What was the purchasing power of a dollar in 1900?

Answer 1

Because today's economy is so different from that in 1900, it's very difficult to come up with a single value comparing the value of today's dollar today with a dollar that far in the past.

• A number of sources including the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate that a comparable "market basket" of goods that cost $1 in 1900 would cost about $25 to $28 today.

• Other sources that compare wages indicate that a worker making $1 a day in 1900 would make about $130 if they're unskilled, and about $200 if they have a skilled profession.

• It's even harder to compare quality-of-life costs; for example people in 1900 weren't as healthy in general nor did they have things like radio, TV, airplanes, etc. The economist Samuel Williamson ("Measuring Worth", 2015) attempted to take those factors into account and came up with a ballpark figure of $1 in 1900 being equivalent to over $800 today in terms of quality.

Answer 2

100