drivers behind price changes.
Between 1977 and 2023:
- Gas prices increased from $0.63 per gallon to $3.36
This chart shows the average rate of inflation for select CPI categories between 1977 and 2023.
Compare these values to the overall average of 3.51% per year:
| Category | Avg Inflation (%) | Total Inflation (%) | $1 in 1977 → 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food and beverages | 3.46 | 377.18 | 4.77 |
| Housing | 3.75 | 443.47 | 5.43 |
| Apparel | 1.07 | 63.40 | 1.63 |
| Transportation | 3.41 | 367.03 | 4.67 |
| Medical care | 5.15 | 908.96 | 10.09 |
| Recreation | 1.27 | 78.79 | 1.79 |
| Education and communication | 1.81 | 128.25 | 2.28 |
| Other goods and services | 4.84 | 779.32 | 8.79 |
The graph below compares inflation in categories of goods over time. Click on a category such as "Food" to toggle it on or off:
For all these visualizations, it's important to note that not all categories may have been tracked since 1977. This table and charts use the earliest available data for each category.
Inflation rates of specific categories
Medical Care · Housing · Rent · Food · More
Inflation-adjusted measures
How to calculate inflation rate for $1 since 1977
Our calculations use the following inflation rate formula to calculate the change in value between 1977 and today:
CPI today CPI in 1977
×
1977 USD value
=
Today's value
Then plug in historical CPI values. The U.S. CPI was 60.6 in the year 1977 and 296.797 in 2023:
296.79760.6
×
$1
=
$4.90
$1 in 1977 has the same "purchasing power" or "buying power" as $4.90 in 2023.
To get the total inflation rate for the 46 years between 1977 and 2023, we use the following formula:
CPI in 2023 - CPI in 1977CPI in 1977
×
100
=
Cumulative inflation rate (46 years)
Plugging in the values to this equation, we get:
296.797 - 60.660.6
×
100
=
390%
Alternate Measurements of Inflation
There are multiple ways to measure inflation. Published rates of inflation will vary depending on methodology. The Consumer Price Index, used above, is the most common standard used globally.
Alternative measurements are sometimes used based on context and economic/political circ*mstances. Below are a few examples of alternative measurements.
Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Inflation
The PCE Price Index is the U.S. Federal Reserve's preferred measure of inflation, compiled by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. It measures the change in prices of goods and services purchased by consumers.
The PCE Price Index changed by 3.04% per year on average between 1977 and 2023. The total PCE inflation between these dates was 284.16%. In 1977, PCE inflation was 6.50%.
This means that the PCE Index equates $1 in 1977 with $3.84 in 2023, a difference of $2.84. Compare this to the standard CPI measurement, which equates $1 with $4.90. The PCE measured -105.61% inflation compared to standard CPI.
For more information on the difference between PCE and CPI, see this analysis provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Core Inflation
Also of note is the Core CPI, which uses the standard CPI but omits the more volatile categories of food and energy.
Core inflation averaged 3.56% per year between 1977 and 2023 (vs all-CPI inflation of 3.51%), for an inflation total of 382.29%. In 1977, core inflation was 6.26%.
When using the core inflation measurement, $1 in 1977 is equivalent in buying power to $4.82 in 2023, a difference of $3.82. Recall that the converted amount is $4.90 when all items including food and energy are measured.
Comparison to S&P 500 Index
The average inflation rate of 3.51% has a compounding effect between 1977 and 2023. As noted above, this yearly inflation rate compounds to produce an overall price difference of 389.76% over 46 years.
To help put this inflation into perspective, if we had invested $1 in the S&P 500 index in 1977, our investment would be nominally worth approximately $123.54 in 2023. This is a return on investment of 12,253.84%, with an absolute return of $122.54 on top of the original $1.
These numbers are not inflation adjusted, so they are considered nominal. In order to evaluate the real return on our investment, we must calculate the return with inflation taken into account.
The compounding effect of inflation would account for 79.58% of returns ($98.31) during this period. This means the inflation-adjusted real return of our $1 investment is $24.22. You may also want to account for capital gains tax, which would take your real return down to around $21 for most people.
| Original Amount | Final Amount | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominal | $1 | $123.54 | 12,253.84% |
| Real Inflation Adjusted | $1 | $25.22 | 2,422.41% |
Information displayed above may differ slightly from other S&P 500 calculators. Minor discrepancies can occur because we use the latest CPI data for inflation, annualized inflation numbers for previous years, and we compute S&P price and dividends from January of 1977 to latest available data for 2023 using average monthly close price.
For more details on the S&P 500 between 1977 and 2023, see the stock market returns calculator.
Data source & citation
Raw data for these calculations comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index (CPI), established in 1913. Inflation data from 1634 to 1912 is sourced from a historical study conducted by political science professor Robert Sahr at Oregon State University and from the American Antiquarian Society.
You may use the following MLA citation for this page: “$1 in 1977 → 2023 | Inflation Calculator.” Official Inflation Data, Alioth Finance, 15 Jan. 2023, https://www.officialdata.org/us/inflation/1977?amount=1.
Special thanks to QuickChart for their chart image API, which is used for chart downloads.
in2013dollars.com is a reference website maintained by the Official Data Foundation.
About the author
Ian Webster is an engineer and data expert based in San Mateo, California. He has worked for Google, NASA, and consulted for governments around the world on data pipelines and data analysis. Disappointed by the lack of clear resources on the impacts of inflation on economic indicators, Ian believes this website serves as a valuable public tool. Ian earned his degree in Computer Science from Dartmouth College.
