$100 in 1919 is worth $1,936.30 in August 2026 dollars. Prices are 1,836.3% higher than they were in 1919, an average inflation rate of 2.80% a year over roughly 107 years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index.
Inflation in 1919
The average CPI-U in 1919 was 17.3, up from 15.1 in 1918 — an annual inflation rate of 14.6%.
1919 was a year of double-digit inflation.
That rate was higher than in 108 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 1919 level by 1968, 49 years later.
Value of $100 from 1919 over time
1919 dollars in today’s dollars
| 1919 dollars | August 2026 dollars |
|---|---|
| $1 | $19.36 |
| $5 | $96.82 |
| $10 | $193.63 |
| $20 | $387.26 |
| $50 | $968.15 |
| $100 | $1,936.30 |
| $500 | $9,681.50 |
| $1,000 | $19,363.01 |
| $5,000 | $96,815.03 |
| $10,000 | $193,630.06 |
| $50,000 | $968,150.29 |
| $100,000 | $1,936,300.58 |
Buying power of $100 from 1919, year by year
| Year | Avg CPI-U | Inflation that year | Equivalent of $100 from 1919 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1919 | 17.3 | 14.6% | $100.00 |
| 1920 | 20.0 | 15.6% | $115.61 |
| 1921 | 17.9 | -10.5% | $103.47 |
| 1922 | 16.8 | -6.1% | $97.11 |
| 1923 | 17.1 | 1.8% | $98.84 |
| 1924 | 17.1 | 0.0% | $98.84 |
| 1925 | 17.5 | 2.3% | $101.16 |
| 1926 | 17.7 | 1.1% | $102.31 |
| 1927 | 17.4 | -1.7% | $100.58 |
| 1928 | 17.1 | -1.7% | $98.84 |
| 1929 | 17.1 | 0.0% | $98.84 |
| 1930 | 16.7 | -2.3% | $96.53 |
| 1931 | 15.2 | -9.0% | $87.86 |
| 1932 | 13.7 | -9.9% | $79.19 |
| 1933 | 13.0 | -5.1% | $75.14 |
| 1934 | 13.4 | 3.1% | $77.46 |
| 1935 | 13.7 | 2.2% | $79.19 |
| 1936 | 13.9 | 1.5% | $80.35 |
| 1937 | 14.4 | 3.6% | $83.24 |
| 1938 | 14.1 | -2.1% | $81.50 |
| 1939 | 13.9 | -1.4% | $80.35 |
| 1940 | 14.0 | 0.7% | $80.92 |
| 1941 | 14.7 | 5.0% | $84.97 |
| 1942 | 16.3 | 10.9% | $94.22 |
| 1943 | 17.3 | 6.1% | $100.00 |
| 1944 | 17.6 | 1.7% | $101.73 |
| 1945 | 18.0 | 2.3% | $104.05 |
| 1946 | 19.5 | 8.3% | $112.72 |
| 1947 | 22.3 | 14.4% | $128.90 |
| 1948 | 24.1 | 8.1% | $139.31 |
| 1949 | 23.8 | -1.2% | $137.57 |
| 1950 | 24.1 | 1.3% | $139.31 |
| 1951 | 26.0 | 7.9% | $150.29 |
| 1952 | 26.5 | 1.9% | $153.18 |
| 1953 | 26.7 | 0.8% | $154.34 |
| 1954 | 26.9 | 0.7% | $155.49 |
| 1955 | 26.8 | -0.4% | $154.91 |
| 1956 | 27.2 | 1.5% | $157.23 |
| 1957 | 28.1 | 3.3% | $162.43 |
| 1958 | 28.9 | 2.8% | $167.05 |
| 1959 | 29.1 | 0.7% | $168.21 |
| 1960 | 29.6 | 1.7% | $171.10 |
| 1961 | 29.9 | 1.0% | $172.83 |
| 1962 | 30.2 | 1.0% | $174.57 |
| 1963 | 30.6 | 1.3% | $176.88 |
| 1964 | 31.0 | 1.3% | $179.19 |
| 1965 | 31.5 | 1.6% | $182.08 |
| 1966 | 32.4 | 2.9% | $187.28 |
| 1967 | 33.4 | 3.1% | $193.06 |
