Inflation Calculator
U.S. Inflation Rate, $3,700 in 1914 to 2018
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index, the dollar experienced an average inflation rate of 3.15% per year. Prices in 2018 are 2,419.89% higher than prices in 1914.
In other words, $3,700 in 1914 is equivalent in purchasing power to $93,235.93 in 2018, a difference of $89,535.93 over 104 years.
The current inflation rate is now 2.87%1. If this number holds, $3,700 today will be equivalent to $3,806.25 next year. The current inflation rate page gives more detail on the latest official inflation rates.
| Cumulative price change | 2419.89% |
| Average inflation rate | 3.15% |
| Converted amount ($3,700 base) | $93,235.93 |
| Price difference ($3,700 base) | $89,535.93 |
| CPI in 1914 | 10 |
| CPI in 2018 | 251.989 |
CPI is the weighted combination of many categories. This chart shows the average rate of inflation for select CPI categories between 1914 and 2018.
Compare these values to the overall average of 3.15% per year:
| Category | Avg Inflation (%) | $3,700 in 1914 → 2018 |
|---|---|---|
| Food | 3.14 | 92,102.69 |
| Shelter | 4.09 | 240,253.80 |
| Energy | 3.88 | 194,038.40 |
| Apparel | 2.07 | 31,267.71 |
| New vehicles | 1.05 | 11,008.06 |
| Used cars and trucks | 0.61 | 6,993.47 |
| Transportation services | 3.35 | 113,322.14 |
| Medical care services | 5.11 | 656,943.19 |
| Medical care commodities | 4.29 | 291,825.59 |
It's important to note that not all categories may be tracked since 1914. This table and visualization use the earliest available data for each category.
How to calculate the inflation rate for $3,700 since 1914
This inflation calculator uses the following inflation rate formula:
CPI in 2018 / CPI in 1914 * 1914 USD value = 2018 USD value
Then plug in historical CPI values. The U.S. CPI was 10 in the year 1914 and 251.989 in 2018:
251.989 / 10 * $3,700 = $93,235.93
$3,700 in 1914 has the same "purchasing power" or "buying power" as $93,235.93 in 2018.
Buying power of $3,700 since 1914
This chart shows calculations of buying power equivalence over time for $3,700 in 1914 (price index tracking began in 1913).
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, each of these USD amounts below is equal in terms of what it could buy at the time:
| Year | USD Value | Inflation Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1914 | $3,700.00 | 1.01% |
| 1915 | $3,737.00 | 1.00% |
| 1916 | $4,033.00 | 7.92% |
| 1917 | $4,736.00 | 17.43% |
| 1918 | $5,587.00 | 17.97% |
| 1919 | $6,401.00 | 14.57% |
| 1920 | $7,400.00 | 15.61% |
| 1921 | $6,623.00 | -10.50% |
| 1922 | $6,216.00 | -6.15% |
| 1923 | $6,327.00 | 1.79% |
| 1924 | $6,327.00 | 0.00% |
| 1925 | $6,475.00 | 2.34% |
| 1926 | $6,549.00 | 1.14% |
| 1927 | $6,438.00 | -1.69% |
| 1928 | $6,327.00 | -1.72% |
| 1929 | $6,327.00 | 0.00% |
| 1930 | $6,179.00 | -2.34% |
| 1931 | $5,624.00 | -8.98% |
| 1932 | $5,069.00 | -9.87% |
| 1933 | $4,810.00 | -5.11% |
| 1934 | $4,958.00 | 3.08% |
| 1935 | $5,069.00 | 2.24% |
| 1936 | $5,143.00 | 1.46% |
| 1937 | $5,328.00 | 3.60% |
| 1938 | $5,217.00 | -2.08% |
| 1939 | $5,143.00 | -1.42% |
| 1940 | $5,180.00 | 0.72% |
| 1941 | $5,439.00 | 5.00% |
| 1942 | $6,031.00 | 10.88% |
| 1943 | $6,401.00 | 6.13% |
| 1944 | $6,512.00 | 1.73% |
| 1945 | $6,660.00 | 2.27% |
| 1946 | $7,215.00 | 8.33% |
| 1947 | $8,251.00 | 14.36% |
| 1948 | $8,917.00 | 8.07% |
| 1949 | $8,806.00 | -1.24% |
| 1950 | $8,917.00 | 1.26% |
| 1951 | $9,620.00 | 7.88% |
| 1952 | $9,805.00 | 1.92% |
| 1953 | $9,879.00 | 0.75% |
| 1954 | $9,953.00 | 0.75% |
