According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index, prices in 2018 are 2,411.07% higher than average prices throughout 1914. The dollar experienced an average inflation rate of 3.15% per year during this period, meaning the real value of a dollar decreased.
In other words, $3,700 in 1914 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $92,909.53 in 2018, a difference of $89,209.53 over 104 years.
The 1914 inflation rate was 1.01%. The inflation rate in 2018 was 2.44%. The 2018 inflation rate is higher compared to the average inflation rate of 1.23% per year between 2018 and 2019.
| Cumulative price change | 2,411.07% |
| Average inflation rate | 3.15% |
| Converted amount ($3,700 base) | $92,909.53 |
| Price difference ($3,700 base) | $89,209.53 |
| CPI in 1914 | 10.000 |
| CPI in 2018 | 251.107 |
| Inflation in 1914 | 1.01% |
| Inflation in 2018 | 2.44% |
This chart shows calculation of buying power equivalence, often referred to as "the value of a dollar" over time for $3,700 in 1914 (price index tracking began in 1635).
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 | Dollar 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 | $90,694.40 | 2.13% |
| 2018 | $92,909.53 | 2.44% |
| 2019 | $94,054.74 | 1.23%* |
Inflation can also vary widely by country. For comparison, in the UK £3,700.00 in 1914 would be equivalent to £415,907.69 in 2018, an absolute change of £412,207.69 and a cumulative change of 11,140.75%.
In Canada, CA$3,700.00 in 1914 would be equivalent to CA$79,337.70 in 2018, an absolute change of CA$75,637.70 and a cumulative change of 2,044.26%.
Compare these numbers to the US's overall absolute change of $89,209.53 and total percent change of 2,411.07%.
CPI is the weighted combination of many categories of spending that are tracked by the government. 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 (%) | Total Inflation (%) | $3,700 in 1914 → 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food | 3.14 | 2,397.16 | 92,395.05 |
| Shelter | 4.11 | 6,473.96 | 243,236.68 |
| Energy | 3.89 | 5,176.84 | 195,243.09 |
| Apparel | 2.06 | 737.70 | 30,994.75 |
| New vehicles | 1.05 | 195.67 | 10,939.68 |
| Used cars and trucks | 0.61 | 88.41 | 6,971.10 |
| Transportation services | 4.06 | 6,194.73 | 232,905.14 |
| Medical care services | 5.11 | 17,720.05 | 659,342.03 |
| Medical care commodities | 3.04 | 2,157.85 | 83,540.40 |
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.
This inflation calculator uses the following inflation rate formula:
Then plug in historical CPI values. The U.S. CPI was 10 in the year 1914 and 251.10683333333 in 2018:
$3,700 in 1914 has the same "purchasing power" or "buying power" as $92,909.53 in 2018.
To get the total inflation rate for the 104 years between 1914 and 2018, we use the following formula:
Plugging in the values to this equation, we get:
The average inflation rate of 3.15% has a compounding effect between 1914 and 2018. As noted above, this yearly inflation rate compounds to produce an overall price difference of 2,411.07% over 104 years.
To help put this inflation into perspective, if we had invested $3,700 in the S&P 500 index in 1914, our investment would be nominally worth approximately $80,562,491.64 in 2018. This is a return on investment of 2,177,264.64%, with an absolute return of $80,558,791.64.
These numbers are not inflation adjusted, so they are considered nominal. In order to evaluate the real return on our investment, we must calculate the return with inflation taken into account.
The compounding effect of inflation would account for 96.02% of returns ($77,350,643.51) during this period. This means the inflation-adjusted real return of our $3,700 investment is $3,208,148.12.
| Original Amount | Final Amount | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominal | $3,700 | $80,562,491.64 | 2,177,264.64% |
| Real Inflation Adjusted |
$3,700 | $3,208,148.12 | 86,706.71% |
Politics and news often influence economic performance. Here's what was happening at the time:
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, 21 Apr. 2019, https://www.officialdata.org/1914-dollars-in-2018?amount=3700.
Special thanks to QuickChart for providing downloadable chart images.
in2013dollars.com is a reference website maintained by the Official Data Foundation.