U.S. inflation · 1918–1980
$100 in 1918 has the same buying power as
$546
in 1980
| Cumulative price change | 445.7% |
|---|---|
| Average inflation rate | 2.77% per year |
| Converted amount ($100 base) | $546 |
| Price difference ($100 base) | $446 |
| CPI in 1918 | 15.1 |
| CPI in 1980 | 82.4 |
| Inflation in 1918 | 17.97% |
| Inflation in 1980 | 13.50% |
| $100 in 1918 → 1980 | $546 |
| $100 in 1980 → 1918 | $18.33 |
Between 1918 and 1980, the Consumer Price Index went from 15.1 to 82.4. Cumulatively, prices increased 445.7%, which works out to an average of 2.77% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 1918 bought what $0.18 buys in 1980.
| Amount in 1918 | Value in 1980 |
|---|---|
| $1.00 | $5.46 |
| $5.00 | $27.28 |
| $10.00 | $54.57 |
| $20.00 | $109 |
| $50.00 | $273 |
| $100 | $546 |
| $500 | $2,728 |
| $1,000 | $5,457 |
| $5,000 | $27,285 |
| $10,000 | $54,570 |
| $100,000 | $545,695 |
| $1,000,000 | $5,456,954 |
The headline number is an average. Individual categories moved very differently over this period. Here is what $100 of 1918 spending costs in 1980, by category:
| Category | Avg. yearly inflation | $100 in 1918 → |
|---|---|---|
| All items (CPI-U) | 2.77% | $546 |
| Food | 2.69% | $520 |
| Apparel | 1.96% | $333 |
Not shown because the BLS began these indexes after 1918: 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 1918 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1918 | 15.1 | 18.0% | $100 |
| 1923 | 17.1 | 1.8% | $113 |
| 1928 | 17.1 | -1.7% | $113 |
| 1933 | 13 | -5.1% | $86.09 |
| 1938 | 14.1 | -2.1% | $93.38 |
| 1943 | 17.3 | 6.1% | $115 |
| 1948 | 24.1 | 8.1% | $160 |
| 1953 | 26.7 | 0.8% | $177 |
| 1958 | 28.9 | 2.8% | $191 |
| 1963 | 30.6 | 1.3% | $203 |
| 1968 | 34.8 | 4.2% | $230 |
| 1973 | 44.4 | 6.2% | $294 |
| 1978 | 65.2 | 7.6% | $432 |
| 1980 | 82.4 | 13.5% | $546 |
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 1918 to 1980: $100 is worth $546 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1918-to-1980/
APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 1918 to 1980. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1918-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.