$100 in 1918 is worth $2,218.41 in August 2026 dollars. Prices are 2,118.4% higher than they were in 1918, an average inflation rate of 2.91% a year over roughly 108 years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index.
Inflation in 1918
The average CPI-U in 1918 was 15.1, up from 12.8 in 1917 — an annual inflation rate of 18.0%.
1918 was a year of double-digit inflation.
That rate was higher than in 111 of the 112 years from 1914 to 2025, and above the long-run average of 3.16% a year.
Average prices had doubled from their 1918 level by 1962, 44 years later.
Value of $100 from 1918 over time
1918 dollars in today’s dollars
| 1918 dollars | August 2026 dollars |
|---|---|
| $1 | $22.18 |
| $5 | $110.92 |
| $10 | $221.84 |
| $20 | $443.68 |
| $50 | $1,109.21 |
| $100 | $2,218.41 |
| $500 | $11,092.05 |
| $1,000 | $22,184.11 |
| $5,000 | $110,920.53 |
| $10,000 | $221,841.06 |
| $50,000 | $1,109,205.30 |
| $100,000 | $2,218,410.60 |
Buying power of $100 from 1918, year by year
| Year | Avg CPI-U | Inflation that year | Equivalent of $100 from 1918 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1918 | 15.1 | 18.0% | $100.00 |
| 1919 | 17.3 | 14.6% | $114.57 |
| 1920 | 20.0 | 15.6% | $132.45 |
| 1921 | 17.9 | -10.5% | $118.54 |
| 1922 | 16.8 | -6.1% | $111.26 |
| 1923 | 17.1 | 1.8% | $113.25 |
| 1924 | 17.1 | 0.0% | $113.25 |
| 1925 | 17.5 | 2.3% | $115.89 |
| 1926 | 17.7 | 1.1% | $117.22 |
| 1927 | 17.4 | -1.7% | $115.23 |
| 1928 | 17.1 | -1.7% | $113.25 |
| 1929 | 17.1 | 0.0% | $113.25 |
| 1930 | 16.7 | -2.3% | $110.60 |
| 1931 | 15.2 | -9.0% | $100.66 |
| 1932 | 13.7 | -9.9% | $90.73 |
| 1933 | 13.0 | -5.1% | $86.09 |
| 1934 | 13.4 | 3.1% | $88.74 |
| 1935 | 13.7 | 2.2% | $90.73 |
| 1936 | 13.9 | 1.5% | $92.05 |
| 1937 | 14.4 | 3.6% | $95.36 |
| 1938 | 14.1 | -2.1% | $93.38 |
| 1939 | 13.9 | -1.4% | $92.05 |
| 1940 | 14.0 | 0.7% | $92.72 |
| 1941 | 14.7 | 5.0% | $97.35 |
| 1942 | 16.3 | 10.9% | $107.95 |
| 1943 | 17.3 | 6.1% | $114.57 |
| 1944 | 17.6 | 1.7% | $116.56 |
| 1945 | 18.0 | 2.3% | $119.21 |
| 1946 | 19.5 | 8.3% | $129.14 |
| 1947 | 22.3 | 14.4% | $147.68 |
| 1948 | 24.1 | 8.1% | $159.60 |
| 1949 | 23.8 | -1.2% | $157.62 |
| 1950 | 24.1 | 1.3% | $159.60 |
| 1951 | 26.0 | 7.9% | $172.19 |
| 1952 | 26.5 | 1.9% | $175.50 |
| 1953 | 26.7 | 0.8% | $176.82 |
| 1954 | 26.9 | 0.7% | $178.15 |
| 1955 | 26.8 | -0.4% | $177.48 |
| 1956 | 27.2 | 1.5% | $180.13 |
| 1957 | 28.1 | 3.3% | $186.09 |
| 1958 | 28.9 | 2.8% | $191.39 |
| 1959 | 29.1 | 0.7% | $192.72 |
| 1960 | 29.6 | 1.7% | $196.03 |
| 1961 | 29.9 | 1.0% | $198.01 |
| 1962 | 30.2 | 1.0% | $200.00 |
| 1963 | 30.6 | 1.3% | $202.65 |
| 1964 | 31.0 | 1.3% | $205.30 |
| 1965 | 31.5 | 1.6% | $208.61 |
| 1966 | 32.4 | 2.9% | $214.57 |
| 1967 | 33.4 | 3.1% | $221.19 |
| 1968 | 34.8 | 4.2% | $230.46 |
