1979 Silver Dollar Value
The 1979 Susan B Anthony dollar contained not one atom of silver, and they have little to no collectors’ value. SOME Ike dollars (1971–78) were struck in 40% silver. The last TRUE (90% silver) “silver dollar” was the Peace Dollar which went out of production in 1935.
- A regular 1979 Susan B. Anthony Dollar with a 'Narrow Rim' will have the rim of the coin separated from the date of the coin. A 1979 'Wide Rim' variety or the scarcer variety from 1979-P Susan B. Anthony Dollars, will have the date of the coin very close to the rim of the coin, and almost touching.
- A regular 1979 Susan B. Anthony Dollar with a 'Narrow Rim' will have the rim of the coin separated from the date of the coin. A 1979 'Wide Rim' variety or the scarcer variety from 1979-P Susan B. Anthony Dollars, will have the date of the coin very close to the rim of the coin, and almost touching.
Why a dollar today is worth only 28% of a dollar in 1979
Updated: January 13, 2020$100 in 1979 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $358.78 today, an increase of $258.78 over 42 years.The dollar had an average inflation rate of 3.09% per year between 1979 and today, producing a cumulative price increase of 258.78%.
This means that today's prices are3.59 times higher thanaverage prices since 1979,according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index.A dollar today only buys 27.87% of what it could buy back then.
The 1979 inflation rate was 11.35%. The current year-over-year inflation rate (2020 to 2021) is now 1.36%1.If this number holds, $100 today will be equivalent in buying power to $101.36 next year.The current inflation rate page gives more detail on the latest inflation rates.
| Cumulative price change | 258.78% |
| Average inflation rate | 3.09% |
| Converted amount ($100 base) | $358.78 |
| Price difference ($100 base) | $258.78 |
| CPI in 1979 | 72.600 |
| CPI in 2021 | 260.474 |
| Inflation in 1979 | 11.35% |
| Inflation in 2021 | 1.36% |
| $100 in 1979 | $358.78 in 2021 |
Buying power of $100 in 1979
This chart shows a calculation of buying power equivalence for $100 in 1979 (price index tracking began in 1635).
For example, if you started with $100, you would need to end with $358.78 in order to 'adjust' for inflation (sometimes refered to as 'beating inflation').
When $100 is equivalent to $358.78 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 1979 dollars, the chart below shows how $100 is worth less over 42 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:
| Year | Dollar Value | Inflation Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | $100.00 | 11.35% |
| 1980 | $113.50 | 13.50% |
| 1981 | $125.21 | 10.32% |
| 1982 | $132.92 | 6.16% |
| 1983 | $137.19 | 3.21% |
| 1984 | $143.11 | 4.32% |
| 1985 | $148.21 | 3.56% |
| 1986 | $150.96 | 1.86% |
| 1987 | $156.47 | 3.65% |
| 1988 | $162.95 | 4.14% |
| 1989 | $170.80 | 4.82% |
| 1990 | $180.03 | 5.40% |
| 1991 | $187.60 | 4.21% |
| 1992 | $193.25 | 3.01% |
| 1993 | $199.04 | 2.99% |
| 1994 | $204.13 | 2.56% |
| 1995 | $209.92 | 2.83% |
| 1996 | $216.12 | 2.95% |
| 1997 | $221.07 | 2.29% |
| 1998 | $224.52 | 1.56% |
| 1999 | $229.48 | 2.21% |
| 2000 | $237.19 | 3.36% |
| 2001 | $243.94 | 2.85% |
| 2002 | $247.80 | 1.58% |
| 2003 | $253.44 | 2.28% |
| 2004 | $260.19 | 2.66% |
| 2005 | $269.01 | 3.39% |
| 2006 | $277.69 | 3.23% |
| 2007 | $285.60 | 2.85% |
| 2008 | $296.56 | 3.84% |
| 2009 | $295.51 | -0.36% |
| 2010 | $300.35 | 1.64% |
| 2011 | $309.83 | 3.16% |
| 2012 | $316.25 | 2.07% |
| 2013 | $320.88 | 1.46% |
| 2014 | $326.08 | 1.62% |
| 2015 | $326.47 | 0.12% |
| 2016 | $330.59 | 1.26% |
| 2017 | $337.63 | 2.13% |
| 2018 | $346.05 | 2.49% |
| 2019 | $352.15 | 1.76% |
| 2020 | $356.49 | 1.23% |
| 2021 | $358.78 | 0.64%* |
This conversion table shows various other 1979 amounts in today's dollars, based on the 258.78% change in prices:
| Initial value | Equivalent value |
|---|---|
| $1dollarin 1979 | $3.59dollarstoday |
| $5dollarsin 1979 | $17.94dollarstoday |
| $10dollarsin 1979 | $35.88dollarstoday |
| $50dollarsin 1979 | $179.39dollarstoday |
| $100dollarsin 1979 | $358.78dollarstoday |
| $500dollarsin 1979 | $1,793.90dollarstoday |
| $1,000dollarsin 1979 | $3,587.80dollarstoday |
| $5,000dollarsin 1979 | $17,938.98dollarstoday |
| $10,000dollarsin 1979 | $35,877.96dollarstoday |
| $50,000dollarsin 1979 | $179,389.81dollarstoday |
| $100,000dollarsin 1979 | $358,779.61dollarstoday |
| $500,000 dollarsin 1979 | $1,793,898.07dollarstoday |
| $1,000,000dollarsin 1979 | $3,587,796.14dollarstoday |
Inflation by City
Inflation can vary widely by city, even within the United States. Here's how some cities fared in 1979 to 2021 (figures shown are purchasing power equivalents of $100):
- San Francisco, California: 3.63% average rate, $100 → $432.20, cumulative change of 332.20%
- Seattle, Washington: 3.44% average rate, $100 → $400.68, cumulative change of 300.68%
- Boston, Massachusetts: 3.37% average rate, $100 → $389.63, cumulative change of 289.63%
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale, Florida: 3.34% average rate, $100 → $384.09, cumulative change of 284.09%
- New York: 3.33% average rate, $100 → $383.75, cumulative change of 283.75%
- Atlanta, Georgia: 3.11% average rate, $100 → $351.29, cumulative change of 251.29%
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: 3.10% average rate, $100 → $350.03, cumulative change of 250.03%
- Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas: 3.07% average rate, $100 → $345.15, cumulative change of 245.15%
- Chicago, Illinois: 3.03% average rate, $100 → $339.58, cumulative change of 239.58%
- Detroit, Michigan: 2.90% average rate, $100 → $322.84, cumulative change of 222.84%
- Houston, Texas: 2.82% average rate, $100 → $313.31, cumulative change of 213.31%
San Francisco, California experienced the highest rate of inflation during the 42 years between 1979 and 2021 (3.63%).
