Inflation Record$100 in 1921 → Today
Official data verified · U.S. CPI-U · Annual average · NSA · Data through September 2026 (fetched 2026-11-02) · Series CUUR0000SA0
$1,861.30
+1761.3% cumulative inflation · 1921–2026
Your $100 in 1921 would have the purchasing power of $1,861.30 today.
What this means
- Purchasing power: $100 in 1921 had the same average buying power as $1,861.30 in 2026.
- Price level change: the overall consumer price level rose by 1761.3% across this 105-year span; the purchasing power of a dollar fell by 94.6%.
- 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 1921 | Worth in 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $18.61 |
| $5 | $93.07 |
| $10 | $186.13 |
| $20 | $372.26 |
| $50 | $930.65 |
| $100 | $1,861.30 |
| $500 | $9,306.51 |
| $1,000 | $18,613.03 |
| $10,000 | $186,130.28 |
| $100,000 | $1,861,302.83 |
Key facts about 1921
- 1921 was one of only 13 years since 1913 in which consumer prices fell on an annual-average basis (-10.9%).
- Among the major categories tracked since 1921, Food rose the most: 1857.4% cumulatively to 2025.
- In the decade after 1921, prices fell 14.8% in total — a deflation decade.
$100 in 1921, decade by decade
| Year | Worth | Cumulative price change |
|---|---|---|
| 1931 | $85.20 | -14.8% |
| 1941 | $82.49 | -17.5% |
| 1951 | $145.42 | +45.4% |
| 1961 | $167.46 | +67.5% |
| 1971 | $226.84 | +126.8% |
| 1981 | $509.38 | +409.4% |
| 1991 | $762.98 | +663.0% |
| 2001 | $991.97 | +892.0% |
| 2011 | $1,260.16 | +1160.2% |
| 2021 | $1,518.04 | +1418.0% |
| 2026 | $1,861.30 | +1761.3% |
Monthly CPI in 1921
| Month | CPI-U index | Change vs same month, prior year |
|---|---|---|
| January | 19.000 | -1.6% |
| February | 18.400 | -5.6% |
| March | 18.300 | -7.1% |
| April | 18.100 | -10.8% |
| May | 17.700 | -14.1% |
| June | 17.600 | -15.8% |
| July | 17.700 | -14.9% |
| August | 17.700 | -12.8% |
| September | 17.500 | -12.5% |
| October | 17.500 | -12.1% |
| November | 17.400 | -12.1% |
| December | 17.300 | -10.8% |
Annual average CPI-U for 1921: 17.850.
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 (1921 annual average): 17.850 · Index (2026 annual average): 332.243 · Ratio: 18.6130
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 1920 · All years · $100 in 1922 →
The same year elsewhere: Canada