| 1969 | 36.7 | 5.5% | $243.05 |
| 1970 | 38.8 | 5.7% | $256.95 |
| 1971 | 40.5 | 4.4% | $268.21 |
| 1972 | 41.8 | 3.2% | $276.82 |
| 1973 | 44.4 | 6.2% | $294.04 |
| 1974 | 49.3 | 11.0% | $326.49 |
| 1975 | 53.8 | 9.1% | $356.29 |
| 1976 | 56.9 | 5.8% | $376.82 |
| 1977 | 60.6 | 6.5% | $401.32 |
| 1978 | 65.2 | 7.6% | $431.79 |
| 1979 | 72.6 | 11.3% | $480.79 |
| 1980 | 82.4 | 13.5% | $545.70 |
| 1981 | 90.9 | 10.3% | $601.99 |
| 1982 | 96.5 | 6.2% | $639.07 |
| 1983 | 99.6 | 3.2% | $659.60 |
| 1984 | 103.900 | 4.3% | $688.08 |
| 1985 | 107.600 | 3.6% | $712.58 |
| 1986 | 109.600 | 1.9% | $725.83 |
| 1987 | 113.600 | 3.6% | $752.32 |
| 1988 | 118.300 | 4.1% | $783.44 |
| 1989 | 124.000 | 4.8% | $821.19 |
| 1990 | 130.700 | 5.4% | $865.56 |
| 1991 | 136.200 | 4.2% | $901.99 |
| 1992 | 140.300 | 3.0% | $929.14 |
| 1993 | 144.500 | 3.0% | $956.95 |
| 1994 | 148.200 | 2.6% | $981.46 |
| 1995 | 152.400 | 2.8% | $1,009.27 |
| 1996 | 156.900 | 3.0% | $1,039.07 |
| 1997 | 160.500 | 2.3% | $1,062.91 |
| 1998 | 163.000 | 1.6% | $1,079.47 |
| 1999 | 166.600 | 2.2% | $1,103.31 |
| 2000 | 172.200 | 3.4% | $1,140.40 |
| 2001 | 177.100 | 2.8% | $1,172.85 |
| 2002 | 179.900 | 1.6% | $1,191.39 |
| 2003 | 184.000 | 2.3% | $1,218.54 |
| 2004 | 188.900 | 2.7% | $1,250.99 |
| 2005 | 195.300 | 3.4% | $1,293.38 |
| 2006 | 201.600 | 3.2% | $1,335.10 |
| 2007 | 207.342 | 2.8% | $1,373.13 |
| 2008 | 215.303 | 3.8% | $1,425.85 |
| 2009 | 214.537 | -0.4% | $1,420.77 |
| 2010 | 218.056 | 1.6% | $1,444.08 |
| 2011 | 224.939 | 3.2% | $1,489.66 |
| 2012 | 229.594 | 2.1% | $1,520.49 |
| 2013 | 232.957 | 1.5% | $1,542.76 |
| 2014 | 236.736 | 1.6% | $1,567.79 |
| 2015 | 237.017 | 0.1% | $1,569.65 |
| 2016 | 240.007 | 1.3% | $1,589.45 |
| 2017 | 245.120 | 2.1% | $1,623.31 |
| 2018 | 251.107 | 2.4% | $1,662.96 |
| 2019 | 255.657 | 1.8% | $1,693.09 |
| 2020 | 258.811 | 1.2% | $1,713.98 |
| 2021 | 270.970 | 4.7% | $1,794.50 |
| 2022 | 292.655 | 8.0% | $1,938.11 |
| 2023 | 304.702 | 4.1% | $2,017.89 |
| 2024 | 313.689 | 2.9% | $2,077.41 |
| 2025 | 321.943 | 2.6% | $2,132.07 |
| August 2026 | 334.980 | — | $2,218.41 |
How this is calculated
Value today = amount × (latest CPI-U ÷ 1918 average CPI-U). For $100: 100 × (334.980 ÷ 15.1) = $2,218.41. The average annual rate is the compound rate that turns 1918 prices into today’s over the elapsed time, measured from mid-1918 because an annual average describes the middle of the year. CPI-U tracks a broad basket of urban consumer spending; the prices of specific items such as housing, tuition or food have moved by different amounts.
Reverse: $100.00 today had the same buying power as $4.51 in 1918.
Other years
1913 dollars today · 1916 dollars today · 1917 dollars today · 1919 dollars today · 1920 dollars today · 1923 dollars today · 1928 dollars today · Inflation calculator (any two years)
