$100 in 1955 is worth $98.88 in 1952

Value of $100 from 1955 to 1952

$100 in 1955 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $98.88 in 1952, an increase of $-1.12 over 3 years. The dollar had an average inflation rate of 0.38% per year between 1952 and 1955, producing a cumulative price increase of -1.12%.

This means that prices in 1952 are 1.12% lower than average prices since 1955, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index.

The inflation rate in 1952 was 1.92%. The inflation rate in 1955 was -0.37%. The 1955 inflation rate is lower compared to the average inflation rate of 3.61% per year between 1955 and 2024.


Inflation from 1955 to 1952
Cumulative price change-1.12%
Average inflation rate0.38%
Converted amount
$100 base
$98.88
Price difference
$100 base
$-1.12
CPI in 195526.800
CPI in 195226.500
Inflation in 19521.92%
Inflation in 1955-0.37%
$100 in 1955$98.88 in 1952

Recent USD inflation
Annual Rate, the Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI
Download

Buying power of $100 in 1952

This chart shows a calculation of buying power equivalence for $100 in 1952 (price index tracking began in 1635).

For example, if you started with $100, you would need to end with $98.88 in order to "adjust" for inflation (sometimes refered to as "beating inflation").

When $100 is equivalent to $98.88 over time, that means that the "real value" of a single U.S. dollar decreases over time. In other words, a dollar will pay for fewer items at the store.

This effect explains how inflation erodes the value of a dollar over time. By calculating the value in 1952 dollars, the chart below shows how $100 is worth less over 3 years.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, each of these USD amounts below is equal in terms of what it could buy at the time:

Dollar inflation: 1952-1955
YearDollar ValueInflation Rate
1952$100.001.92%
1953$100.750.75%
1954$101.510.75%
1955$101.13-0.37%
1956$102.641.49%
1957$106.043.31%
1958$109.062.85%
1959$109.810.69%
1960$111.701.72%
1961$112.831.01%
1962$113.961.00%
1963$115.471.32%
1964$116.981.31%
1965$118.871.61%
1966$122.262.86%
1967$126.043.09%
1968$131.324.19%
1969$138.495.46%
1970$146.425.72%
1971$152.834.38%
1972$157.743.21%
1973$167.556.22%
1974$186.0411.04%
1975$203.029.13%
1976$214.725.76%
1977$228.686.50%
1978$246.047.59%
1979$273.9611.35%
1980$310.9413.50%
1981$343.0210.32%
1982$364.156.16%
1983$375.853.21%
1984$392.084.32%
1985$406.043.56%
1986$413.581.86%
1987$428.683.65%
1988$446.424.14%
1989$467.924.82%
1990$493.215.40%
1991$513.964.21%
1992$529.433.01%
1993$545.282.99%
1994$559.252.56%
1995$575.092.83%
1996$592.082.95%
1997$605.662.29%
1998$615.091.56%
1999$628.682.21%
2000$649.813.36%
2001$668.302.85%
2002$678.871.58%
2003$694.342.28%
2004$712.832.66%
2005$736.983.39%
2006$760.753.23%
2007$782.422.85%
2008$812.463.84%
2009$809.57-0.36%
2010$822.851.64%
2011$848.833.16%
2012$866.392.07%
2013$879.081.46%
2014$893.341.62%
2015$894.400.12%
2016$905.691.26%
2017$924.982.13%
2018$948.042.49%
2019$964.751.76%
2020$976.651.23%
2021$1,022.534.70%
2022$1,104.368.00%
2023$1,149.824.12%
2024$1,171.041.85%*
* Compared to previous annual rate. Not final. See inflation summary for latest 12-month trailing value.

This conversion table shows various other 1952 amounts in 1955 dollars, based on the -1.12% change in prices:

Conversion: 1952 dollars in 1955
Initial valueEquivalent value
$1 dollar in 1952$1.01 dollars in 1955
$5 dollars in 1952$5.06 dollars in 1955
$10 dollars in 1952$10.11 dollars in 1955
$50 dollars in 1952$50.57 dollars in 1955
$100 dollars in 1952$101.13 dollars in 1955
$500 dollars in 1952$505.66 dollars in 1955
$1,000 dollars in 1952$1,011.32 dollars in 1955
$5,000 dollars in 1952$5,056.60 dollars in 1955
$10,000 dollars in 1952$10,113.21 dollars in 1955
$50,000 dollars in 1952$50,566.04 dollars in 1955
$100,000 dollars in 1952$101,132.08 dollars in 1955
$500,000 dollars in 1952$505,660.38 dollars in 1955
$1,000,000 dollars in 1952$1,011,320.75 dollars in 1955

Inflation by City

Inflation can vary widely by city, even within the United States. Here's how some cities fared in 1955 to 1952 (figures shown are purchasing power equivalents of $100):

Chicago, Illinois experienced the highest rate of inflation during the 3 years between 1952 and 1955 (1.01%).

