$100 in 1917 is worth $2,617.03 in August 2026 dollars. Prices are 2,517.0% higher than they were in 1917, an average inflation rate of 3.04% a year over roughly 109 years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index.
Inflation in 1917
The average CPI-U in 1917 was 12.8, up from 10.9 in 1916 — an annual inflation rate of 17.4%.
1917 was a year of double-digit inflation.
That rate was higher than in 110 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 1917 level by 1951, 34 years later.
Value of $100 from 1917 over time
1917 dollars in today’s dollars
| 1917 dollars | August 2026 dollars |
|---|---|
| $1 | $26.17 |
| $5 | $130.85 |
| $10 | $261.70 |
| $20 | $523.41 |
| $50 | $1,308.52 |
| $100 | $2,617.03 |
| $500 | $13,085.16 |
| $1,000 | $26,170.31 |
| $5,000 | $130,851.56 |
| $10,000 | $261,703.13 |
| $50,000 | $1,308,515.63 |
| $100,000 | $2,617,031.25 |
Buying power of $100 from 1917, year by year
| Year | Avg CPI-U | Inflation that year | Equivalent of $100 from 1917 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1917 | 12.8 | 17.4% | $100.00 |
| 1918 | 15.1 | 18.0% | $117.97 |
| 1919 | 17.3 | 14.6% | $135.16 |
| 1920 | 20.0 | 15.6% | $156.25 |
| 1921 | 17.9 | -10.5% | $139.84 |
| 1922 | 16.8 | -6.1% | $131.25 |
| 1923 | 17.1 | 1.8% | $133.59 |
| 1924 | 17.1 | 0.0% | $133.59 |
| 1925 | 17.5 | 2.3% | $136.72 |
| 1926 | 17.7 | 1.1% | $138.28 |
| 1927 | 17.4 | -1.7% | $135.94 |
| 1928 | 17.1 | -1.7% | $133.59 |
| 1929 | 17.1 | 0.0% | $133.59 |
| 1930 | 16.7 | -2.3% | $130.47 |
| 1931 | 15.2 | -9.0% | $118.75 |
| 1932 | 13.7 | -9.9% | $107.03 |
| 1933 | 13.0 | -5.1% | $101.56 |
| 1934 | 13.4 | 3.1% | $104.69 |
| 1935 | 13.7 | 2.2% | $107.03 |
| 1936 | 13.9 | 1.5% | $108.59 |
| 1937 | 14.4 | 3.6% | $112.50 |
| 1938 | 14.1 | -2.1% | $110.16 |
| 1939 | 13.9 | -1.4% | $108.59 |
| 1940 | 14.0 | 0.7% | $109.38 |
| 1941 | 14.7 | 5.0% | $114.84 |
| 1942 | 16.3 | 10.9% | $127.34 |
| 1943 | 17.3 | 6.1% | $135.16 |
| 1944 | 17.6 | 1.7% | $137.50 |
| 1945 | 18.0 | 2.3% | $140.63 |
| 1946 | 19.5 | 8.3% | $152.34 |
| 1947 | 22.3 | 14.4% | $174.22 |
| 1948 | 24.1 | 8.1% | $188.28 |
| 1949 | 23.8 | -1.2% | $185.94 |
| 1950 | 24.1 | 1.3% | $188.28 |
| 1951 | 26.0 | 7.9% | $203.13 |
| 1952 | 26.5 | 1.9% | $207.03 |
| 1953 | 26.7 | 0.8% | $208.59 |
| 1954 | 26.9 | 0.7% | $210.16 |
| 1955 | 26.8 | -0.4% | $209.38 |
| 1956 | 27.2 | 1.5% | $212.50 |
| 1957 | 28.1 | 3.3% | $219.53 |
| 1958 | 28.9 | 2.8% | $225.78 |
| 1959 | 29.1 | 0.7% | $227.34 |
| 1960 | 29.6 | 1.7% | $231.25 |
| 1961 | 29.9 | 1.0% | $233.59 |
| 1962 | 30.2 | 1.0% | $235.94 |
| 1963 | 30.6 | 1.3% | $239.06 |
| 1964 | 31.0 | 1.3% | $242.19 |
| 1965 | 31.5 | 1.6% | $246.09 |
