U.S. inflation · 1919–1980
$100 in 1919 has the same buying power as
$476
in 1980
| Cumulative price change | 376.3% |
|---|---|
| Average inflation rate | 2.59% per year |
| Converted amount ($100 base) | $476 |
| Price difference ($100 base) | $376 |
| CPI in 1919 | 17.3 |
| CPI in 1980 | 82.4 |
| Inflation in 1919 | 14.57% |
| Inflation in 1980 | 13.50% |
| $100 in 1919 → 1980 | $476 |
| $100 in 1980 → 1919 | $21.00 |
Between 1919 and 1980, the Consumer Price Index went from 17.3 to 82.4. Cumulatively, prices increased 376.3%, which works out to an average of 2.59% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 1919 bought what $0.21 buys in 1980.
| Amount in 1919 | Value in 1980 |
|---|---|
| $1.00 | $4.76 |
| $5.00 | $23.82 |
| $10.00 | $47.63 |
| $20.00 | $95.26 |
| $50.00 | $238 |
| $100 | $476 |
| $500 | $2,382 |
| $1,000 | $4,763 |
| $5,000 | $23,815 |
| $10,000 | $47,630 |
| $100,000 | $476,301 |
| $1,000,000 | $4,763,006 |
The headline number is an average. Individual categories moved very differently over this period. Here is what $100 of 1919 spending costs in 1980, by category:
| Category | Avg. yearly inflation | $100 in 1919 → |
|---|---|---|
| All items (CPI-U) | 2.59% | $476 |
| Food | 2.56% | $467 |
| Apparel | 1.52% | $251 |
Not shown because the BLS began these indexes after 1919: 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 1919 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1919 | 17.3 | 14.6% | $100 |
| 1924 | 17.1 | 0.0% | $98.84 |
| 1929 | 17.1 | 0.0% | $98.84 |
| 1934 | 13.4 | 3.1% | $77.46 |
| 1939 | 13.9 | -1.4% | $80.35 |
| 1944 | 17.6 | 1.7% | $102 |
| 1949 | 23.8 | -1.2% | $138 |
| 1954 | 26.9 | 0.7% | $155 |
| 1959 | 29.1 | 0.7% | $168 |
| 1964 | 31 | 1.3% | $179 |
| 1969 | 36.7 | 5.5% | $212 |
| 1974 | 49.3 | 11.0% | $285 |
| 1979 | 72.6 | 11.3% | $420 |
| 1980 | 82.4 | 13.5% | $476 |
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 1919 to 1980: $100 is worth $476 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1919-to-1980/
APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 1919 to 1980. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1919-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.