Houston, Texas experienced the lowest rate of inflation during the 3 years between 1952 and 1955 (0.10%).

Note that some locations showing 0% inflation may have not yet reported latest data.


Inflation by Country

Inflation can also vary widely by country. For comparison, in the UK £100.00 in 1955 would be equivalent to £91.18 in 1952, an absolute change of £-8.82 and a cumulative change of -8.82%.

In Canada, CA$100.00 in 1955 would be equivalent to CA$100.18 in 1952, an absolute change of CA$0.18 and a cumulative change of 0.18%.

Compare these numbers to the US's overall absolute change of $-1.12 and total percent change of -1.12%.


Inflation by Spending Category

CPI is the weighted combination of many categories of spending that are tracked by the government. Breaking down these categories helps explain the main drivers behind price changes.

This chart shows the average rate of inflation for select CPI categories between 1955 and 1952.

Compare these values to the overall average of 0.38% per year:

CategoryAvg Inflation (%)Total Inflation (%)$100 in 1952 → 1955
Food and beverages0.000.00100.00
Housing0.000.00100.00
Apparel-0.44-1.3198.69
Transportation0.050.15100.15
Medical care2.989.21109.21
Recreation0.000.00100.00
Education and communication0.000.00100.00
Other goods and services0.000.00100.00

The graph below compares inflation in categories of goods over time. Click on a category such as "Food" to toggle it on or off:

For all these visualizations, it's important to note that not all categories may have been tracked since 1955. This table and charts use the earliest available data for each category.



How to calculate inflation rate for $100, 1952 to 1955

Our calculations use the following inflation rate formula to calculate the change in value between 1952 and 1955:

CPI in 1952 CPI in 1955
×
1955 USD value
=
1952 USD value

Then plug in historical CPI values. The U.S. CPI was 26.8 in the year 1955 and 26.5 in 1952:

26.526.8
×
$100
=
$98.88

$100 in 1955 has the same "purchasing power" or "buying power" as $98.88 in 1952.

To get the total inflation rate for the 3 years between 1952 and 1955, we use the following formula:

CPI in 1952 - CPI in 1955CPI in 1955
×
100
=
Cumulative inflation rate (3 years)

Plugging in the values to this equation, we get:

26.5 - 26.826.8
×
100
=
-1%

Data source & citation

Raw data for these calculations comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' (CPI), established in 1913. Price index data from 1774 to 1912 is sourced from a historical study conducted by political science professor Robert Sahr at Oregon State University and from the American Antiquarian Society. Price index data from 1634 to 1773 is from the American Antiquarian Society, using British pound equivalents.

You may use the following MLA citation for this page: “$100 in 1955 → 1952 | Inflation Calculator.” Official Inflation Data, Alioth Finance, 28 Mar. 2024, https://www.officialdata.org/1955-dollars-in-1952?amount=100.

Special thanks to QuickChart for their chart image API, which is used for chart downloads.

in2013dollars.com is a reference website maintained by the Official Data Foundation.


Ian Webster

About the author

Ian Webster is an engineer and data expert based in San Mateo, California. He has worked for Google, NASA, and consulted for governments around the world on data pipelines and data analysis. Disappointed by the lack of clear resources on the impacts of inflation on economic indicators, Ian believes this website serves as a valuable public tool. Ian earned his degree in Computer Science from Dartmouth College.

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» Read more about inflation and investment.

Inflation from 1955 to 1952
Cumulative price change-1.12%
Average inflation rate0.38%
Converted amount
$100 base
$98.88
Price difference
$100 base
$-1.12
CPI in 195526.800
CPI in 195226.500
Inflation in 19521.92%
Inflation in 1955-0.37%
$100 in 1955$98.88 in 1952