Inflation Since 1981: Prices Have Risen 267.35%
How much has inflation been since 1981?
Answer
(That is 45 years at an average of 2.93% a year. One 1981 dollar buys what $3.67 buys today)
Inflation since 1981, both directions
Average per year over 45 years: 2.93%
One 1981 dollar today: $3.67
One dollar today, in 1981 money: $0.27
What the average does and does not say
Source: CPI-U, series CUUR0000SA0, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — 1981 annual average 90.9, July 2026 333.918.
Related Calculations
See Also
- Inflation Calculator - Convert dollars from any past year into today's money, using the official CPI-U series
<a href="https://calculat.io/en/money/inflation-since/1981">Inflation Since 1981: How Much Have Prices Risen? - Calculatio</a>
What 1981 Dollars Are Worth Today
| Amount in 1981 | Equivalent today | Increase |
|---|---|---|
| $1 | $3.67 | $2.67 |
| $5 | $18.37 | $13.37 |
| $10 | $36.73 | $26.73 |
| $20 | $73.47 | $53.47 |
| $50 | $183.67 | $133.67 |
| $100 | $367.35 | $267.35 |
| $200 | $734.69 | $534.69 |
| $300 | $1,102.04 | $802.04 |
| $500 | $1,836.73 | $1,336.73 |
| $1,000 | $3,673.47 | $2,673.47 |
| $2,000 | $7,346.93 | $5,346.93 |
| $3,000 | $11,020.40 | $8,020.40 |
| $5,000 | $18,367.33 | $13,367.33 |
| $10,000 | $36,734.65 | $26,734.65 |
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 1981, prices have risen 267.35% — that is 45 years at an average of 2.93% a year. One 1981 dollar buys what $3.67 buys today; put the other way round, a dollar today would have been worth about $0.27 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 2.93% across 45 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 1981? (The answer is: 267.35%).