Inflation Record$100 in 1920 → Today
Official data verified · U.S. CPI-U · Annual average · NSA · Data through September 2026 (fetched 2026-11-02) · Series CUUR0000SA0
$1,657.76
+1557.8% cumulative inflation · 1920–2026
Your $100 in 1920 would have the purchasing power of $1,657.76 today.
What this means
- Purchasing power: $100 in 1920 had the same average buying power as $1,657.76 in 2026.
- Price level change: the overall consumer price level rose by 1557.8% across this 106-year span; the purchasing power of a dollar fell by 94.0%.
- 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 1920 | Worth in 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $16.58 |
| $5 | $82.89 |
| $10 | $165.78 |
| $20 | $331.55 |
| $50 | $828.88 |
| $100 | $1,657.76 |
| $500 | $8,288.80 |
| $1,000 | $16,577.59 |
| $10,000 | $165,775.91 |
| $100,000 | $1,657,759.11 |
Key facts about 1920
- Consumer prices rose 15.6% in 1920 — the 3rd-largest annual increase in the 1913–2026 record.
- Among the major categories tracked since 1920, Food rose the most: 1383.8% cumulatively to 2025.
- In the decade after 1920, prices fell 16.7% in total — a deflation decade.
$100 in 1920, decade by decade
| Year | Worth | Cumulative price change |
|---|---|---|
| 1930 | $83.33 | -16.7% |
| 1940 | $69.90 | -30.1% |
| 1950 | $120.08 | +20.1% |
| 1960 | $147.57 | +47.6% |
| 1970 | $193.72 | +93.7% |
| 1980 | $411.19 | +311.2% |
| 1990 | $651.93 | +551.9% |
| 2000 | $859.21 | +759.2% |
| 2010 | $1,088.01 | +988.0% |
| 2020 | $1,291.37 | +1191.4% |
| 2026 | $1,657.76 | +1557.8% |
Monthly CPI in 1920
| Month | CPI-U index | Change vs same month, prior year |
|---|---|---|
| January | 19.300 | 17.0% |
| February | 19.500 | 20.4% |
| March | 19.700 | 20.1% |
| April | 20.300 | 21.6% |
| May | 20.600 | 21.9% |
| June | 20.900 | 23.7% |
| July | 20.800 | 19.5% |
| August | 20.300 | 14.7% |
| September | 20.000 | 12.4% |
| October | 19.900 | 9.9% |
| November | 19.800 | 7.0% |
| December | 19.400 | 2.6% |
Annual average CPI-U for 1920: 20.042.
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 (1920 annual average): 20.042 · Index (2026 annual average): 332.243 · Ratio: 16.5776
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 1919 · All years · $100 in 1921 →
The same year elsewhere: Canada