What happened to prices after 1913
The official record starts here. The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ consumer price index begins in 1913, the year the Federal Reserve was created. The dollar was still backed by gold.
The early decades swung both ways. World War I pushed prices up 20.4% in 1918, the biggest one-year jump on record, and they fell 10.8% in 1921 and nearly a quarter between 1929 and 1932. Prices haven’t fallen in a calendar year since 1954.
The surprise is how recent most of the rise is. Half of all the price increase since 1913, in dollars, came after 1999.
What amounts from 1913 are worth today
| In 1913 | In 2025 | 2025 amount in 1913 |
|---|---|---|
| $1 | $32.41 | $0.03 |
| $5 | $162.05 | $0.15 |
| $10 | $324.10 | $0.31 |
| $20 | $648.20 | $0.62 |
| $50 | $1,620.50 | $1.54 |
| $100 | $3,241.00 | $3.09 |
| $500 | $16,205.00 | $15.43 |
| $1,000 | $32,410.00 | $30.85 |
| $5,000 | $162,050.00 | $154.27 |
| $10,000 | $324,100.00 | $308.55 |
Read across: $1,000 in 1913 buys what $32,410 did in 2025, and $1,000 in 2025 would have bought what $30.85 did in 1913.
Inflation by decade since 1913
| Decade | Average a year | Prices over the decade |
|---|---|---|
| 1910s (1914–1919) | 11.19% | +89.0% |
| 1920s | −0.94% | −9.0% |
| 1930s | −2.04% | −18.6% |
| 1940s | 5.36% | +68.6% |
| 1950s | 2.22% | +24.6% |
| 1960s | 2.52% | +28.2% |
| 1970s | 7.36% | +103.4% |
| 1980s | 5.10% | +64.4% |
| 1990s | 2.93% | +33.5% |
| 2000s | 2.52% | +28.3% |
| 2010s | 1.76% | +19.0% |
| 2020s (2020–2025) | 3.94% | +26.1% |
Every year since 1913: CPI, inflation and the cost of $100 of 1913 goods
| Year | CPI (Dec.) | Inflation | Cost of $100 of 1913 goods |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1913 | 10.0 | — | $100.00 |
| 1914 | 10.1 | +1.0% | $101.00 |
| 1915 | 10.3 | +2.0% | $103.00 |
| 1916 | 11.6 | +12.6% | $116.00 |
| 1917 | 13.7 | +18.1% | $137.00 |
| 1918 | 16.5 | +20.4% | $165.00 |
| 1919 | 18.9 | +14.5% | $189.00 |
| 1920 | 19.4 | +2.6% | $194.00 |
| 1921 | 17.3 | −10.8% | $173.00 |
| 1922 | 16.9 | −2.3% | $169.00 |
| 1923 | 17.3 | +2.4% | $173.00 |
| 1924 | 17.3 | 0.0% | $173.00 |
| 1925 | 17.9 | +3.5% | $179.00 |
| 1926 | 17.7 | −1.1% | $177.00 |
| 1927 | 17.3 | −2.3% | $173.00 |
| 1928 | 17.1 | −1.2% | $171.00 |
| 1929 | 17.2 | +0.6% | $172.00 |
| 1930 | 16.1 | −6.4% | $161.00 |
| 1931 | 14.6 | −9.3% | $146.00 |
| 1932 | 13.1 | −10.3% | $131.00 |
| 1933 | 13.2 | +0.8% | $132.00 |
| 1934 | 13.4 | +1.5% | $134.00 |
| 1935 | 13.8 | +3.0% | $138.00 |
| 1936 | 14.0 | +1.4% | $140.00 |
| 1937 | 14.4 | +2.9% | $144.00 |
| 1938 | 14.0 | −2.8% | $140.00 |
| 1939 | 14.0 | 0.0% | $140.00 |
| 1940 | 14.1 | +0.7% | $141.00 |
| 1941 | 15.5 | +9.9% | $155.00 |
| 1942 | 16.9 | +9.0% | $169.00 |
| 1943 | 17.4 | +3.0% | $174.00 |
| 1944 | 17.8 | +2.3% | $178.00 |
| 1945 | 18.2 | +2.2% | $182.00 |
| 1946 | 21.5 | +18.1% | $215.00 |
| 1947 | 23.4 | +8.8% | $234.00 |
| 1948 | 24.1 | +3.0% | $241.00 |
| 1949 | 23.6 | −2.1% | $236.00 |
| 1950 | 25.0 | +5.9% | $250.00 |
| 1951 | 26.5 | +6.0% | $265.00 |
| 1952 | 26.7 | +0.8% | $267.00 |
| 1953 | 26.9 | +0.7% | $269.00 |
| 1954 | 26.7 | −0.7% | $267.00 |
