$100 in 1921 is worth $1,871.40 in August 2026 dollars. Prices are 1,771.4% higher than they were in 1921, an average inflation rate of 2.83% a year over roughly 105 years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index.
Inflation in 1921
The average CPI-U in 1921 was 17.9, down from 20.0 in 1920 — an annual inflation rate of -10.5%.
1921 was a year of deflation: average consumer prices were lower than the year before.
That rate was higher than in 0 of the 112 years from 1914 to 2025, and below the long-run average of 3.16% a year.
Average prices had doubled from their 1921 level by 1969, 48 years later.
Value of $100 from 1921 over time
1921 dollars in today’s dollars
| 1921 dollars | August 2026 dollars |
|---|---|
| $1 | $18.71 |
| $5 | $93.57 |
| $10 | $187.14 |
| $20 | $374.28 |
| $50 | $935.70 |
| $100 | $1,871.40 |
| $500 | $9,356.98 |
| $1,000 | $18,713.97 |
| $5,000 | $93,569.83 |
| $10,000 | $187,139.66 |
| $50,000 | $935,698.32 |
| $100,000 | $1,871,396.65 |
Buying power of $100 from 1921, year by year
| Year | Avg CPI-U | Inflation that year | Equivalent of $100 from 1921 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 | 17.9 | -10.5% | $100.00 |
| 1922 | 16.8 | -6.1% | $93.85 |
| 1923 | 17.1 | 1.8% | $95.53 |
| 1924 | 17.1 | 0.0% | $95.53 |
| 1925 | 17.5 | 2.3% | $97.77 |
| 1926 | 17.7 | 1.1% | $98.88 |
| 1927 | 17.4 | -1.7% | $97.21 |
| 1928 | 17.1 | -1.7% | $95.53 |
| 1929 | 17.1 | 0.0% | $95.53 |
| 1930 | 16.7 | -2.3% | $93.30 |
| 1931 | 15.2 | -9.0% | $84.92 |
| 1932 | 13.7 | -9.9% | $76.54 |
| 1933 | 13.0 | -5.1% | $72.63 |
| 1934 | 13.4 | 3.1% | $74.86 |
| 1935 | 13.7 | 2.2% | $76.54 |
| 1936 | 13.9 | 1.5% | $77.65 |
| 1937 | 14.4 | 3.6% | $80.45 |
| 1938 | 14.1 | -2.1% | $78.77 |
| 1939 | 13.9 | -1.4% | $77.65 |
| 1940 | 14.0 | 0.7% | $78.21 |
| 1941 | 14.7 | 5.0% | $82.12 |
| 1942 | 16.3 | 10.9% | $91.06 |
| 1943 | 17.3 | 6.1% | $96.65 |
| 1944 | 17.6 | 1.7% | $98.32 |
| 1945 | 18.0 | 2.3% | $100.56 |
| 1946 | 19.5 | 8.3% | $108.94 |
| 1947 | 22.3 | 14.4% | $124.58 |
| 1948 | 24.1 | 8.1% | $134.64 |
| 1949 | 23.8 | -1.2% | $132.96 |
| 1950 | 24.1 | 1.3% | $134.64 |
| 1951 | 26.0 | 7.9% | $145.25 |
| 1952 | 26.5 | 1.9% | $148.04 |
| 1953 | 26.7 | 0.8% | $149.16 |
| 1954 | 26.9 | 0.7% | $150.28 |
| 1955 | 26.8 | -0.4% | $149.72 |
| 1956 | 27.2 | 1.5% | $151.96 |
| 1957 | 28.1 | 3.3% | $156.98 |
| 1958 | 28.9 | 2.8% | $161.45 |
| 1959 | 29.1 | 0.7% | $162.57 |
| 1960 | 29.6 | 1.7% | $165.36 |
| 1961 | 29.9 | 1.0% | $167.04 |
| 1962 | 30.2 | 1.0% | $168.72 |
| 1963 | 30.6 | 1.3% | $170.95 |
| 1964 | 31.0 | 1.3% | $173.18 |
| 1965 | 31.5 | 1.6% | $175.98 |
| 1966 | 32.4 | 2.9% | $181.01 |
