Inflation Calculator
Inflation in 1841 and Its Effect on Dollar Value
Purchasing power decreased by 0.00% in 1841 compared to 1840. On average, you would have to spend 0.00% more money in 1841 than in 1840 for the same item.
In other words, $1 in 1840 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $1 in 1841.
The 1840 inflation rate was -6.45%. The inflation rate in 1841 was 0.00%. The 1841 inflation rate is lower compared to the average inflation rate of 1.91% per year between 1841 and 2019.
Inflation rate is calculated by change in the consumer price index (CPI). The CPI in 1841 was 8.70. It was 8.70 in the previous year, 1840. The difference in CPI between the years is used by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to officially determine inflation.
Contents
⌃
| Average inflation rate | 0.00% |
| Converted amount ($1 base) | $1 |
| Price difference ($1 base) | $0.00 |
| CPI in 1840 | 8.700 |
| CPI in 1841 | 8.700 |
| Inflation in 1840 | -6.45% |
| Inflation in 1841 | 0.00% |
Inflation by Country
Inflation can also vary widely by country. For comparison, in the UK £1.00 in 1840 would be equivalent to £0.98 in 1841, an absolute change of £-0.02 and a cumulative change of -1.80%.
Compare these numbers to the US's overall absolute change of $0.00 and total percent change of 0.00%.
Inflation by Spending Category
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 1840 and 1841.
Compare these values to the overall average of 0.00% per year:
| Category | Avg Inflation (%) | Total Inflation (%) | $1 in 1840 → 1841 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1.00 |
| Shelter | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1.00 |
| Energy | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1.00 |
| Apparel | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1.00 |
| New vehicles | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1.00 |
| Used cars and trucks | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1.00 |
| Transportation services | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1.00 |
| Medical care services | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1.00 |
| Medical care commodities | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1.00 |
It's important to note that not all categories may be tracked since 1840. This table and visualization use the earliest available data for each category.
How to Calculate Inflation Rate for $1, 1840 to 1841
This inflation calculator uses the following inflation rate formula:
CPI in 1841CPI in 1840
×
1840 USD value
=
1841 USD value
Then plug in historical CPI values. The U.S. CPI was 8.7 in the year 1840 and 8.7 in 1841:
8.78.7
×
$1
=
$1
$1 in 1840 has the same "purchasing power" or "buying power" as $1 in 1841.
To get the total inflation rate for the 1 years between 1840 and 1841, we use the following formula:
CPI in 1841 - CPI in 1840CPI in 1840
×
100
=
Cumulative inflation rate (1 years)
Plugging in the values to this equation, we get:
8.7 - 8.78.7
×
100
=
0%
News headlines from 1840
Politics and news often influence economic performance. Here's what was happening at the time:
- Identification of Antarctica as a new continent by American naval expedition lead by Charles Wilkes.
- Charles Wilkes discovers Antarctica in an American naval expedition.
- Charles Wilkes discovers the Shackleton Ice Shelf in Antarctica.
- The world’s first postage stamp, the Penny Black, is released.
- Samuel Morse patents the telegraph.
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: “Inflation Rate in 1841 | Inflation Calculator.” U.S. Official Inflation Data, Alioth Finance, 21 Apr. 2019, https://www.officialdata.org/inflation-rate-in-1841.
Special thanks to QuickChart for providing downloadable chart images.
in2013dollars.com is a reference website maintained by the Official Data Foundation.