Inflation Record$100 in 1919 → Today
Official data verified · U.S. CPI-U · Annual average · NSA · Data through September 2026 (fetched 2026-11-02) · Series CUUR0000SA0
$1,916.78
+1816.8% cumulative inflation · 1919–2026
Your $100 in 1919 would have the purchasing power of $1,916.78 today.
What this means
- Purchasing power: $100 in 1919 had the same average buying power as $1,916.78 in 2026.
- Price level change: the overall consumer price level rose by 1816.8% across this 107-year span; the purchasing power of a dollar fell by 94.8%.
- This measures the broad basket of consumer goods and services (CPI-U). Individual expenses — housing, medical care, tuition — moved at different rates.
What this means in other amounts
| In 1919 | Worth in 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $19.17 |
| $5 | $95.84 |
| $10 | $191.68 |
| $20 | $383.36 |
| $50 | $958.39 |
| $100 | $1,916.78 |
| $500 | $9,583.92 |
| $1,000 | $19,167.84 |
| $10,000 | $191,678.40 |
| $100,000 | $1,916,783.97 |
Key facts about 1919
- Consumer prices rose 15.2% in 1919 — the 4th-largest annual increase in the 1913–2026 record.
- Among the major categories tracked since 1919, Food rose the most: 1575.5% cumulatively to 2025.
- In the decade after 1919, prices fell 1.0% in total — a deflation decade.
$100 in 1919, decade by decade
| Year | Worth | Cumulative price change |
|---|---|---|
| 1929 | $98.99 | -1.0% |
| 1939 | $80.24 | -19.8% |
| 1949 | $137.36 | +37.4% |
| 1959 | $168.17 | +68.2% |
| 1969 | $211.63 | +111.6% |
| 1979 | $418.70 | +318.7% |
| 1989 | $715.19 | +615.2% |
| 1999 | $961.01 | +861.0% |
| 2009 | $1,237.71 | +1137.7% |
| 2019 | $1,474.95 | +1374.9% |
| 2026 | $1,916.78 | +1816.8% |
Monthly CPI in 1919
| Month | CPI-U index | Change vs same month, prior year |
|---|---|---|
| January | 16.500 | 17.9% |
| February | 16.200 | 14.9% |
| March | 16.400 | 17.1% |
| April | 16.700 | 17.6% |
| May | 16.900 | 16.6% |
| June | 16.900 | 15.0% |
| July | 17.400 | 15.2% |
| August | 17.700 | 14.9% |
| September | 17.800 | 13.4% |
| October | 18.100 | 13.1% |
| November | 18.500 | 13.5% |
| December | 18.900 | 14.5% |
Annual average CPI-U for 1919: 17.333.
Verify this calculation
Series: CUUR0000SA0 (Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, All Items, U.S. City Average; Not seasonally adjusted (NSA); base 1982-84=100).
Index (1919 annual average): 17.333 · Index (2026 annual average): 332.243 · Ratio: 19.1678
Formula: amount × (indexend / indexstart). Formula v1.0 — annual-average CPI, NSA (per-country basis on each methodology page). Source: BLS data finder.
Cite this page
← $100 in 1918 · All years · $100 in 1920 →
The same year elsewhere: Canada