Inflation by year
What $100 in 1920 is worth today
$100 in 1920 has the same buying power as $1,674.90 in August 2026. Prices have risen 1,574.9% since, an average of 2.69% a year.
Against the 2025 annual average instead of the latest month, it is $1,609.72.
Convert any amount from 1920
$100.00 in 1920 is worth
$1,674.90
in August 2026 — the same buying power
$1,574.90 more
Geometric mean over the period
It buys what this amount bought in 1920
The index behind it
Your amount multiplied by this ratio gives the answer
Annual averages of the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, 1982–84 = 100, published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026 has no annual average yet, so it uses August 2026, the latest month published.
- Warning: Over spans this long, the CPI basket itself has changed enormously. The ratio is arithmetically correct but comparing living standards across many decades is a much weaker claim than the number suggests.
- Note: Based on CPI-U: 20 (1920 annual average) and 334.98 (August 2026, the latest month published), 1982–84 = 100.
1920 dollars in today’s money
| In 1920 | In August 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1.00 | $16.75 |
| $5.00 | $83.75 |
| $10.00 | $167.49 |
| $20.00 | $334.98 |
| $50.00 | $837.45 |
| $100.00 | $1,674.90 |
| $500.00 | $8,374.50 |
| $1,000.00 | $16,749.00 |
| $5,000.00 | $83,745.00 |
| $10,000.00 | $167,490.00 |
| $100,000.00 | $1,674,900.00 |
Every row is the 1920 amount multiplied by the same ratio: CPI-U of 334.980 in August 2026 divided by 20.000, the 1920 annual average — 16.7490. Put the other way, a dollar today buys what $0.06 bought in 1920.
Inflation in 1920
Prices rose 15.6% between the 1919 and 1920 annual averages. Of the 112 years with a measured rate, from 1914 to 2025, that ranks 3rd from the highest.
Prices first stood at double their 1920 level in 1971, 51 years later.
The 1920s, year by year
Across 1920–1929, prices rose in 4 of the 10 years with a measured change, fell in 4, and held level in 2. The sharpest rise was 15.6% in 1920. The steepest fall was 10.5% in 1921.
| Year | CPI-U | Change on the year before |
|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 20.000 | +15.6% |
| 1921 | 17.900 | −10.5% |
| 1922 | 16.800 | −6.1% |
| 1923 | 17.100 | +1.8% |
| 1924 | 17.100 | 0.0% |
| 1925 | 17.500 | +2.3% |
| 1926 | 17.700 | +1.1% |
| 1927 | 17.400 | −1.7% |
| 1928 | 17.100 | −1.7% |
| 1929 | 17.100 | 0.0% |
$100 from 1920, in every year since
Every year since 1920
| Year | $100 from 1920 | CPI-U | Inflation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | $100.00 | 20.000 | +15.6% |
| 1921 | $89.50 | 17.900 | −10.5% |
| 1922 | $84.00 | 16.800 | −6.1% |
| 1923 | $85.50 | 17.100 | +1.8% |
| 1924 | $85.50 | 17.100 | 0.0% |
| 1925 | $87.50 | 17.500 | +2.3% |
| 1926 | $88.50 | 17.700 | +1.1% |
| 1927 | $87.00 | 17.400 | −1.7% |
| 1928 | $85.50 | 17.100 | −1.7% |
| 1929 | $85.50 | 17.100 | 0.0% |
| 1930 | $83.50 | 16.700 | −2.3% |
| 1931 | $76.00 | 15.200 | −9.0% |
| 1932 | $68.50 | 13.700 | −9.9% |
| 1933 | $65.00 | 13.000 | −5.1% |
| 1934 | $67.00 | 13.400 | +3.1% |
| 1935 | $68.50 | 13.700 | +2.2% |
| 1936 | $69.50 | 13.900 | +1.5% |
| 1937 | $72.00 | 14.400 | +3.6% |
| 1938 | $70.50 | 14.100 | −2.1% |
| 1939 | $69.50 | 13.900 | −1.4% |
| 1940 | $70.00 | 14.000 | +0.7% |
| 1941 | $73.50 | 14.700 | +5.0% |
| 1942 | $81.50 | 16.300 | +10.9% |
| 1943 | $86.50 | 17.300 | +6.1% |
| 1944 | $88.00 | 17.600 | +1.7% |
| 1945 | $90.00 | 18.000 | +2.3% |
| 1946 | $97.50 | 19.500 | +8.3% |
| 1947 | $111.50 | 22.300 | +14.4% |
| 1948 | $120.50 | 24.100 | +8.1% |
| 1949 | $119.00 | 23.800 | −1.2% |
| 1950 | $120.50 | 24.100 | +1.3% |
| 1951 | $130.00 | 26.000 | +7.9% |
| 1952 | $132.50 | 26.500 | +1.9% |
| 1953 | $133.50 | 26.700 | +0.8% |
| 1954 | $134.50 | 26.900 | +0.7% |
| 1955 | $134.00 | 26.800 | −0.4% |
