$1 in 1870 is worth $1.13 in 1867

Value of $1 from 1870 to 1867

$1 in 1870 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $1.13 in 1867, a difference of $0.13 over 3 years. The dollar had an average deflation rate of -3.99% per year since 1867, producing a cumulative price change of 12.98%.

This means that prices in 1867 are 1.13 times as high as average prices since 1870, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index.

The inflation rate in 1867 was -6.92%. The inflation rate in 1870 was -3.68%. The 1870 inflation rate is lower compared to the average inflation rate of 2.08% per year between 1870 and 2024.


Inflation from 1870 to 1867
Cumulative price change12.98%
Average inflation rate-3.99%
Converted amount
$1 base
$1.13
Price difference
$1 base
$0.13
CPI in 187013.100
CPI in 186714.800
Inflation in 1867-6.92%
Inflation in 1870-3.68%
$1 in 1870$1.13 in 1867

Recent USD inflation
Annual Rate, the Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI
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Buying power of $1 in 1867

This chart shows a calculation of buying power equivalence for $1 in 1867 (price index tracking began in 1635).

For example, if you started with $1, you would need to end with $1.13 in order to "adjust" for inflation (sometimes refered to as "beating inflation").

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: 1867-1870
YearDollar ValueInflation Rate
1867$1.00-6.92%
1868$0.96-4.05%
1869$0.92-4.23%
1870$0.89-3.68%
1871$0.82-6.87%
1872$0.820.00%
1873$0.81-1.64%
1874$0.77-5.00%
1875$0.74-3.51%
1876$0.72-2.73%
1877$0.71-1.87%
1878$0.68-4.76%
1879$0.680.00%
1880$0.692.00%
1881$0.690.00%
1882$0.690.00%
1883$0.68-0.98%
1884$0.66-2.97%
1885$0.66-1.02%
1886$0.64-3.09%
1887$0.641.06%
1888$0.640.00%
1889$0.62-3.16%
1890$0.61-1.09%
1891$0.610.00%
1892$0.610.00%
1893$0.61-1.10%
1894$0.58-4.44%
1895$0.57-2.33%
1896$0.570.00%
1897$0.56-1.19%
1898$0.560.00%
1899$0.560.00%
1900$0.571.20%
1901$0.571.19%
1902$0.581.18%
1903$0.592.33%
1904$0.601.14%
1905$0.59-1.12%
1906$0.612.27%
1907$0.644.44%
1908$0.62-2.13%
1909$0.61-1.09%
1910$0.644.40%
1911$0.640.00%
1912$0.662.11%
1913$0.672.06%
1914$0.681.01%
1915$0.681.00%
1916$0.747.92%
1917$0.8617.43%
1918$1.0217.97%
1919$1.1714.57%
1920$1.3515.61%
1921$1.21-10.50%
1922$1.14-6.15%
1923$1.161.79%
1924$1.160.00%
1925$1.182.34%
1926$1.201.14%
1927$1.18-1.69%
1928$1.16-1.72%
1929$1.160.00%
1930$1.13-2.34%
1931$1.03-8.98%
1932$0.93-9.87%
1933$0.88-5.11%
1934$0.913.08%
1935$0.932.24%
1936$0.941.46%
1937$0.973.60%
1938$0.95-2.08%
1939$0.94-1.42%
1940$0.950.72%
1941$0.995.00%
1942$1.1010.88%
1943$1.176.13%
1944$1.191.73%
1945$1.222.27%
1946$1.328.33%
1947$1.5114.36%
1948$1.638.07%
1949$1.61-1.24%
1950$1.631.26%
1951$1.767.88%
1952$1.791.92%
1953$1.800.75%
1954$1.820.75%
1955$1.81-0.37%
1956$1.841.49%
1957$1.903.31%
1958$1.952.85%
1959$1.970.69%
1960$2.001.72%
1961$2.021.01%
1962$2.041.00%
1963$2.071.32%
1964$2.091.31%
1965$2.131.61%
1966$2.192.86%
1967$2.263.09%
1968$2.354.19%
1969$2.485.46%
1970$2.625.72%
1971$2.744.38%
1972$2.823.21%
1973$3.006.22%
1974$3.3311.04%
1975$3.649.13%
1976$3.845.76%
1977$4.096.50%
1978$4.417.59%
1979$4.9111.35%
1980$5.5713.50%
1981$6.1410.32%
1982$6.526.16%
1983$6.733.21%
1984$7.024.32%
1985$7.273.56%
1986$7.411.86%
1987$7.683.65%
1988$7.994.14%
1989$8.384.82%
1990$8.835.40%
1991$9.204.21%
1992$9.483.01%
1993$9.762.99%
1994$10.012.56%
1995$10.302.83%
1996$10.602.95%
1997$10.842.29%
1998$11.011.56%
1999$11.262.21%
2000$11.643.36%
2001$11.972.85%
2002$12.161.58%
2003$12.432.28%
2004$12.762.66%
2005$13.203.39%
2006$13.623.23%
2007$14.012.85%
2008$14.553.84%
2009$14.50-0.36%
2010$14.731.64%
2011$15.203.16%
2012$15.512.07%
2013$15.741.46%
2014$16.001.62%
2015$16.010.12%
2016$16.221.26%
2017$16.562.13%
2018$16.972.49%
2019$17.271.76%
2020$17.491.23%
2021$18.314.70%
2022$19.778.00%
2023$20.594.12%
2024$20.971.85%*
* Compared to previous annual rate. Not final. See inflation summary for latest 12-month trailing value.

