According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices in Boston, Massachusetts are 1,579.93% higher in 2025 versus 1920 (a $15,799,346,806,416,119,808 difference in value).
Between 1920 and 2025: Boston experienced an average inflation rate of 2.72% per year. This rate of change indicates significant inflation. In other words, $1,000,000,000,000,000,000 in Boston in the year 1920 would cost $16,799,346,806,416,119,808 in 2025 for an equivalent purchase. Compared to the overall inflation rate of 2.68% during this same period, inflation in Boston was higher.
In the year 1920: Pricing changed by 17.25%, which is significantly above the average yearly change in Boston during the 1920-2025 time period. Compared to inflation for all items in 1920 (15.62%), inflation in Boston was higher.
Below are calculations of equivalent buying power in Boston, over time, for $1,000,000,000,000,000,000 beginning in 1920. Each of the amounts below is equivalent in terms of what it could buy at the time:
| Year | USD Value | Inflation Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1920 | $1,000,000,000,000,000,000.00 | 17.25% |
| 1921 | $910,417,511,147,142,016.00 | -8.96% |
| 1922 | $829,752,736,116,741,120.00 | -8.86% |
| 1923 | $842,318,605,593,838,592.00 | 1.51% |
| 1924 | $847,993,514,389,947,392.00 | 0.67% |
| 1925 | $857,316,578,840,697,216.00 | 1.10% |
| 1926 | $888,933,927,847,588,224.00 | 3.69% |
| 1927 | $879,610,863,396,838,144.00 | -1.05% |
| 1928 | $862,586,137,008,512,384.00 | -1.94% |
| 1929 | $858,532,630,725,577,728.00 | -0.47% |
| 1930 | $852,452,371,301,175,424.00 | -0.71% |
| 1931 | $786,380,218,889,339,392.00 | -7.75% |
| 1932 | $708,958,248,885,285,888.00 | -9.85% |
| 1933 | $661,937,576,003,242,880.00 | -6.63% |
| 1934 | $682,610,458,046,209,920.00 | 3.12% |
| 1935 | $696,797,730,036,481,664.00 | 2.08% |
| 1936 | $700,851,236,319,416,320.00 | 0.58% |
| 1937 | $716,659,910,822,861,824.00 | 2.26% |
| 1938 | $698,419,132,549,655,424.00 | -2.55% |
| 1939 | $687,880,016,214,025,088.00 | -1.51% |
| 1940 | $694,365,626,266,720,768.00 | 0.94% |
| 1941 | $725,172,274,017,024,768.00 | 4.44% |
| 1942 | $802,594,244,021,078,272.00 | 10.68% |
| 1943 | $844,750,709,363,599,616.00 | 5.25% |
| 1944 | $854,073,773,814,349,312.00 | 1.10% |
| 1945 | $871,503,850,830,968,704.00 | 2.04% |
| 1946 | $942,845,561,410,620,160.00 | 8.19% |
| 1947 | $1,073,368,463,721,118,720.00 | 13.84% |
| 1948 | $1,161,734,900,689,096,192.00 | 8.23% |
| 1949 | $1,147,547,628,698,824,576.00 | -1.22% |
| 1950 | $1,162,545,601,945,683,200.00 | 1.31% |
| 1951 | $1,240,372,922,578,029,824.00 | 6.69% |
| 1952 | $1,267,531,414,673,692,672.00 | 2.19% |
| 1953 | $1,270,774,219,700,040,448.00 | 0.26% |
| 1954 | $1,275,638,427,239,561,984.00 | 0.38% |
| 1955 | $1,281,718,686,663,964,160.00 | 0.48% |
| 1956 | $1,316,984,191,325,496,576.00 | 2.75% |
| 1957 | $1,363,194,162,950,952,704.00 | 3.51% |
| 1958 | $1,406,972,030,806,647,808.00 | 3.21% |
| 1959 | $1,417,916,497,770,571,776.00 | 0.78% |
| 1960 | $1,444,669,639,237,940,736.00 | 1.89% |
| 1961 | $1,466,558,573,165,788,672.00 | 1.52% |
| 1962 | $1,498,175,922,172,679,168.00 | 2.16% |
| 1963 | $1,528,577,219,294,689,792.00 | 2.03% |
| 1964 | $1,549,250,101,337,656,832.00 | 1.35% |
| 1965 | $1,578,435,346,574,787,328.00 | 1.88% |
| 1966 | $1,627,077,421,970,003,968.00 | 3.08% |
| 1967 | $1,669,639,237,940,818,944.00 | 2.62% |
| 1968 | $1,735,306,039,724,361,728.00 | 3.93% |
| 1969 | $1,831,374,138,629,914,880.00 | 5.54% |
| 1970 | $1,943,250,912,038,913,536.00 | 6.11% |
| 1971 | $2,046,615,322,253,749,248.00 | 5.32% |
| 1972 | $2,119,578,435,346,574,336.00 | 3.57% |
| 1973 | $2,237,535,468,179,975,680.00 | 5.57% |
| 1974 | $2,468,585,326,307,255,808.00 | 10.33% |
| 1975 | $2,691,122,821,240,372,736.00 | 9.01% |
| 1976 | $2,910,012,160,518,848,512.00 | 8.13% |
| 1977 | $3,058,370,490,474,259,968.00 | 5.10% |
