The Briefing
- The purchasing power of the U.S. dollar has fallen over time, as money supply has grown
- In fact, $1 in 1913 had the same purchasing power as $26 in 2020
What is Purchasing Power?
The purchasing power of a currency is the amount of goods and services that can be bought with one unit of the currency.
For example, one U.S. dollar could buy 10 bottles of beer in 1933. Today, it’s the cost of a small McDonald’s coffee. In other words, the purchasing power of the dollar—its value in terms of what it can buy—has decreased over time as price levels have risen.
Tracking the Purchasing Power of the Dollar
In 1913, the Federal Reserve Act granted Federal Reserve banks the ability to manage the money supply in order to ensure economic stability. Back then, a dollar could buy 30 Hershey’s chocolate bars.
As more dollars came into circulation, average prices of goods and services increased while the purchasing power of the dollar fell. By 1929, the value of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was 73% higher than in 1913, but a dollar was now enough only for 10 rolls of toilet paper.
| Year | Event | Purchasing Power of $1 | What a Dollar Buys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1913 | Creation of the Federal Reserve System | $26.14 | 30 Hershey’s chocolate bars |
| 1929 | Stock market crash | $15.14 | 10 rolls of toilet paper |
| 1933 | Gold possession criminalized | $19.91 | 10 bottles of beer |
| 1944 | Bretton Woods agreement | $14.71 | 20 bottles of Coca-Cola |
| 1953 | End of the (Read more...) |