Value Of A Dollar

The Value Of A Dollar calculator computes the inflation adjusted value of an amount of currency.

INSTRUCTIONS: Choose units and enter the following:

• (B) Base Year
• (A) Amount of Money in Base Year
• (TY) Target Year

Value Of A Dollar (DV): The results are returns in units of U.S. dollars.  However, this can be automatically converted to compatible units via the pull-down menu.

The Math / Science

The Value Of A Dollar equation computes the dollar value of at a Target Year (TY) for the amount (A) specified at a base year (B).

For example, if your first job paid you $1.35 per hour in 1972, what is that in today's dollars.  In this example:

• B = 1972
• A = $1.35
• TY = 2024

Answer: $10.07 USD

Dollar Inflation Information

The purchasing power of a U.S. dollar has changed over time.  In most years, inflation had decreased the value of a dollar, but during the Great Depression, the value of the dollar went up with negative inflation.

The following graph shows the value of a dollar from 1929 until 2024 based on the accumulated effect of the inflation rate.

Using this data, one can convert dollars from one time period to the equivalent dollar value of another time. 

The Value of a Dollar Calculator lets you specify a dollar amount at a specific year and see the equivalent value at a target year.  Based on this, you can see what your salary in your first job equated to today and vice versa.