| 1978 | $3,221,726,793,676,530,176.00 | 5.34% |
| 1979 | $3,546,007,296,311,309,312.00 | 10.07% |
| 1980 | $3,995,946,493,717,063,680.00 | 12.69% |
| 1981 | $4,449,939,197,405,755,904.00 | 11.36% |
| 1982 | $4,640,453,992,703,687,680.00 | 4.28% |
| 1983 | $4,845,561,410,620,186,624.00 | 4.42% |
| 1984 | $5,083,907,580,056,749,056.00 | 4.92% |
| 1985 | $5,309,282,529,387,918,336.00 | 4.43% |
| 1986 | $5,454,398,054,316,984,320.00 | 2.73% |
| 1987 | $5,687,069,314,957,437,952.00 | 4.27% |
| 1988 | $6,021,078,232,671,260,672.00 | 5.87% |
| 1989 | $6,372,111,876,773,408,768.00 | 5.83% |
| 1990 | $6,740,980,948,520,471,552.00 | 5.79% |
| 1991 | $7,046,615,322,253,749,248.00 | 4.53% |
| 1992 | $7,218,483,988,650,182,656.00 | 2.44% |
| 1993 | $7,433,319,821,645,722,624.00 | 2.98% |
| 1994 | $7,527,361,167,409,808,384.00 | 1.27% |
| 1995 | $7,708,147,547,628,699,648.00 | 2.40% |
| 1996 | $7,933,522,496,959,869,952.00 | 2.92% |
| 1997 | $8,162,140,251,317,388,288.00 | 2.88% |
| 1998 | $8,346,169,436,562,628,608.00 | 2.25% |
| 1999 | $8,548,034,049,452,777,472.00 | 2.42% |
| 2000 | $8,914,471,017,430,076,416.00 | 4.29% |
| 2001 | $9,309,282,529,387,919,360.00 | 4.43% |
| 2002 | $9,546,817,997,567,895,552.00 | 2.55% |
| 2003 | $9,900,283,745,439,805,440.00 | 3.70% |
| 2004 | $10,184,029,185,245,237,248.00 | 2.87% |
| 2005 | $10,506,688,285,366,841,344.00 | 3.17% |
| 2006 | $10,842,318,605,593,837,568.00 | 3.19% |
| 2007 | $11,046,404,539,927,037,952.00 | 1.88% |
| 2008 | $11,451,471,422,780,704,768.00 | 3.67% |
| 2009 | $11,358,370,490,474,260,480.00 | -0.81% |
| 2010 | $11,544,742,602,351,032,320.00 | 1.64% |
| 2011 | $11,850,595,865,423,589,376.00 | 2.65% |
| 2012 | $12,042,010,539,116,337,152.00 | 1.62% |
| 2013 | $12,209,509,525,739,767,808.00 | 1.39% |
| 2014 | $12,409,809,485,204,701,184.00 | 1.64% |
| 2015 | $12,488,504,256,181,594,112.00 | 0.63% |
| 2016 | $12,660,656,668,017,831,936.00 | 1.38% |
| 2017 | $12,983,591,406,566,678,528.00 | 2.55% |
| 2018 | $13,402,391,568,706,930,688.00 | 3.23% |
| 2019 | $13,671,487,636,805,836,800.00 | 2.01% |
| 2020 | $13,818,670,449,939,195,904.00 | 1.08% |
| 2021 | $14,245,966,761,248,481,280.00 | 3.09% |
| 2022 | $15,272,525,334,414,268,416.00 | 7.21% |
| 2023 | $15,843,607,620,591,810,560.00 | 3.74% |
| 2024 | $16,350,628,293,473,853,440.00 | 3.20% |
| 2025 | $16,799,346,806,416,119,808.00 | 2.74%* |
* Not final. See inflation summary for latest details.
** Extended periods of 0% inflation usually indicate incomplete underlying data. This can manifest as a sharp increase in inflation later on.
Raw Consumer Price Index data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for Boston, Massachusetts:
| Year | 1914 | 1915 | 1916 | 1917 | 1918 | 1919 | 1920 | 1921 | 1922 | 1923 | 1924 | 1925 | 1926 | 1927 | 1928 | 1929 | 1930 | 1931 | 1932 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
| CPI | 10.500 | 10.517 | 10.817 | 12.275 | 14.458 | 17.533 | 20.558 | 18.717 | 17.058 | 17.317 | 17.433 | 17.625 | 18.275 | 18.083 | 17.733 | 17.650 | 17.525 | 16.167 | 14.575 | 13.608 | 14.033 | 14.325 | 14.408 | 14.733 | 14.358 | 14.142 | 14.275 | 14.908 | 16.500 | 17.367 | 17.558 | 17.917 | 19.383 | 22.067 | 23.883 | 23.592 | 23.900 | 25.500 | 26.058 | 26.125 | 26.225 | 26.350 | 27.075 | 28.025 | 28.925 | 29.150 | 29.700 | 30.150 | 30.800 | 31.425 | 31.850 | 32.450 | 33.450 | 34.325 | 35.675 | 37.650 | 39.950 | 42.075 | 43.575 | 46.000 | 50.750 | 55.325 | 59.825 | 62.875 | 66.233 | 72.900 | 82.150 | 91.483 | 95.400 | 99.617 | 104.517 | 109.150 | 112.133 | 116.917 | 123.783 | 131.000 | 138.583 | 144.867 | 148.400 | 152.817 | 154.750 | 158.467 | 163.100 | 167.800 | 171.583 | 175.733 | 183.267 | 191.383 | 196.267 | 203.533 | 209.367 | 216.000 | 222.900 | 227.096 | 235.423 | 233.509 | 237.341 | 243.629 | 247.564 | 251.007 | 255.125 | 256.743 | 260.282 | 266.921 | 275.531 | 281.063 | 284.089 | 292.873 | 313.978 | 325.718 | 336.142 | 345.367 |