This conversion table shows various other 1867 amounts in 1870 dollars, based on the 12.98% change in prices:

Conversion: 1867 dollars in 1870
Initial valueEquivalent value
$1 dollar in 1867$0.89 dollars in 1870
$5 dollars in 1867$4.43 dollars in 1870
$10 dollars in 1867$8.85 dollars in 1870
$50 dollars in 1867$44.26 dollars in 1870
$100 dollars in 1867$88.51 dollars in 1870
$500 dollars in 1867$442.57 dollars in 1870
$1,000 dollars in 1867$885.14 dollars in 1870
$5,000 dollars in 1867$4,425.68 dollars in 1870
$10,000 dollars in 1867$8,851.35 dollars in 1870
$50,000 dollars in 1867$44,256.76 dollars in 1870
$100,000 dollars in 1867$88,513.51 dollars in 1870
$500,000 dollars in 1867$442,567.57 dollars in 1870
$1,000,000 dollars in 1867$885,135.14 dollars in 1870

Inflation by Country

Inflation can also vary widely by country. For comparison, in the UK £1.00 in 1870 would be equivalent to £1.06 in 1867, an absolute change of £0.06 and a cumulative change of 6.32%.

Compare these numbers to the US's overall absolute change of $0.13 and total percent change of 12.98%.


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 1870 and 1867.

Compare these values to the overall average of -3.99% per year:

CategoryAvg Inflation (%)Total Inflation (%)$1 in 1867 → 1870
Food and beverages0.000.001.00
Housing0.000.001.00
Apparel0.000.001.00
Transportation0.000.001.00
Medical care0.000.001.00
Recreation0.000.001.00
Education and communication0.000.001.00
Other goods and services0.000.001.00

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 1870. This table and charts use the earliest available data for each category.



How to calculate inflation rate for $1, 1867 to 1870

Our calculations use the following inflation rate formula to calculate the change in value between 1867 and 1870:

CPI in 1867 CPI in 1870
×
1870 USD value
=
1867 USD value

Then plug in historical CPI values. The U.S. CPI was 13.1 in the year 1870 and 14.8 in 1867:

14.813.1
×
$1
=
$1.13

$1 in 1870 has the same "purchasing power" or "buying power" as $1.13 in 1867.

To get the total inflation rate for the 3 years between 1867 and 1870, we use the following formula:

CPI in 1867 - CPI in 1870CPI in 1870
×
100
=
Cumulative inflation rate (3 years)

Plugging in the values to this equation, we get:

14.8 - 13.113.1
×
100
=
13%

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: “$1 in 1870 → 1867 | Inflation Calculator.” Official Inflation Data, Alioth Finance, 26 Mar. 2024, https://www.officialdata.org/us/inflation/1870?amount=1&endYear=1867.

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 1870 to 1867
Cumulative price change12.98%
Average inflation rate-3.99%
Converted amount
$1 base
$1.13
Price difference
$1 base
$0.13
CPI in 187013.100
CPI in 186714.800
Inflation in 1867-6.92%
Inflation in 1870-3.68%
$1 in 1870$1.13 in 1867