What is $100 in 1917 worth in 1920?

$100 in 1917 has the purchasing power of about $156 in 1920, based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U).

What was the average inflation rate between 1917 and 1920?

Prices rose 56.3% in total between 1917 and 1920, an average of 16.04% per year.

How much is $1 in 1917 worth today?

$1 in 1917 is equivalent to about $1.56 in 1920. Equivalently, a 1920 dollar buys what $0.64 bought in 1917.

U.S. inflation · 1917–1920

Value of $100 in 1917, adjusted to 1920

Amount From year To year

$100 in 1917 has the same buying power as

$156

in 1920

Detailed inflation statistics
Cumulative price change	56.3%
Average inflation rate	16.04% per year
Converted amount ($100 base)	$156
Price difference ($100 base)	$56.25
CPI in 1917	12.8
CPI in 1920	20
Inflation in 1917	17.43%
Inflation in 1920	15.61%
$100 in 1917 → 1920	$156
$100 in 1920 → 1917	$64.00

What happened to prices between 1917 and 1920

Between 1917 and 1920, the Consumer Price Index went from 12.8 to 20. Cumulatively, prices increased 56.3%, which works out to an average of 16.04% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 1917 bought what $0.64 buys in 1920.

Common amounts: 1917 dollars in 1920

Amount in 1917	Value in 1920
$1.00	$1.56
$5.00	$7.81
$10.00	$15.63
$20.00	$31.25
$50.00	$78.13
$100	$156
$500	$781
$1,000	$1,563
$5,000	$7,813
$10,000	$15,625
$100,000	$156,250
$1,000,000	$1,562,500

Inflation by spending category, 1917–1920

The headline number is an average. Individual categories moved very differently over this period. Here is what $100 of 1917 spending costs in 1920, by category:

Category	Avg. yearly inflation	$100 in 1917 →
All items (CPI-U)	16.04%	$156
Apparel	28.74%	$213
Food	13.14%	$145

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
1919	17.3	14.6%	$135
1920	20	15.6%	$156

Cite this page

MLA: “Inflation from 1917 to 1920: $100 is worth $156 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1917-to-1920/

APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 1917 to 1920. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1917-to-1920/

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.