According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices in Chicago, Illinois are 2,902.60% higher in 2025 versus 1915 (a $54,847,634,699.65 difference in value).
Between 1915 and 2025: Chicago experienced an average inflation rate of 3.14% per year. This rate of change indicates significant inflation. In other words, $1,889,604,000 in Chicago in the year 1915 would cost $56,737,238,699.65 in 2025 for an equivalent purchase. Compared to the overall inflation rate of 3.19% during this same period, inflation in Chicago was lower.
In the year 1915: Pricing changed by 0.17%, which is below the average yearly change in Chicago during the 1915-2025 time period. Compared to inflation for all items in 1915 (0.92%), inflation in Chicago was lower.
Below are calculations of equivalent buying power in Chicago, over time, for $1,889,604,000 beginning in 1915. Each of the amounts below is equivalent in terms of what it could buy at the time:
| Year | USD Value | Inflation Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1915 | $1,889,604,000.00 | 0.17% |
| 1916 | $1,946,197,797.00 | 3.00% |
| 1917 | $2,218,162,432.61 | 13.97% |
| 1918 | $2,590,738,262.90 | 16.80% |
| 1919 | $3,144,099,833.61 | 21.36% |
| 1920 | $3,744,622,901.83 | 19.10% |
| 1921 | $3,428,640,868.55 | -8.44% |
| 1922 | $3,238,422,828.62 | -5.55% |
| 1923 | $3,277,724,076.54 | 1.21% |
| 1924 | $3,342,178,123.13 | 1.97% |
| 1925 | $3,416,064,469.22 | 2.21% |
| 1926 | $3,475,802,366.06 | 1.75% |
| 1927 | $3,444,361,367.72 | -0.90% |
| 1928 | $3,337,461,973.38 | -3.10% |
| 1929 | $3,329,601,723.79 | -0.24% |
| 1930 | $3,293,444,575.71 | -1.09% |
| 1931 | $3,010,475,590.68 | -8.59% |
| 1932 | $2,656,764,359.40 | -11.75% |
| 1933 | $2,383,227,673.88 | -10.30% |
| 1934 | $2,398,948,173.04 | 0.66% |
| 1935 | $2,502,703,467.55 | 4.33% |
| 1936 | $2,553,009,064.89 | 2.01% |
| 1937 | $2,658,336,409.32 | 4.13% |
| 1938 | $2,639,471,810.32 | -0.71% |
| 1939 | $2,587,594,163.06 | -1.97% |
| 1940 | $2,601,742,612.31 | 0.55% |
| 1941 | $2,738,510,955.07 | 5.26% |
| 1942 | $3,010,475,590.68 | 9.93% |
| 1943 | $3,178,684,931.78 | 5.59% |
| 1944 | $3,227,418,479.20 | 1.53% |
| 1945 | $3,296,588,675.54 | 2.14% |
| 1946 | $3,590,562,009.98 | 8.92% |
| 1947 | $4,170,648,429.28 | 16.16% |
| 1948 | $4,533,791,960.07 | 8.71% |
| 1949 | $4,529,075,810.32 | -0.10% |
| 1950 | $4,574,665,257.90 | 1.01% |
| 1951 | $4,934,664,688.85 | 7.87% |
| 1952 | $5,041,564,083.19 | 2.17% |
| 1953 | $5,085,581,480.87 | 0.87% |
| 1954 | $5,161,039,876.87 | 1.48% |
| 1955 | $5,195,624,975.04 | 0.67% |
| 1956 | $5,267,939,271.21 | 1.39% |
| 1957 | $5,439,292,712.15 | 3.25% |
| 1958 | $5,604,357,953.41 | 3.03% |
| 1959 | $5,649,947,401.00 | 0.81% |
| 1960 | $5,728,549,896.84 | 1.39% |
| 1961 | $5,756,846,795.34 | 0.49% |
| 1962 | $5,816,584,692.18 | 1.04% |
| 1963 | $5,874,750,539.10 | 1.00% |
| 1964 | $5,898,331,287.85 | 0.40% |
| 1965 | $5,976,933,783.69 | 1.33% |
| 1966 | $6,156,147,474.21 | 3.00% |
| 1967 | $6,316,496,565.72 | 2.60% |
| 1968 | $6,583,745,051.58 | 4.23% |
| 1969 | $6,943,744,482.53 | 5.47% |
| 1970 | $7,341,473,111.48 | 5.73% |
| 1971 | $7,630,730,296.17 | 3.94% |
| 1972 | $7,847,673,184.69 | 2.84% |
