U.S. inflation · 1917–1980
$100 in 1917 has the same buying power as
$644
in 1980
| Cumulative price change | 543.8% |
|---|---|
| Average inflation rate | 3.00% per year |
| Converted amount ($100 base) | $644 |
| Price difference ($100 base) | $544 |
| CPI in 1917 | 12.8 |
| CPI in 1980 | 82.4 |
| Inflation in 1917 | 17.43% |
| Inflation in 1980 | 13.50% |
| $100 in 1917 → 1980 | $644 |
| $100 in 1980 → 1917 | $15.53 |
Between 1917 and 1980, the Consumer Price Index went from 12.8 to 82.4. Cumulatively, prices increased 543.8%, which works out to an average of 3.00% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 1917 bought what $0.16 buys in 1980.
| Amount in 1917 | Value in 1980 |
|---|---|
| $1.00 | $6.44 |
| $5.00 | $32.19 |
| $10.00 | $64.38 |
| $20.00 | $129 |
| $50.00 | $322 |
| $100 | $644 |
| $500 | $3,219 |
| $1,000 | $6,438 |
| $5,000 | $32,188 |
| $10,000 | $64,375 |
| $100,000 | $643,750 |
| $1,000,000 | $6,437,500 |
The headline number is an average. Individual categories moved very differently over this period. Here is what $100 of 1917 spending costs in 1980, by category:
| Category | Avg. yearly inflation | $100 in 1917 → |
|---|---|---|
| All items (CPI-U) | 3.00% | $644 |
| Food | 2.88% | $599 |
| Apparel | 2.42% | $450 |
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 | CPI | Inflation rate | $100 from 1917 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1917 | 12.8 | 17.4% | $100 |
| 1922 | 16.8 | -6.1% | $131 |
| 1927 | 17.4 | -1.7% | $136 |
| 1932 | 13.7 | -9.9% | $107 |
| 1937 | 14.4 | 3.6% | $113 |
| 1942 | 16.3 | 10.9% | $127 |
| 1947 | 22.3 | 14.4% | $174 |
| 1952 | 26.5 | 1.9% | $207 |
| 1957 | 28.1 | 3.3% | $220 |
| 1962 | 30.2 | 1.0% | $236 |
| 1967 | 33.4 | 3.1% | $261 |
| 1972 | 41.8 | 3.2% | $327 |
| 1977 | 60.6 | 6.5% | $473 |
| 1980 | 82.4 | 13.5% | $644 |
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 1917 to 1980: $100 is worth $644 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1917-to-1980/
APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 1917 to 1980. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1917-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.