US Inflation in 1970

1970 Inflation Calculator


Amount in 1970:

RESULT: $1500 in 1970 is worth $11453.97 today.

You might be interested in calculating the value of $1500 for the year 1975. Or calculate the value of $1500 for the year 1980

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$1500 in 1970 is worth $11453.97 today.

The value of $1500 from 1970 to 2022

$1500 in 1970 has the purchasing power of about $11453.97 today, a $9953.97 increase in 52 years. Between 1970 and today, the dollar experienced an average annual inflation rate of 3.99%, resulting in a cumulative price increase of 663.6%.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index, today's prices are several times higher than the average price since 1970.

In 1970, the inflation rate was 5.9%. Inflation is now 8.52% higher than it was last year. If this figure holds true, $1500 today will be worth $14280 next year in purchasing power.

Inflation from 1970 to 2022

Summary Value
Cumulative price change (from 1970 to today) 663.6%
Average inflation rate (from 1970 to today) 3.99%
Converted amount $11453.97
Price Difference $9953.97
CPI in 1970 38.8
CPI in 2022 296.276
Inflation in 1970 5.9%
Inflation in 2022 8.52%
$1500 in 1970 $11453.97 in 2022

Buying power of $1500 in 1970

If you had $1500 in your hand in 1970, its adjusted value for inflation today would be $11453.97. Put another way, you would need $11453.97 to beat the rising inflation. When $1500 becomes equivalent to $11453.97 over time, the "real value" of a single US dollar decreases. In other words, a dollar will pay for fewer items at the store.

This effect explains how inflation gradually erodes the value of a dollar. By calculating the value in 1970 dollars, it's evident how $1500 loses its worth over 52 years.



Dollar inflation for $1500 from 1970 to 2022

The below tabular column shows the effect of inflation on $1500 in the year 1970 to the year 1970.

Year Dollar Value Inflation Rate
1970 1500 5.9%
1971 1614.46 4.29%
1972 1737.66 3.27%
1973 1870.26 6.18%
1974 2012.98 11.05%
1975 2166.59 9.13%
1976 2331.92 5.76%
1977 2509.87 6.50%
1978 2701.4 7.59%
1979 3005.43 11.35%
1980 3412.64 13.50%
1981 3765.33 10.32%
1982 3996.2 6.16%
1983 4124.57 3.21%
1984 4301.95 4.32%
1985 4454.48 3.56%
1986 4539.03 1.86%
1987 4705.36 3.65%
1988 4897.24 4.14%
1989 5133.63 4.82%
1990 5410.74 5.40%
1991 5639.88 4.21%
1992 5810.7 3.01%
1993 5982.21 2.99%
1994 6138.2 2.56%
1995 6310.4 2.83%
1996 6495.37 2.95%
1997 6647.21 2.29%
1998 6750.4 1.56%
1999 6898.1 2.21%
2000 7131.03 3.36%
2001 7332.57 2.85%
2002 7448.87 1.58%
2003 7617.96 2.28%
2004 7821.91 2.66%
2005 8087.29 3.39%
2006 8348.18 3.23%
2007 8586.33 2.85%
2008 8915.97 3.84%
2009 8884.27 -0.36%
2010 9029.97 1.64%
2011 9315.04 3.16%
2012 9507.79 2.07%
2013 9647.07 1.46%
2014 9803.56 1.62%
2015 9815.19 0.12%
2016 9939.02 1.26%
2017 10151.32 2.13%
2018 10399.01 2.49%
2019 10587.44 1.76%
2020 10718.05 1.23%
2021 11221.56 4.70%
2022 12282 8.52%


Conversion of 1970 dollars to today's price

Based on the 663.6% change in prices, the following 1970 amounts are shown in today's dollars:


Initial value Today value
$1 dollar in 1970 $7.64 dollars today
$5 dollars in 1970 $38.18 dollars today
$10 dollars in 1970 $76.36 dollars today
$50 dollars in 1970 $381.8 dollars today
$100 dollars in 1970 $763.6 dollars today
$500 dollars in 1970 $3817.99 dollars today
$1,000 dollars in 1970 $7635.98 dollars today
$5,000 dollars in 1970 $38179.9 dollars today
$10,000 dollars in 1970 $76359.79 dollars today
$50,000 dollars in 1970 $381798.97 dollars today
$100,000 dollars in 1970 $763597.94 dollars today
$500,000 dollars in 1970 $3817989.69 dollars today
$1,000,000 dollars in 1970 $7635979.38 dollars today

How to calculate the inflated value of $1500 in 1970

To calculate the change in value between 1970 and today, we use the following inflation rate formula:

CPI Today / CPI in 1970 x USD Value in 1970 = Current USD Value

By plugging the values into the formula above, we get:

296.276/ 38.8 x $1500 = $11453.97

To buy the same product that you could buy for $1500 in 1970, you would need $11453.97 in 2022.

To calculate the cumulative or total inflation rate in the past 52 years between 1970 and 2022, we use the following formula:

CPI in 2022 - CPI in 1970 / CPI in 1970 x 100 = Cumulative Inflation Rate

By inserting the values to this equation, we get:

( 296.276 - 38.8 / 38.8) x 100 = 663.6%

Alternate method to calculate today's value of money after inflation - Using compound interest formula

Given that money changes over time due to inflation, which acts as compound interest, we can use the following formula:

FV = PV (1+i/100)^n

where,

  • FV = Future value
  • PV = Present value
  • i: Average interest rate (inflation)
  • n: Number of times the interest is compounded (i.e. # of years)

The future value in this case represents the amount obtained after applying the inflation rate to our initial value. In other words, it indicates how much $1500 is worth today. We have 52 years between 2022 and 1970. The average inflation rate was 3.9867890825727%.

Plugging in the values into the formula, we get:

1500 (1+ % 3.99/ 100 ) ^ 52 = $11453.97