| 1973 | $8,339,724,808.65 | 6.27% |
| 1974 | $9,221,644,811.98 | 10.57% |
| 1975 | $9,949,503,923.46 | 7.89% |
| 1976 | $10,425,835,048.25 | 4.79% |
| 1977 | $11,081,379,863.56 | 6.29% |
| 1978 | $12,045,046,462.56 | 8.70% |
| 1979 | $13,547,926,183.03 | 12.48% |
| 1980 | $15,501,984,229.62 | 14.42% |
| 1981 | $16,985,999,351.08 | 9.57% |
| 1982 | $18,144,600,139.77 | 6.82% |
| 1983 | $18,867,743,101.50 | 3.99% |
| 1984 | $19,579,881,713.81 | 3.77% |
| 1985 | $20,318,745,174.71 | 3.77% |
| 1986 | $20,743,198,652.25 | 2.09% |
| 1987 | $21,598,393,806.99 | 4.12% |
| 1988 | $22,442,584,612.31 | 3.91% |
| 1989 | $23,577,604,652.25 | 5.06% |
| 1990 | $24,844,676,885.19 | 5.37% |
| 1991 | $25,852,360,881.86 | 4.06% |
| 1992 | $26,610,088,941.76 | 2.93% |
| 1993 | $27,430,698,998.34 | 3.08% |
| 1994 | $28,031,222,066.56 | 2.19% |
| 1995 | $28,922,574,369.38 | 3.18% |
| 1996 | $29,696,022,928.45 | 2.67% |
| 1997 | $30,508,772,735.44 | 2.74% |
| 1998 | $31,123,444,252.91 | 2.01% |
| 1999 | $31,767,984,718.80 | 2.07% |
| 2000 | $32,788,245,114.81 | 3.21% |
| 2001 | $33,641,868,219.63 | 2.60% |
| 2002 | $34,177,937,241.26 | 1.59% |
| 2003 | $34,806,757,207.99 | 1.84% |
| 2004 | $35,584,921,916.81 | 2.24% |
| 2005 | $36,661,776,109.82 | 3.03% |
| 2006 | $37,413,215,970.05 | 2.05% |
| 2007 | $38,638,015,780.73 | 3.27% |
| 2008 | $40,093,985,531.68 | 3.77% |
| 2009 | $39,614,730,394.04 | -1.20% |
| 2010 | $40,157,150,497.34 | 1.37% |
| 2011 | $41,253,891,121.80 | 2.73% |
| 2012 | $41,880,305,852.15 | 1.52% |
| 2013 | $42,359,545,269.28 | 1.14% |
| 2014 | $43,099,524,885.62 | 1.75% |
| 2015 | $42,972,110,239.87 | -0.30% |
| 2016 | $43,256,855,641.30 | 0.66% |
| 2017 | $44,069,841,255.77 | 1.88% |
| 2018 | $44,842,330,864.39 | 1.75% |
| 2019 | $45,497,765,636.21 | 1.46% |
| 2020 | $46,005,616,361.83 | 1.12% |
| 2021 | $47,946,091,897.14 | 4.22% |
| 2022 | $51,567,528,967.49 | 7.55% |
| 2023 | $53,282,965,557.20 | 3.33% |
| 2024 | $55,127,074,432.61 | 3.46% |
| 2025 | $56,737,238,699.65 | 2.92%* |
* 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 Chicago, Illinois:
| 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 | 10.000 | 10.017 | 10.317 | 11.758 | 13.733 | 16.667 | 19.850 | 18.175 | 17.167 | 17.375 | 17.717 | 18.108 | 18.425 | 18.258 | 17.692 | 17.650 | 17.458 | 15.958 | 14.083 | 12.633 | 12.717 | 13.267 | 13.533 | 14.092 | 13.992 | 13.717 | 13.792 | 14.517 | 15.958 | 16.850 | 17.108 | 17.475 | 19.033 | 22.108 | 24.033 | 24.008 | 24.250 | 26.158 | 26.725 | 26.958 | 27.358 | 27.542 | 27.925 | 28.833 | 29.708 | 29.950 | 30.367 | 30.517 | 30.833 | 31.142 | 31.267 | 31.683 | 32.633 | 33.483 | 34.900 | 36.808 | 38.917 | 40.450 | 41.600 | 44.208 | 48.883 | 52.742 | 55.267 | 58.742 | 63.850 | 71.817 | 82.175 | 90.042 | 96.183 | 100.017 | 103.792 | 107.708 | 109.958 | 114.492 | 118.967 | 124.983 | 131.700 | 137.042 | 141.058 | 145.408 | 148.592 | 153.317 | 157.417 | 161.725 | 164.983 | 168.400 | 173.808 | 178.333 | 181.175 | 184.508 | 188.633 | 194.342 | 198.325 | 204.818 | 212.536 | 209.995 | 212.870 | 218.684 | 222.005 | 224.545 | 228.468 | 227.792 | 229.302 | 233.611 | 237.706 | 241.181 | 243.873 | 254.159 | 273.356 | 282.450 | 292.225 | 300.760 |