$100 in 1922 is worth $1,387 in 2013,
because prices increased 1286.6% over that period, an average of
2.93% a year.
$100 in 1922 has
the same buying power as
$1,387
in 2013
Detailed inflation statistics
Cumulative price change
1286.6%
Average inflation rate
2.93% per year
Converted amount ($100 base)
$1,387
Price difference ($100 base)
$1,287
CPI in 1922
16.8
CPI in 2013
232.957
Inflation in 1922
-6.15%
Inflation in 2013
1.46%
$100 in 1922 → 2013
$1,387
$100 in 2013 → 1922
$7.21
What happened to prices between 1922 and 2013
Between 1922 and 2013, the Consumer Price Index went from 16.8 to 232.957.
Cumulatively, prices increased 1286.6%, which works out to an average of
2.93% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 1922 bought what
$0.07 buys in 2013: the 1922 dollar
lost 92.8% of its purchasing power over
these 91 years.
Consumer prices fell another 6.1% in 1922, the second straight year of
decline, even as the broader economy climbed out of the Depression of
1920-21 and industrial production rebounded. The CPI had now given back
roughly a third of its wartime runup, though it stayed well above the
1913 baseline. Congress moved to shield that recovery from
foreign competition: the Fordney-McCumber Tariff Act, signed September 21,
raised duties on hundreds of imported goods to some of the highest levels in
U.S. history, a policy meant to protect farmers and manufacturers still
adjusting to postwar prices. Labor tension flared even as prices fell.
Roughly half a million bituminous coal miners struck that April over wage
cuts employers had imposed as prices dropped, and hundreds of thousands of
railroad shop workers walked out in July in a separate dispute over pay and
work rules, together the largest strike wave since 1919. Both disputes
dragged on for months and drew federal mediation before ending without full
concessions for the workers. First-class postage remained at 2 cents.
Every 1922 amount converts to 2013 at the same ratio, 13.87: $1,000 becomes
$13,866, and $10,000 becomes $138,665.
Amount in 1922
Value in 2013
$1.00
$13.87
$5.00
$69.33
$10.00
$139
$20.00
$277
$50.00
$693
$100
$1,387
$500
$6,933
$1,000
$13,866
$5,000
$69,332
$10,000
$138,665
$100,000
$1,386,649
$1,000,000
$13,866,488
Inflation by spending category, 1922–2013
Between 1922 and 2013, food rose the most, up 1490.9%, while apparel rose the least, up 371.9%, against 1286.6% for all items. The headline number is an average; here is what $100 of 1922
spending costs in 2013, by category:
Category
Avg. yearly inflation
$100 in 1922 →
All items (CPI-U)
2.93%
$1,387
Food
3.09%
$1,591
Apparel
1.72%
$472
Not shown because the BLS began these indexes after 1922: core (all items less food & energy) (1957–), energy (1957–), housing (1967–), medical care (1935–), transportation (1935–), recreation (1993–), education & communication (1993–).
Decade by decade: 1922 to 2013
Prices climbed fastest in the 1970s, averaging 7.82% a year, and fell in the 1930s (1.7% a year). Each step below chains into the full 1922–2013 change:
Years
Avg. yearly inflation
Price change
$100 from 1922, at end
1922–1930
-0.07%
-0.6%
$99.40
1930–1940
-1.75%
-16.2%
$83.33
1940–1950
5.58%
72.1%
$143
1950–1960
2.08%
22.8%
$176
1960–1970
2.74%
31.1%
$231
1970–1980
7.82%
112.4%
$490
1980–1990
4.72%
58.6%
$778
1990–2000
2.80%
31.8%
$1,025
2000–2010
2.39%
26.6%
$1,298
2010–2013
2.23%
6.8%
$1,387
Year by year: CPI and the value of $100 from 1922
$100 from 1922 had already become $199 by
1967, on its way to $1,387 in 2013; each row shows the CPI, that
year's inflation rate, and the running value.
Within the span, inflation peaked at 14.4% in 1947, and prices fell 9.9% in 1932, the deepest deflation of the period.
Long periods are sampled every 5 years; the calculator above covers any pair of years.
The destination year: 2013
In 2013, prices rose 1.5% and $100 from 1922 had the buying
power of $1,387; the year's average CPI of 232.957 is the level
behind every 2013 figure on this page.
2013 was a low-inflation year with a lot of noise around the Federal Reserve.
Consumer prices rose 1.5%, below the Fed’s 2% target, and gasoline eased to an
average of $3.51 a gallon. Housing was the exception: the median new home sold
for about $268,900, up sharply from $245,200 in 2012, as the market recovered
from its post-crisis bottom.
The Fed dominated the news. Chairman Ben Bernanke’s May comments about slowing
bond purchases pushed long-term interest rates up by roughly a percentage
point that summer, and mortgages became more expensive within weeks. In
December the Fed finally announced a first small cut to its purchases while
promising to keep short-term rates near zero for a long time.
Washington added its own disruption. A 16-day government shutdown in October
delayed data releases and left a hole in that month’s CPI collection. Median
household income was reported at $53,585, the federal minimum wage stayed at
$7.25, and a first-class stamp cost 46 cents. The decade’s pattern was taking
shape: slow price growth, ultra-low interest rates, and a labor market that
improved gradually.
MLA: “Inflation from 1922 to 2013: $100 is worth $1,387 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1922-to-2013/
APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 1922 to 2013. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1922-to-2013/