| 1968 | 34.8 | 4.2% | $201.16 |
| 1969 | 36.7 | 5.5% | $212.14 |
| 1970 | 38.8 | 5.7% | $224.28 |
| 1971 | 40.5 | 4.4% | $234.10 |
| 1972 | 41.8 | 3.2% | $241.62 |
| 1973 | 44.4 | 6.2% | $256.65 |
| 1974 | 49.3 | 11.0% | $284.97 |
| 1975 | 53.8 | 9.1% | $310.98 |
| 1976 | 56.9 | 5.8% | $328.90 |
| 1977 | 60.6 | 6.5% | $350.29 |
| 1978 | 65.2 | 7.6% | $376.88 |
| 1979 | 72.6 | 11.3% | $419.65 |
| 1980 | 82.4 | 13.5% | $476.30 |
| 1981 | 90.9 | 10.3% | $525.43 |
| 1982 | 96.5 | 6.2% | $557.80 |
| 1983 | 99.6 | 3.2% | $575.72 |
| 1984 | 103.900 | 4.3% | $600.58 |
| 1985 | 107.600 | 3.6% | $621.97 |
| 1986 | 109.600 | 1.9% | $633.53 |
| 1987 | 113.600 | 3.6% | $656.65 |
| 1988 | 118.300 | 4.1% | $683.82 |
| 1989 | 124.000 | 4.8% | $716.76 |
| 1990 | 130.700 | 5.4% | $755.49 |
| 1991 | 136.200 | 4.2% | $787.28 |
| 1992 | 140.300 | 3.0% | $810.98 |
| 1993 | 144.500 | 3.0% | $835.26 |
| 1994 | 148.200 | 2.6% | $856.65 |
| 1995 | 152.400 | 2.8% | $880.92 |
| 1996 | 156.900 | 3.0% | $906.94 |
| 1997 | 160.500 | 2.3% | $927.75 |
| 1998 | 163.000 | 1.6% | $942.20 |
| 1999 | 166.600 | 2.2% | $963.01 |
| 2000 | 172.200 | 3.4% | $995.38 |
| 2001 | 177.100 | 2.8% | $1,023.70 |
| 2002 | 179.900 | 1.6% | $1,039.88 |
| 2003 | 184.000 | 2.3% | $1,063.58 |
| 2004 | 188.900 | 2.7% | $1,091.91 |
| 2005 | 195.300 | 3.4% | $1,128.90 |
| 2006 | 201.600 | 3.2% | $1,165.32 |
| 2007 | 207.342 | 2.8% | $1,198.51 |
| 2008 | 215.303 | 3.8% | $1,244.53 |
| 2009 | 214.537 | -0.4% | $1,240.10 |
| 2010 | 218.056 | 1.6% | $1,260.44 |
| 2011 | 224.939 | 3.2% | $1,300.23 |
| 2012 | 229.594 | 2.1% | $1,327.13 |
| 2013 | 232.957 | 1.5% | $1,346.57 |
| 2014 | 236.736 | 1.6% | $1,368.42 |
| 2015 | 237.017 | 0.1% | $1,370.04 |
| 2016 | 240.007 | 1.3% | $1,387.32 |
| 2017 | 245.120 | 2.1% | $1,416.88 |
| 2018 | 251.107 | 2.4% | $1,451.49 |
| 2019 | 255.657 | 1.8% | $1,477.79 |
| 2020 | 258.811 | 1.2% | $1,496.02 |
| 2021 | 270.970 | 4.7% | $1,566.30 |
| 2022 | 292.655 | 8.0% | $1,691.65 |
| 2023 | 304.702 | 4.1% | $1,761.28 |
| 2024 | 313.689 | 2.9% | $1,813.23 |
| 2025 | 321.943 | 2.6% | $1,860.94 |
| August 2026 | 334.980 | — | $1,936.30 |
How this is calculated
Value today = amount × (latest CPI-U ÷ 1919 average CPI-U). For $100: 100 × (334.980 ÷ 17.3) = $1,936.30. The average annual rate is the compound rate that turns 1919 prices into today’s over the elapsed time, measured from mid-1919 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 $5.16 in 1919.
Other years
1914 dollars today · 1917 dollars today · 1918 dollars today · 1920 dollars today · 1921 dollars today · 1924 dollars today · 1929 dollars today · Inflation calculator (any two years)