| 1956 | $136.00 | 27.200 | +1.5% |
| 1957 | $140.50 | 28.100 | +3.3% |
| 1958 | $144.50 | 28.900 | +2.8% |
| 1959 | $145.50 | 29.100 | +0.7% |
| 1960 | $148.00 | 29.600 | +1.7% |
| 1961 | $149.50 | 29.900 | +1.0% |
| 1962 | $151.00 | 30.200 | +1.0% |
| 1963 | $153.00 | 30.600 | +1.3% |
| 1964 | $155.00 | 31.000 | +1.3% |
| 1965 | $157.50 | 31.500 | +1.6% |
| 1966 | $162.00 | 32.400 | +2.9% |
| 1967 | $167.00 | 33.400 | +3.1% |
| 1968 | $174.00 | 34.800 | +4.2% |
| 1969 | $183.50 | 36.700 | +5.5% |
| 1970 | $194.00 | 38.800 | +5.7% |
| 1971 | $202.50 | 40.500 | +4.4% |
| 1972 | $209.00 | 41.800 | +3.2% |
| 1973 | $222.00 | 44.400 | +6.2% |
| 1974 | $246.50 | 49.300 | +11.0% |
| 1975 | $269.00 | 53.800 | +9.1% |
| 1976 | $284.50 | 56.900 | +5.8% |
| 1977 | $303.00 | 60.600 | +6.5% |
| 1978 | $326.00 | 65.200 | +7.6% |
| 1979 | $363.00 | 72.600 | +11.3% |
| 1980 | $412.00 | 82.400 | +13.5% |
| 1981 | $454.50 | 90.900 | +10.3% |
| 1982 | $482.50 | 96.500 | +6.2% |
| 1983 | $498.00 | 99.600 | +3.2% |
| 1984 | $519.50 | 103.900 | +4.3% |
| 1985 | $538.00 | 107.600 | +3.6% |
| 1986 | $548.00 | 109.600 | +1.9% |
| 1987 | $568.00 | 113.600 | +3.6% |
| 1988 | $591.50 | 118.300 | +4.1% |
| 1989 | $620.00 | 124.000 | +4.8% |
| 1990 | $653.50 | 130.700 | +5.4% |
| 1991 | $681.00 | 136.200 | +4.2% |
| 1992 | $701.50 | 140.300 | +3.0% |
| 1993 | $722.50 | 144.500 | +3.0% |
| 1994 | $741.00 | 148.200 | +2.6% |
| 1995 | $762.00 | 152.400 | +2.8% |
| 1996 | $784.50 | 156.900 | +3.0% |
| 1997 | $802.50 | 160.500 | +2.3% |
| 1998 | $815.00 | 163.000 | +1.6% |
| 1999 | $833.00 | 166.600 | +2.2% |
| 2000 | $861.00 | 172.200 | +3.4% |
| 2001 | $885.50 | 177.100 | +2.8% |
| 2002 | $899.50 | 179.900 | +1.6% |
| 2003 | $920.00 | 184.000 | +2.3% |
| 2004 | $944.50 | 188.900 | +2.7% |
| 2005 | $976.50 | 195.300 | +3.4% |
| 2006 | $1,008.00 | 201.600 | +3.2% |
| 2007 | $1,036.71 | 207.342 | +2.8% |
| 2008 | $1,076.51 | 215.303 | +3.8% |
| 2009 | $1,072.69 | 214.537 | −0.4% |
| 2010 | $1,090.28 | 218.056 | +1.6% |
| 2011 | $1,124.70 | 224.939 | +3.2% |
| 2012 | $1,147.97 | 229.594 | +2.1% |
| 2013 | $1,164.79 | 232.957 | +1.5% |
| 2014 | $1,183.68 | 236.736 | +1.6% |
| 2015 | $1,185.09 | 237.017 | +0.1% |
| 2016 | $1,200.04 | 240.007 | +1.3% |
| 2017 | $1,225.60 | 245.120 | +2.1% |
| 2018 | $1,255.54 | 251.107 | +2.4% |
| 2019 | $1,278.29 | 255.657 | +1.8% |
| 2020 | $1,294.05 | 258.811 | +1.2% |
| 2021 | $1,354.85 | 270.970 | +4.7% |
| 2022 | $1,463.27 | 292.655 | +8.0% |
| 2023 | $1,523.51 | 304.702 | +4.1% |
| 2024 | $1,568.45 | 313.689 | +2.9% |
| 2025 | $1,609.72 | 321.943 | +2.6% |
| August 2026 | $1,674.90 | 334.980 | — |
The first row is 1920 itself, where $100 is still $100. Each later row is that year’s CPI-U divided by 20.000, multiplied by $100 — the same arithmetic as the calculator above, applied once a year.
What this cannot tell you
CPI is a national average, and your own prices will differ. Housing, healthcare and education have risen much faster than the index as a whole, and some goods — electronics above all — have become far cheaper.
It does not capture regional differences. A dollar in 1920 went further in some places than others, and still does.
The basket itself has changed. People in 1920 did not buy what people buy now, so the ratio is exact arithmetic on a comparison that is looser than a single number suggests, and more so over a span this long.
August 2026 is one month, not a year. Monthly figures carry some seasonal movement, so this headline shifts slightly each month until BLS publishes the full-year average.
Other years
Source
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — CPI-U, U.S. city average, all items (series CUUR0000SA0). Annual averages for complete years, and the latest monthly value for the current one. The data is checked against BLS every month and was last updated on .