U.S. inflation · 1915–1980
$100 in 1915 has the same buying power as
$816
in 1980
| Cumulative price change | 715.8% |
|---|---|
| Average inflation rate | 3.28% per year |
| Converted amount ($100 base) | $816 |
| Price difference ($100 base) | $716 |
| CPI in 1915 | 10.1 |
| CPI in 1980 | 82.4 |
| Inflation in 1915 | 1.00% |
| Inflation in 1980 | 13.50% |
| $100 in 1915 → 1980 | $816 |
| $100 in 1980 → 1915 | $12.26 |
Between 1915 and 1980, the Consumer Price Index went from 10.1 to 82.4. Cumulatively, prices increased 715.8%, which works out to an average of 3.28% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 1915 bought what $0.12 buys in 1980.
| Amount in 1915 | Value in 1980 |
|---|---|
| $1.00 | $8.16 |
| $5.00 | $40.79 |
| $10.00 | $81.58 |
| $20.00 | $163 |
| $50.00 | $408 |
| $100 | $816 |
| $500 | $4,079 |
| $1,000 | $8,158 |
| $5,000 | $40,792 |
| $10,000 | $81,584 |
| $100,000 | $815,842 |
| $1,000,000 | $8,158,416 |
The headline number is an average. Individual categories moved very differently over this period. Here is what $100 of 1915 spending costs in 1980, by category:
| Category | Avg. yearly inflation | $100 in 1915 → |
|---|---|---|
| All items (CPI-U) | 3.28% | $816 |
| Food | 3.38% | $868 |
| Apparel | 2.78% | $594 |
Not shown because the BLS began these indexes after 1915: 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 1915 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1915 | 10.1 | 1.0% | $100 |
| 1920 | 20 | 15.6% | $198 |
| 1925 | 17.5 | 2.3% | $173 |
| 1930 | 16.7 | -2.3% | $165 |
| 1935 | 13.7 | 2.2% | $136 |
| 1940 | 14 | 0.7% | $139 |
| 1945 | 18 | 2.3% | $178 |
| 1950 | 24.1 | 1.3% | $239 |
| 1955 | 26.8 | -0.4% | $265 |
| 1960 | 29.6 | 1.7% | $293 |
| 1965 | 31.5 | 1.6% | $312 |
| 1970 | 38.8 | 5.7% | $384 |
| 1975 | 53.8 | 9.1% | $533 |
| 1980 | 82.4 | 13.5% | $816 |
Long periods are sampled every 5 years; the calculator above covers any pair of years.
1980 sat at the very peak of the Great Inflation. Prices rose 13.5% in that single year, mortgage rates were climbing toward 16%, and the Federal Reserve under Paul Volcker was administering the painful interest-rate medicine that would finally break the inflationary spiral, at the cost of the deep 1981–82 recession. No single year looms larger in how Americans think about inflation.
MLA: “Inflation from 1915 to 1980: $100 is worth $816 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1915-to-1980/
APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 1915 to 1980. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1915-to-1980/
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.