$10 in 1939 is worth $10.07 in 1940


$10 in 1939 has the same purchasing power as $10.07 in 1940. Over the 1 year this is a change of $0.07.

The average inflation rate of the dollar between 1939 and 1940 was -0.35% per year. The cumulative price increase of the dollar over this time was 0.72%.

The value of $10 from 1939 to 1940

So what does this data mean? It means that the prices in 1940 are 0.10 higher than the average prices since 1939. A dollar in 1940 can buy 99.29% of what it could buy in 1939.

These inflation figures use the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) consumer price index to calculate the value of $10 between 1939 and 1940.

The inflation rate for 1939 was -1.42%, while the inflation rate for 1940 was 0.72%. The 1940 inflation rate is lower than the average inflation rate of 3.68% per year between 1940 and 2021.

USD Inflation Since 1913


The Buying Power of $10 in 1939

We can look at the buying power equivalent for $10 in 1939 to see how much you would need to adjust for in order to beat inflation. For 1939 to 1940, if you started with $10 in 1939, you would need to have $10.07 in 1939 to keep up with inflation rates.

So if we are saying that $10 is equivalent to $10.07 over time, you can see the core concept of inflation in action. The "real value" of a single dollar decreases over time. It will pay for fewer items at the store than it did previously.


Value of $10 Over Time


Year Dollar Value Inflation Rate
1939 $10.00 -1.42%
1940 $10.07 0.72%

US Dollar Inflation Conversion


Initial Value Equivalent Value
$1.00 in 1939 $1.01 in 1940
$5.00 in 1939 $5.04 in 1940
$10.00 in 1939 $10.07 in 1940
$50.00 in 1939 $50.36 in 1940
$100.00 in 1939 $100.72 in 1940
$500.00 in 1939 $503.60 in 1940
$1,000.00 in 1939 $1,007.19 in 1940
$5,000.00 in 1939 $5,035.97 in 1940
$10,000.00 in 1939 $10,071.94 in 1940
$50,000.00 in 1939 $50,359.71 in 1940
$100,000.00 in 1939 $100,719.42 in 1940
$500,000.00 in 1939 $503,597.12 in 1940
$1,000,000.00 in 1939 $1,007,194.24 in 1940

Calculate Inflation Rate for $10 from 1939 to 1940

To calculate the inflation rate of $10 from 1939 to 1940, we use the following formula:

$$\dfrac{ 1939\; USD\; value \times CPI\; in\; 1940 }{ CPI\; in\; 1939 } = 1940\; USD\; value $$

We then replace the variables with the historical CPI values. The CPI in 1939 was 13.9 and 14 in 1940.

$$\dfrac{ \$10 \times 14 }{ 13.9 } = \text{ \$10.07 } $$


To work out the total inflation rate for the 1 year between 1939 and 1940, we can use a different formula:

$$ \dfrac{\text{CPI in 1940 } - \text{ CPI in 1939 } }{\text{CPI in 1939 }} \times 100 = \text{Cumulative rate for 1 year} $$


$$ \dfrac{\text{ 14 } - \text{ 13.9 } }{\text{ 13.9 }} \times 100 = \text{ 0.72\% } $$

Inflation Rate Definition





Link To or Reference This Page


  • "$10 in 1939 is worth $10.07 in 1940". StudyFinance.com. Accessed on September 27, 2021. https://studyfinance.com/inflation/us/1939/10/1940/.

  • "$10 in 1939 is worth $10.07 in 1940". StudyFinance.com, https://studyfinance.com/inflation/us/1939/10/1940/. Accessed 27 September, 2021

  • $10 in 1939 is worth $10.07 in 1940. StudyFinance.com. Retrieved from https://studyfinance.com/inflation/us/1939/10/1940/.