U.S. inflation · 1919–1981
$100 in 1919 has the same buying power as
$525
in 1981
| Cumulative price change | 425.4% |
|---|---|
| Average inflation rate | 2.71% per year |
| Converted amount ($100 base) | $525 |
| Price difference ($100 base) | $425 |
| CPI in 1919 | 17.3 |
| CPI in 1981 | 90.9 |
| Inflation in 1919 | 14.57% |
| Inflation in 1981 | 10.32% |
| $100 in 1919 → 1981 | $525 |
| $100 in 1981 → 1919 | $19.03 |
Between 1919 and 1981, the Consumer Price Index went from 17.3 to 90.9. Cumulatively, prices increased 425.4%, which works out to an average of 2.71% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 1919 bought what $0.19 buys in 1981.
| Amount in 1919 | Value in 1981 |
|---|---|
| $1.00 | $5.25 |
| $5.00 | $26.27 |
| $10.00 | $52.54 |
| $20.00 | $105 |
| $50.00 | $263 |
| $100 | $525 |
| $500 | $2,627 |
| $1,000 | $5,254 |
| $5,000 | $26,272 |
| $10,000 | $52,543 |
| $100,000 | $525,434 |
| $1,000,000 | $5,254,335 |
The headline number is an average. Individual categories moved very differently over this period. Here is what $100 of 1919 spending costs in 1981, by category:
| Category | Avg. yearly inflation | $100 in 1919 → |
|---|---|---|
| All items (CPI-U) | 2.71% | $525 |
| Food | 2.64% | $503 |
| Apparel | 1.57% | $263 |
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 |
| 1981 | 90.9 | 10.3% | $525 |
Long periods are sampled every 5 years; the calculator above covers any pair of years.
1981 was the year the inflation fever finally broke, at an extraordinary price. Consumer prices rose 10.3%, the second year of back-to-back double-digit inflation and the last time the U.S. would see one. To end it, Paul Volcker’s Federal Reserve drove its policy rate above 19% and let borrowing costs go where they may: a 30-year mortgage cost more than 18% by autumn, car loans and business credit froze, and homebuilders mailed the Fed two-by-fours in protest. The squeeze tipped the economy into recession in July, the deep 1981–82 downturn that would push unemployment past 10%. But it worked. Inflation fell by nearly half within a year and to under 4% by 1983, the disinflation that defined the following two decades. Even the price of mailing a letter told the year’s story: postage went up twice in eight months.
MLA: “Inflation from 1919 to 1981: $100 is worth $525 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1919-to-1981/
APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 1919 to 1981. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1919-to-1981/
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.