| 1955 | $9,916.00 | -0.37% |
| 1956 | $10,064.00 | 1.49% |
| 1957 | $10,397.00 | 3.31% |
| 1958 | $10,693.00 | 2.85% |
| 1959 | $10,767.00 | 0.69% |
| 1960 | $10,952.00 | 1.72% |
| 1961 | $11,063.00 | 1.01% |
| 1962 | $11,174.00 | 1.00% |
| 1963 | $11,322.00 | 1.32% |
| 1964 | $11,470.00 | 1.31% |
| 1965 | $11,655.00 | 1.61% |
| 1966 | $11,988.00 | 2.86% |
| 1967 | $12,358.00 | 3.09% |
| 1968 | $12,876.00 | 4.19% |
| 1969 | $13,579.00 | 5.46% |
| 1970 | $14,356.00 | 5.72% |
| 1971 | $14,985.00 | 4.38% |
| 1972 | $15,466.00 | 3.21% |
| 1973 | $16,428.00 | 6.22% |
| 1974 | $18,241.00 | 11.04% |
| 1975 | $19,906.00 | 9.13% |
| 1976 | $21,053.00 | 5.76% |
| 1977 | $22,422.00 | 6.50% |
| 1978 | $24,124.00 | 7.59% |
| 1979 | $26,862.00 | 11.35% |
| 1980 | $30,488.00 | 13.50% |
| 1981 | $33,633.00 | 10.32% |
| 1982 | $35,705.00 | 6.16% |
| 1983 | $36,852.00 | 3.21% |
| 1984 | $38,443.00 | 4.32% |
| 1985 | $39,812.00 | 3.56% |
| 1986 | $40,552.00 | 1.86% |
| 1987 | $42,032.00 | 3.65% |
| 1988 | $43,771.00 | 4.14% |
| 1989 | $45,880.00 | 4.82% |
| 1990 | $48,359.00 | 5.40% |
| 1991 | $50,394.00 | 4.21% |
| 1992 | $51,911.00 | 3.01% |
| 1993 | $53,465.00 | 2.99% |
| 1994 | $54,834.00 | 2.56% |
| 1995 | $56,388.00 | 2.83% |
| 1996 | $58,053.00 | 2.95% |
| 1997 | $59,385.00 | 2.29% |
| 1998 | $60,310.00 | 1.56% |
| 1999 | $61,642.00 | 2.21% |
| 2000 | $63,714.00 | 3.36% |
| 2001 | $65,527.00 | 2.85% |
| 2002 | $66,563.00 | 1.58% |
| 2003 | $68,080.00 | 2.28% |
| 2004 | $69,893.00 | 2.66% |
| 2005 | $72,261.00 | 3.39% |
| 2006 | $74,592.00 | 3.23% |
| 2007 | $76,716.54 | 2.85% |
| 2008 | $79,662.11 | 3.84% |
| 2009 | $79,378.69 | -0.36% |
| 2010 | $80,680.72 | 1.64% |
| 2011 | $83,227.43 | 3.16% |
| 2012 | $84,949.78 | 2.07% |
| 2013 | $86,194.09 | 1.46% |
| 2014 | $87,592.32 | 1.62% |
| 2015 | $87,696.29 | 0.12% |
| 2016 | $88,802.59 | 1.26% |
| 2017 | $90,570.82 | 1.99% |
| 2018 | $93,235.93 | 2.94%* |
News headlines from 1914
Politics and news often influence economic performance. Here's what was happening at the time:
- The Model T assembly line is introduced by Henry Ford's company.
- The first successful blood transfusion happens in Brussels, Belgium.
- The Assassination of Franz Ferdinand, an Austrian prince, and his wife Sophie by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip in Sarayevo signals the start of World War I.
- Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia, officially beginning World War I.
- Germany declares war on France and Belgium in World War I.
Inflation can vary widely by country. For comparison, in the UK £3,700.00 in 1914 would be equivalent to £414,653.66 in 2018, an absolute change of £410,953.66 and a cumulative change of 11,206.86%.
In Canada, CA$3,700.00 in 1914 would be equivalent to CA$80,854.10 in 2018, an absolute change of CA$77,154.10 and a cumulative change of 2,185.25%.
Compare these numbers to the US's absolute change of $89,535.93 and percent change of 2,419.89%.
Data Source & Citation
Raw data for these calculations comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index (CPI), established in 1913. Inflation data from 1665 to 1912 is sourced from a historical study conducted by political science professor Robert Sahr at Oregon State University.
You may use the following MLA citation for this page: “$3,700 in 1914 → 2018 | Inflation Calculator.” U.S. Official Inflation Data, Alioth Finance, 23 Jul. 2018, https://www.officialdata.org/1914-dollars-in-2018?amount=3700.
in2013dollars.com is a reference website maintained by the Official Data Foundation.