| 1966 | 32.4 | 2.9% | $253.13 |
| 1967 | 33.4 | 3.1% | $260.94 |
| 1968 | 34.8 | 4.2% | $271.88 |
| 1969 | 36.7 | 5.5% | $286.72 |
| 1970 | 38.8 | 5.7% | $303.13 |
| 1971 | 40.5 | 4.4% | $316.41 |
| 1972 | 41.8 | 3.2% | $326.56 |
| 1973 | 44.4 | 6.2% | $346.88 |
| 1974 | 49.3 | 11.0% | $385.16 |
| 1975 | 53.8 | 9.1% | $420.31 |
| 1976 | 56.9 | 5.8% | $444.53 |
| 1977 | 60.6 | 6.5% | $473.44 |
| 1978 | 65.2 | 7.6% | $509.38 |
| 1979 | 72.6 | 11.3% | $567.19 |
| 1980 | 82.4 | 13.5% | $643.75 |
| 1981 | 90.9 | 10.3% | $710.16 |
| 1982 | 96.5 | 6.2% | $753.91 |
| 1983 | 99.6 | 3.2% | $778.13 |
| 1984 | 103.900 | 4.3% | $811.72 |
| 1985 | 107.600 | 3.6% | $840.63 |
| 1986 | 109.600 | 1.9% | $856.25 |
| 1987 | 113.600 | 3.6% | $887.50 |
| 1988 | 118.300 | 4.1% | $924.22 |
| 1989 | 124.000 | 4.8% | $968.75 |
| 1990 | 130.700 | 5.4% | $1,021.09 |
| 1991 | 136.200 | 4.2% | $1,064.06 |
| 1992 | 140.300 | 3.0% | $1,096.09 |
| 1993 | 144.500 | 3.0% | $1,128.91 |
| 1994 | 148.200 | 2.6% | $1,157.81 |
| 1995 | 152.400 | 2.8% | $1,190.63 |
| 1996 | 156.900 | 3.0% | $1,225.78 |
| 1997 | 160.500 | 2.3% | $1,253.91 |
| 1998 | 163.000 | 1.6% | $1,273.44 |
| 1999 | 166.600 | 2.2% | $1,301.56 |
| 2000 | 172.200 | 3.4% | $1,345.31 |
| 2001 | 177.100 | 2.8% | $1,383.59 |
| 2002 | 179.900 | 1.6% | $1,405.47 |
| 2003 | 184.000 | 2.3% | $1,437.50 |
| 2004 | 188.900 | 2.7% | $1,475.78 |
| 2005 | 195.300 | 3.4% | $1,525.78 |
| 2006 | 201.600 | 3.2% | $1,575.00 |
| 2007 | 207.342 | 2.8% | $1,619.86 |
| 2008 | 215.303 | 3.8% | $1,682.05 |
| 2009 | 214.537 | -0.4% | $1,676.07 |
| 2010 | 218.056 | 1.6% | $1,703.56 |
| 2011 | 224.939 | 3.2% | $1,757.34 |
| 2012 | 229.594 | 2.1% | $1,793.70 |
| 2013 | 232.957 | 1.5% | $1,819.98 |
| 2014 | 236.736 | 1.6% | $1,849.50 |
| 2015 | 237.017 | 0.1% | $1,851.70 |
| 2016 | 240.007 | 1.3% | $1,875.05 |
| 2017 | 245.120 | 2.1% | $1,915.00 |
| 2018 | 251.107 | 2.4% | $1,961.77 |
| 2019 | 255.657 | 1.8% | $1,997.32 |
| 2020 | 258.811 | 1.2% | $2,021.96 |
| 2021 | 270.970 | 4.7% | $2,116.95 |
| 2022 | 292.655 | 8.0% | $2,286.37 |
| 2023 | 304.702 | 4.1% | $2,380.48 |
| 2024 | 313.689 | 2.9% | $2,450.70 |
| 2025 | 321.943 | 2.6% | $2,515.18 |
| August 2026 | 334.980 | — | $2,617.03 |
How this is calculated
Value today = amount × (latest CPI-U ÷ 1917 average CPI-U). For $100: 100 × (334.980 ÷ 12.8) = $2,617.03. The average annual rate is the compound rate that turns 1917 prices into today’s over the elapsed time, measured from mid-1917 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 $3.82 in 1917.
Other years
1915 dollars today · 1916 dollars today · 1918 dollars today · 1919 dollars today · 1922 dollars today · 1927 dollars today · Inflation calculator (any two years)