| 1955 | 26.8 | +0.4% | $268.00 |
| 1956 | 27.6 | +3.0% | $276.00 |
| 1957 | 28.4 | +2.9% | $284.00 |
| 1958 | 28.9 | +1.8% | $289.00 |
| 1959 | 29.4 | +1.7% | $294.00 |
| 1960 | 29.8 | +1.4% | $298.00 |
| 1961 | 30.0 | +0.7% | $300.00 |
| 1962 | 30.4 | +1.3% | $304.00 |
| 1963 | 30.9 | +1.6% | $309.00 |
| 1964 | 31.2 | +1.0% | $312.00 |
| 1965 | 31.8 | +1.9% | $318.00 |
| 1966 | 32.9 | +3.5% | $329.00 |
| 1967 | 33.9 | +3.0% | $339.00 |
| 1968 | 35.5 | +4.7% | $355.00 |
| 1969 | 37.7 | +6.2% | $377.00 |
| 1970 | 39.8 | +5.6% | $398.00 |
| 1971 | 41.1 | +3.3% | $411.00 |
| 1972 | 42.5 | +3.4% | $425.00 |
| 1973 | 46.2 | +8.7% | $462.00 |
| 1974 | 51.9 | +12.3% | $519.00 |
| 1975 | 55.5 | +6.9% | $555.00 |
| 1976 | 58.2 | +4.9% | $582.00 |
| 1977 | 62.1 | +6.7% | $621.00 |
| 1978 | 67.7 | +9.0% | $677.00 |
| 1979 | 76.7 | +13.3% | $767.00 |
| 1980 | 86.3 | +12.5% | $863.00 |
| 1981 | 94.0 | +8.9% | $940.00 |
| 1982 | 97.6 | +3.8% | $976.00 |
| 1983 | 101.3 | +3.8% | $1,013.00 |
| 1984 | 105.3 | +3.9% | $1,053.00 |
| 1985 | 109.3 | +3.8% | $1,093.00 |
| 1986 | 110.5 | +1.1% | $1,105.00 |
| 1987 | 115.4 | +4.4% | $1,154.00 |
| 1988 | 120.5 | +4.4% | $1,205.00 |
| 1989 | 126.1 | +4.6% | $1,261.00 |
| 1990 | 133.8 | +6.1% | $1,338.00 |
| 1991 | 137.9 | +3.1% | $1,379.00 |
| 1992 | 141.9 | +2.9% | $1,419.00 |
| 1993 | 145.8 | +2.7% | $1,458.00 |
| 1994 | 149.7 | +2.7% | $1,497.00 |
| 1995 | 153.5 | +2.5% | $1,535.00 |
| 1996 | 158.6 | +3.3% | $1,586.00 |
| 1997 | 161.3 | +1.7% | $1,613.00 |
| 1998 | 163.9 | +1.6% | $1,639.00 |
| 1999 | 168.3 | +2.7% | $1,683.00 |
| 2000 | 174.0 | +3.4% | $1,740.00 |
| 2001 | 176.7 | +1.6% | $1,767.00 |
| 2002 | 180.9 | +2.4% | $1,809.00 |
| 2003 | 184.3 | +1.9% | $1,843.00 |
| 2004 | 190.3 | +3.3% | $1,903.00 |
| 2005 | 196.8 | +3.4% | $1,968.00 |
| 2006 | 201.8 | +2.5% | $2,018.00 |
| 2007 | 210.0 | +4.1% | $2,100.00 |
| 2008 | 210.2 | +0.1% | $2,102.00 |
| 2009 | 215.9 | +2.7% | $2,159.00 |
| 2010 | 219.2 | +1.5% | $2,192.00 |
| 2011 | 225.7 | +3.0% | $2,257.00 |
| 2012 | 229.6 | +1.7% | $2,296.00 |
| 2013 | 233.0 | +1.5% | $2,330.00 |
| 2014 | 234.8 | +0.8% | $2,348.00 |
| 2015 | 236.5 | +0.7% | $2,365.00 |
| 2016 | 241.4 | +2.1% | $2,414.00 |
| 2017 | 246.5 | +2.1% | $2,465.00 |
| 2018 | 251.2 | +1.9% | $2,512.00 |
| 2019 | 257.0 | +2.3% | $2,570.00 |
| 2020 | 260.5 | +1.4% | $2,605.00 |
| 2021 | 278.8 | +7.0% | $2,788.00 |
| 2022 | 296.8 | +6.5% | $2,968.00 |
| 2023 | 306.7 | +3.3% | $3,067.00 |
| 2024 | 315.6 | +2.9% | $3,156.00 |
| 2025 | 324.1 | +2.7% | $3,241.00 |
How this is calculated
We divide the consumer price index for December 2025 (324.1) by the index for December 1913 (10.0), which gives 32.4100, and multiply. Each year’s inflation runs December to December. December figures follow prices to the end of each year, so they can differ slightly from tables that use yearly averages. The index measures an average urban household’s spending; your own costs can rise faster or slower.
Every figure here comes from the same data as the inflation calculator. The method is on the methodology page.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), U.S. city average, all items, December values.