| 1967 | 33.4 | 3.1% | $186.59 |
| 1968 | 34.8 | 4.2% | $194.41 |
| 1969 | 36.7 | 5.5% | $205.03 |
| 1970 | 38.8 | 5.7% | $216.76 |
| 1971 | 40.5 | 4.4% | $226.26 |
| 1972 | 41.8 | 3.2% | $233.52 |
| 1973 | 44.4 | 6.2% | $248.04 |
| 1974 | 49.3 | 11.0% | $275.42 |
| 1975 | 53.8 | 9.1% | $300.56 |
| 1976 | 56.9 | 5.8% | $317.88 |
| 1977 | 60.6 | 6.5% | $338.55 |
| 1978 | 65.2 | 7.6% | $364.25 |
| 1979 | 72.6 | 11.3% | $405.59 |
| 1980 | 82.4 | 13.5% | $460.34 |
| 1981 | 90.9 | 10.3% | $507.82 |
| 1982 | 96.5 | 6.2% | $539.11 |
| 1983 | 99.6 | 3.2% | $556.42 |
| 1984 | 103.900 | 4.3% | $580.45 |
| 1985 | 107.600 | 3.6% | $601.12 |
| 1986 | 109.600 | 1.9% | $612.29 |
| 1987 | 113.600 | 3.6% | $634.64 |
| 1988 | 118.300 | 4.1% | $660.89 |
| 1989 | 124.000 | 4.8% | $692.74 |
| 1990 | 130.700 | 5.4% | $730.17 |
| 1991 | 136.200 | 4.2% | $760.89 |
| 1992 | 140.300 | 3.0% | $783.80 |
| 1993 | 144.500 | 3.0% | $807.26 |
| 1994 | 148.200 | 2.6% | $827.93 |
| 1995 | 152.400 | 2.8% | $851.40 |
| 1996 | 156.900 | 3.0% | $876.54 |
| 1997 | 160.500 | 2.3% | $896.65 |
| 1998 | 163.000 | 1.6% | $910.61 |
| 1999 | 166.600 | 2.2% | $930.73 |
| 2000 | 172.200 | 3.4% | $962.01 |
| 2001 | 177.100 | 2.8% | $989.39 |
| 2002 | 179.900 | 1.6% | $1,005.03 |
| 2003 | 184.000 | 2.3% | $1,027.93 |
| 2004 | 188.900 | 2.7% | $1,055.31 |
| 2005 | 195.300 | 3.4% | $1,091.06 |
| 2006 | 201.600 | 3.2% | $1,126.26 |
| 2007 | 207.342 | 2.8% | $1,158.34 |
| 2008 | 215.303 | 3.8% | $1,202.81 |
| 2009 | 214.537 | -0.4% | $1,198.53 |
| 2010 | 218.056 | 1.6% | $1,218.19 |
| 2011 | 224.939 | 3.2% | $1,256.64 |
| 2012 | 229.594 | 2.1% | $1,282.65 |
| 2013 | 232.957 | 1.5% | $1,301.44 |
| 2014 | 236.736 | 1.6% | $1,322.55 |
| 2015 | 237.017 | 0.1% | $1,324.12 |
| 2016 | 240.007 | 1.3% | $1,340.82 |
| 2017 | 245.120 | 2.1% | $1,369.39 |
| 2018 | 251.107 | 2.4% | $1,402.83 |
| 2019 | 255.657 | 1.8% | $1,428.25 |
| 2020 | 258.811 | 1.2% | $1,445.87 |
| 2021 | 270.970 | 4.7% | $1,513.80 |
| 2022 | 292.655 | 8.0% | $1,634.94 |
| 2023 | 304.702 | 4.1% | $1,702.25 |
| 2024 | 313.689 | 2.9% | $1,752.45 |
| 2025 | 321.943 | 2.6% | $1,798.56 |
| August 2026 | 334.980 | — | $1,871.40 |
How this is calculated
Value today = amount × (latest CPI-U ÷ 1921 average CPI-U). For $100: 100 × (334.980 ÷ 17.9) = $1,871.40. The average annual rate is the compound rate that turns 1921 prices into today’s over the elapsed time, measured from mid-1921 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 $5.34 in 1921.
Other years
1916 dollars today · 1919 dollars today · 1920 dollars today · 1922 dollars today · 1923 dollars today · 1926 dollars today · 1931 dollars today · Inflation calculator (any two years)
