InflationCalculator.com

U.S. inflation · 1917–1918

Value of $100 in 1917, adjusted to 1918

$100 in 1917 has the same buying power as

$118

in 1918

$100$109$11819171918$100 · 1917$118 · 1918
Detailed inflation statistics
Cumulative price change18.0%
Average inflation rate17.97% per year
Converted amount ($100 base)$118
Price difference ($100 base)$17.97
CPI in 191712.8
CPI in 191815.1
Inflation in 191717.43%
Inflation in 191817.97%
$100 in 1917 → 1918$118
$100 in 1918 → 1917$84.77

What happened to prices between 1917 and 1918

Between 1917 and 1918, the Consumer Price Index went from 12.8 to 15.1. Cumulatively, prices increased 18.0%, which works out to an average of 17.97% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 1917 bought what $0.85 buys in 1918.

Common amounts: 1917 dollars in 1918

Amount in 1917Value in 1918
$1.00$1.18
$5.00$5.90
$10.00$11.80
$20.00$23.59
$50.00$58.98
$100$118
$500$590
$1,000$1,180
$5,000$5,898
$10,000$11,797
$100,000$117,969
$1,000,000$1,179,688

Inflation by spending category, 1917–1918

The headline number is an average. Individual categories moved very differently over this period. Here is what $100 of 1917 spending costs in 1918, by category:

Category Avg. yearly inflation $100 in 1917 →
All items (CPI-U) 17.97% $118
Apparel 35.15% $135
Food 15.17% $115

Not shown because the BLS began these indexes after 1917: core (all items less food & energy) (1957–), energy (1957–), housing (1967–), medical care (1935–), transportation (1935–), recreation (1993–), education & communication (1993–).

Year by year: CPI and the value of $100 from 1917

Year CPI Inflation rate $100 from 1917
1917 12.8 17.4% $100
1918 15.1 18.0% $118

Cite this page

MLA: “Inflation from 1917 to 1918: $100 is worth $118 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1917-to-1918/

APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 1917 to 1918. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1917-to-1918/

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.