Inflation Since 1972: Prices Have Risen 698.85%
"Inflation Rate Since a Given Year" Calculator
How much has inflation been since 1972?
Answer
(That is 54 years at an average of 3.92% a year. One 1972 dollar buys what $7.99 buys today)
Inflation since 1972, both directions
Average per year over 54 years: 3.92%
One 1972 dollar today: $7.99
One dollar today, in 1972 money: $0.13
What the average does and does not say
Source: CPI-U, series CUUR0000SA0, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — 1972 annual average 41.8, July 2026 333.918.
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See Also
- Inflation Calculator - Convert dollars from any past year into today's money, using the official CPI-U series
About "Inflation Rate Since a Given Year" Calculator
Pick a year and this page tells you how far prices have moved since — the total rise, the average yearly rate, and what a single dollar from that year is worth in today's money.
Enter a year: anything from 1913 to 2025.
Read the result: cumulative inflation since that year, the average annual rate behind it, and the value of one of that year's dollars today.
Since 1972, prices have risen 698.85% — that is 54 years at an average of 3.92% a year. One 1972 dollar buys what $7.99 buys today; put the other way round, a dollar today would have been worth about $0.13 back then.
The source is the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Each past year is the annual average BLS publishes for it, and today is the latest published month, July 2026. The answer moves when BLS publishes, not when the clock does.
Averages hide a lot. An average of 3.92% across 54 years does not mean prices rose by that much in any particular year: the span contains years well above it and years where prices fell.
For example, it can help you find out how much has inflation been since 1972? (The answer is: 698.85%)."Inflation Rate Since a Given Year" Calculator
What 1972 Dollars Are Worth Today
| Amount in 1972 | Equivalent today | Increase |
|---|---|---|
| $1 | $7.99 | $6.99 |
| $5 | $39.94 | $34.94 |
| $10 | $79.88 | $69.88 |
| $20 | $159.77 | $139.77 |
| $50 | $399.42 | $349.42 |
| $100 | $798.85 | $698.85 |
| $200 | $1,597.69 | $1,397.69 |
| $300 | $2,396.54 | $2,096.54 |
| $500 | $3,994.23 | $3,494.23 |
| $1,000 | $7,988.47 | $6,988.47 |
| $2,000 | $15,976.94 | $13,976.94 |
| $3,000 | $23,965.41 | $20,965.41 |
| $5,000 | $39,942.34 | $34,942.34 |
| $10,000 | $79,884.69 | $69,884.69 |
FAQ
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See Also
- Inflation Since 1962: How Much Have Prices Risen?
- Inflation Since 1963: How Much Have Prices Risen?
- Inflation Since 1964: How Much Have Prices Risen?
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- Inflation Since 1966: How Much Have Prices Risen?
- Inflation Since 1967: How Much Have Prices Risen?
- Inflation Since 1968: How Much Have Prices Risen?
- Inflation Since 1969: How Much Have Prices Risen?
- Inflation Since 1970: How Much Have Prices Risen?
- Inflation Since 1971: How Much Have Prices Risen?
- Inflation Since 1973: How Much Have Prices Risen?
- Inflation Since 1974: How Much Have Prices Risen?
- Inflation Since 1975: How Much Have Prices Risen?
- Inflation Since 1976: How Much Have Prices Risen?
- Inflation Since 1977: How Much Have Prices Risen?
- Inflation Since 1978: How Much Have Prices Risen?
- Inflation Since 1979: How Much Have Prices Risen?
- Inflation Since 1980: How Much Have Prices Risen?
- Inflation Since 1981: How Much Have Prices Risen?
- Inflation Since 1982: How Much Have Prices Risen?