WHAT IS $5
REALLY WORTH?

$0.59
in January 1971 purchasing power
Jan 1971January 1971Aug 2026
667 months•drag to explore
$5.00
today
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — CPI-U, monthly. Latest data: Aug 2026. Auto-refreshed daily.
Purchasing Power Lost

How much has $5 lost?

Held as cash since 1971, five bucks has surrendered most of its buying power.

$5.00 held since 1971
$5.00
Retained
12.6%
Lost
87.4%
19712025

Five bucks kept under the mattress didn't change. What changed was what those $5 could buy. That's purchasing-power loss.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — CPI-U annual averages, 1971 vs 2025.
The Five Bucks Index

The Purchasing
Power of $5

What $5 from each month is worth in today's money. The further back you go, the more five bucks could buy.

1971Aug 2026
19711976198119861991199620012006201120162021$0$15$30$45$60$5 today
Month
Aug 2026
$5 then worth
$5.00
Retained
100.0%
Lost
0.0%
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — CPI-U, monthly, via FRED. Hover the chart to inspect any month. Data reflects the latest published month (Aug 2026).
Debasement Speed

How fast is your $5 getting devalued?

Track how quickly the purchasing power of five bucks fell over the past six months.

AUGUST 2026
Latest available data: AUGUST 2026
0100
2.45%
Purchasing Power Lost
In the Past 6 Months
FASTER THAN 75% OF MONTHS SINCE 1971

Debasement is currently running faster than 75% of months since 1971.

AUGUST 2026
JULY 1971AUGUST 2026
Debasement Speed Since 1971
1971197719831990199620022008201420200255075100
Historical Maximum
7.26%
Fastest six-month purchasing-power deterioration observed since 1971. This sets the 100 mark on the gauge — if a future month breaks it, the scale automatically re-normalizes.

Methodology: Debasement Speed measures the percentage decline in the purchasing power of the U.S. dollar over the previous six months, based on the U.S. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U). The 0–100 Debasement Speed Index is normalized against the fastest six-month purchasing-power deterioration observed in the historical dataset. The historical percentile shows the percentage of months since 1971 with a lower six-month purchasing-power loss.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — CPI-U, All Items, Monthly (1982–84 = 100), via FRED.

The $5 Basket

What could
$5 buy?

Five bucks used to go a lot further.

13.7
gallons of gasoline
$5 bought 13.7 gallons of gasoline
Source
U.S. Energy Information Administration — Annual Average Retail Gasoline Price ($/gallon)
Data period: 1971
4.2
gallons of milk
$5 bought 4.2 gallons of milk
Source
U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the U.S.: 1972 (93rd ed.) — BLS avg. retail price, fresh whole milk, ½ gal ×2 = per gal
Data period: 1971
20.0
lbs of bread
$5 bought 20.0 lbs of bread
Source
U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the U.S.: 1972 (93rd ed.) — BLS avg. retail price, white bread, per lb
Data period: 1971
8.2
dozen of eggs
$5 bought 8.2 dozen of eggs
Source
U.S. BLS — Eggs, Grade A, Large (per dozen), 1970 (closest published BLS figure; the BLS eggs series begins 1980)
Data period: 1970
7.3
lbs of ground beef
$5 bought 7.3 lbs of ground beef
Source
U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the U.S.: 1972 (93rd ed.) — BLS avg. retail price, hamburger, per lb
Data period: 1971
N/A
Data unavailable
No reliable price data for this category in this year.
Source
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Average Price: Coffee, 100% Ground Roast (per Pound), U.S. City Average, via FRED
217
kWh of electricity
$5 bought 217 kWh of electricity
Source
U.S. Energy Information Administration — Average Retail Price of Electricity, 1971 (2.3¢/kWh)
Data period: 1971
Quantities are calculated as $5.00 ÷ the official annual average price for each category. Gasoline: U.S. Energy Information Administration. Movie tickets: National Association of Theatre Owners. All other categories: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Average Price Data, via FRED. For years before each BLS series begins, the exact secondary source is shown on each card — the U.S. Census Bureau's Statistical Abstract (1971), the USDA Food Cost Review (milk, 1980 & 1990), the BLS Ground Chuck series (ground beef, 1980), and the EIA (electricity, 1971). Where no reliable figure exists across any of these, "Data unavailable" is shown rather than an estimate.
Vs. Assets

WHAT HAPPENED
TO YOUR $5?

See what $5 would be worth today if you had held it as cash, gold, silver or Bitcoin.

Cash is measured using CPI-based purchasing-power equivalence. Gold, silver and Bitcoin are measured using historical market prices.

Starting amount
Starting year
$5 in 2015
CASH-30.2%
$3.49
Purchasing power today
CPI-ADJUSTED PURCHASING POWER
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — CPI-U
GOLD+252.6%
$17.63
Value today
HISTORICAL ASSET RETURN
Source: World Bank Commodity Price Data (Pink Sheet) — LBMA gold fixing
SILVER+280.2%
$19.01
Value today
HISTORICAL ASSET RETURN
Source: World Bank Commodity Price Data (Pink Sheet) — LBMA silver fixing
BITCOIN+34,265.5%
$1,718
Value today
HISTORICAL ASSET RETURN
Source: Coinbase — Bitcoin daily close (via FRED, series CBBTCUSD)
$5 in 2015became
Cash
$5.00
Gold
$17.63
Silver
$19.01
Bitcoin
$1,718

Bitcoin had the highest historical return over this period.

How your $5 would have changed

Normalized to $5 at the start of 2015.

20152016201820192021202220242025$0$650$1.3k$1.9k$2.6k
Bitcoin can dominate the scale — toggle Bitcoin off to inspect cash, gold and silver.
Debatement Calculator

Calculate your
dollar's lost power

$
19711971Today (2026)
What was a nominal amount then worth today?
Your $5 in 1971 equals
$41.36
in today's purchasing power
Power retained
12.1%
Power lost
87.9%
Source: U.S. BLS CPI-U, monthly via FRED (latest: 2026). Educational estimates, not financial advice.
FiveBucks

What is $5 really worth?

Tracking the changing value of money over time through data.

Same money. Less money.

Data
  • U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
  • CPI-U, All Items, Annual Avg.
  • 1982–84 = 100 reference base
© 2026 FiveBucks.com — Tracking the changing value of money over time through data.
Not financial advice. Estimates use official CPI data.