Purchasing Power Today of a US Dollar Transaction in the Past

We use annual data for our computations, therefore, it is necessary to have an annual observation for both the initial year and the desired year. For the indices based on GDP, it is only after the year is over that GDP can be measured. For price indices, the annual observations are usually the average of monthly observations. It would not be valid to compare a monthly observation in the current year with an annual observation in an earlier year.

We have created many of the historical series in MeasuringWorth, but the most recent observations are obtained from government agencies. The annual CPI and RPI observations are usually published in the first month or two of the next year, however the numbers for GDP do not come out until later. We strive to get the new numbers up as quickly as possible.


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Enter data as a number without a $ sign or commas. Enter any year between 1790 and 2022.

Why not current year?
Enter the amount of a transaction in the past: $
and the year it took place:

Determining the “relative” value today of a transaction in the past, is more complicated than it seems. There is no single "correct" measure, and as explained here, the answer depends on the context of the question.

This comparator gives you four types of contexts. They are a purchase of a consumer good or service, a compensation such as a wages or other types of earnings, an amount of wealth either financial or real property, and, finally, either a large construction project or historical event such as skyscraper or an earthquake.

Your query will generate answers associated with each of these contexts.

Citation

"Purchasing Power Today of a US Dollar Transaction in the Past," MeasuringWorth

URL: www.measuringworth.com/ppowerus/

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