Houston, Texas experienced the lowest rate of inflation during the 42 years between 1979 and 2021 (2.82%).
Note that some locations showing 0% inflation may have not yet reported latest data.
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 1979 and 2021.
Compare these values to the overall average of 3.09% per year:
| Category | Avg Inflation (%) | Total Inflation (%) | $100 in 1979 → 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food and beverages | 2.98 | 243.58 | 343.58 |
| Housing | 3.36 | 300.95 | 400.95 |
| Apparel | 0.81 | 40.15 | 140.15 |
| Transportation | 2.59 | 192.85 | 292.85 |
| Medical care | 5.10 | 708.10 | 808.10 |
| Recreation | 1.11 | 58.99 | 158.99 |
| Education and communication | 1.85 | 116.07 | 216.07 |
| Other goods and services | 4.75 | 602.62 | 702.62 |
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 1979. This table and charts use the earliest available data for each category.
Inflation rates of specific categories
Medical Care· Housing· Rent· Food· MoreInflation-adjusted measures
S&P 500 price·S&P 500 earnings·Shiller P/EHow to Calculate Inflation Rate for $100 since 1979
Our calculations use the following inflation rate formula to calculate the change in value between 1979 and today:
Then plug in historical CPI values. The U.S. CPI was 72.6 in the year 1979 and 260.474 in 2021:
$100 in 1979 has the same 'purchasing power' or 'buying power' as $358.78 in 2021.
To get the total inflation rate for the 42 years between 1979 and 2021, we use the following formula:
Plugging in the values to this equation, we get:
Alternate Measurements of Inflation
The above data describe the CPI for all items. Also of note is the Core CPI, which measures inflation for all items except for the more volatile categories of food and energy.Core inflation averaged 3.26% per year between 1979 and 2021 (vs all-CPI inflation of 3.09%), for an inflation total of 272.51%.
When using the core inflation measurement, $100 in 1979 is equivalent in buying power to $372.51 in 2021, a difference of $272.51. Recall that for All Items, the converted amount is $358.78 with a difference of $258.78.
In 1979, core inflation was 9.74%.
Comparison to S&P 500 Index
The average inflation rate of 3.09% has a compounding effect between 1979 and 2021. As noted above, this yearly inflation rate compounds to produce an overall price difference of 258.78% over 42 years.
To help put this inflation into perspective, if we had invested $100 in the S&P 500 index in 1979, our investment would be nominally worth approximately $11,040.30 in 2021. This is a return on investment of 10,940.30%, with an absolute return of $10,940.30 on top of the original $100.
These numbers are not inflation adjusted, so they are considered nominal. In order to evaluate the real return on our investment, we must calculate the return with inflation taken into account.
The compounding effect of inflation would account for 72.13% of returns ($7,963.12) during this period. This means the inflation-adjusted real return of our $100 investment is $2,977.18. You may also want to account for capital gains tax, which would take your real return down to around $2,531 for most people.
| Original Amount | Final Amount | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominal | $100 | $11,040.30 | 10,940.30% |
| Real Inflation Adjusted | $100 | $3,077.18 | 2,977.18% |
Information displayed above may differ slightly from other S&P 500 calculators. Minor discrepancies can occur because we use the latest CPI data for inflation, annualized inflation numbers for previous years, and we compute S&P price and dividends from January of 1979 to latest available data for 2021 using average monthly close price.
For more details on the S&P 500 between 1979 and 2021, see the stock market returns calculator.
News headlines from 1979
Politics and news often influence economic performance. Here's what was happening at the time:
1979 Silver Dollar Value No Mint Mark
- Ayatollah Khomeini returns to Iran after fifteen years of exile.
- Ugandan dictator Idi Amin flees to Libya after the Tanzanian army captures Kampala, Uganda's capital.
- Margaret Thatcher becomes Prime Minister of United Kingdom, the first ever woman to hold the position.
- Afghanistan is invaded by the Soviets and overthrowing of President Hafizullah Amin.
Raw data for these calculations comes fromthe Bureau of Labor Statistics'Consumer Price Index(CPI), established in 1913. Inflation data from 1665 to1912 is sourced from a historical study conducted by political science professor Robert Sahr at Oregon State University.
You may use the following MLA citation for this page:“Value of 1979 dollars today Inflation Calculator.” Official Inflation Data, Alioth Finance, 3 Feb. 2021, https://www.officialdata.org/us/inflation/1979.
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.
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