U.S. inflation · 1914–1981
$100 in 1914 has the same buying power as
$909
in 1981
| Cumulative price change | 809.0% |
|---|---|
| Average inflation rate | 3.35% per year |
| Converted amount ($100 base) | $909 |
| Price difference ($100 base) | $809 |
| CPI in 1914 | 10 |
| CPI in 1981 | 90.9 |
| Inflation in 1914 | 1.01% |
| Inflation in 1981 | 10.32% |
| $100 in 1914 → 1981 | $909 |
| $100 in 1981 → 1914 | $11.00 |
Between 1914 and 1981, the Consumer Price Index went from 10 to 90.9. Cumulatively, prices increased 809.0%, which works out to an average of 3.35% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 1914 bought what $0.11 buys in 1981.
| Amount in 1914 | Value in 1981 |
|---|---|
| $1.00 | $9.09 |
| $5.00 | $45.45 |
| $10.00 | $90.90 |
| $20.00 | $182 |
| $50.00 | $455 |
| $100 | $909 |
| $500 | $4,545 |
| $1,000 | $9,090 |
| $5,000 | $45,450 |
| $10,000 | $90,900 |
| $100,000 | $909,000 |
| $1,000,000 | $9,090,000 |
The headline number is an average. Individual categories moved very differently over this period. Here is what $100 of 1914 spending costs in 1981, by category:
| Category | Avg. yearly inflation | $100 in 1914 → |
|---|---|---|
| All items (CPI-U) | 3.35% | $909 |
| Food | 3.36% | $918 |
| Apparel | 2.80% | $635 |
Not shown because the BLS began these indexes after 1914: core (all items less food & energy) (1957–), energy (1957–), housing (1967–), medical care (1935–), transportation (1935–), recreation (1993–), education & communication (1993–).
| Year | CPI | Inflation rate | $100 from 1914 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1914 | 10 | 1.0% | $100 |
| 1919 | 17.3 | 14.6% | $173 |
| 1924 | 17.1 | 0.0% | $171 |
| 1929 | 17.1 | 0.0% | $171 |
| 1934 | 13.4 | 3.1% | $134 |
| 1939 | 13.9 | -1.4% | $139 |
| 1944 | 17.6 | 1.7% | $176 |
| 1949 | 23.8 | -1.2% | $238 |
| 1954 | 26.9 | 0.7% | $269 |
| 1959 | 29.1 | 0.7% | $291 |
| 1964 | 31 | 1.3% | $310 |
| 1969 | 36.7 | 5.5% | $367 |
| 1974 | 49.3 | 11.0% | $493 |
| 1979 | 72.6 | 11.3% | $726 |
| 1981 | 90.9 | 10.3% | $909 |
Long periods are sampled every 5 years; the calculator above covers any pair of years.
1981 was the year the inflation fever finally broke, at an extraordinary price. Consumer prices rose 10.3%, the second year of back-to-back double-digit inflation and the last time the U.S. would see one. To end it, Paul Volcker’s Federal Reserve drove its policy rate above 19% and let borrowing costs go where they may: a 30-year mortgage cost more than 18% by autumn, car loans and business credit froze, and homebuilders mailed the Fed two-by-fours in protest. The squeeze tipped the economy into recession in July, the deep 1981–82 downturn that would push unemployment past 10%. But it worked. Inflation fell by nearly half within a year and to under 4% by 1983, the disinflation that defined the following two decades. Even the price of mailing a letter told the year’s story: postage went up twice in eight months.
MLA: “Inflation from 1914 to 1981: $100 is worth $909 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1914-to-1981/
APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 1914 to 1981. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1914-to-1981/
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U annual averages (series CUUR0000SA0; category indexes listed on the data sources page). See how these numbers are calculated.