According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices in Chicago, Illinois are 2,902.60% higher in 2025 versus 1915 (a $14,773,165,383,724.95 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, $508,963,286,286 in Chicago in the year 1915 would cost $15,282,128,670,010.95 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 $508,963,286,286 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 | $508,963,286,286.00 | 0.17% |
| 1916 | $524,206,779,053.30 | 3.00% |
| 1917 | $597,460,230,407.28 | 13.97% |
| 1918 | $697,813,224,458.68 | 16.80% |
| 1919 | $846,860,709,294.51 | 21.36% |
| 1920 | $1,008,611,104,769.76 | 19.10% |
| 1921 | $923,501,603,485.66 | -8.44% |
| 1922 | $872,266,530,573.34 | -5.55% |
| 1923 | $882,852,289,439.53 | 1.21% |
| 1924 | $900,212,933,980.06 | 1.97% |
| 1925 | $920,114,160,648.48 | 2.21% |
| 1926 | $936,204,514,125.08 | 1.75% |
| 1927 | $927,735,907,032.13 | -0.90% |
| 1928 | $898,942,642,916.12 | -3.10% |
| 1929 | $896,825,491,142.89 | -0.24% |
| 1930 | $887,086,592,986.00 | -1.09% |
| 1931 | $810,869,129,149.49 | -8.59% |
| 1932 | $715,597,299,353.86 | -11.75% |
| 1933 | $641,920,417,645.24 | -10.30% |
| 1934 | $646,154,721,191.71 | 0.66% |
| 1935 | $674,101,124,598.43 | 4.33% |
| 1936 | $687,650,895,947.14 | 2.01% |
| 1937 | $716,020,729,708.51 | 4.13% |
| 1938 | $710,939,565,452.74 | -0.71% |
| 1939 | $696,966,363,749.38 | -1.97% |
| 1940 | $700,777,236,941.21 | 0.55% |
| 1941 | $737,615,677,795.52 | 5.26% |
| 1942 | $810,869,129,149.49 | 9.93% |
| 1943 | $856,176,177,096.75 | 5.59% |
| 1944 | $869,302,518,090.81 | 1.53% |
| 1945 | $887,933,453,695.29 | 2.14% |
| 1946 | $967,114,930,014.33 | 8.92% |
| 1947 | $1,123,360,730,879.17 | 16.16% |
| 1948 | $1,221,173,142,802.68 | 8.71% |
| 1949 | $1,219,902,851,738.74 | -0.10% |
| 1950 | $1,232,182,332,023.51 | 1.01% |
| 1951 | $1,329,147,883,237.73 | 7.87% |
| 1952 | $1,357,941,147,353.75 | 2.17% |
| 1953 | $1,369,797,197,283.87 | 0.87% |
| 1954 | $1,390,121,854,306.94 | 1.48% |
| 1955 | $1,399,437,322,109.18 | 0.67% |
| 1956 | $1,418,915,118,422.95 | 1.39% |
| 1957 | $1,465,069,027,079.50 | 3.25% |
| 1958 | $1,509,529,214,317.46 | 3.03% |
| 1959 | $1,521,808,694,602.23 | 0.81% |
| 1960 | $1,542,980,212,334.60 | 1.39% |
| 1961 | $1,550,601,958,718.25 | 0.49% |
| 1962 | $1,566,692,312,194.84 | 1.04% |
| 1963 | $1,582,359,235,316.79 | 1.00% |
| 1964 | $1,588,710,690,636.50 | 0.40% |
| 1965 | $1,609,882,208,368.86 | 1.33% |
| 1966 | $1,658,153,268,798.65 | 3.00% |
| 1967 | $1,701,343,164,972.67 | 2.60% |
| 1968 | $1,773,326,325,262.70 | 4.23% |
| 1969 | $1,870,291,876,476.92 | 5.47% |
| 1970 | $1,977,419,756,202.68 | 5.73% |
| 1971 | $2,055,330,941,457.77 | 3.94% |
| 1972 | $2,113,764,330,399.09 | 2.84% |
| 1973 | $2,246,298,031,403.69 | 6.27% |
| 1974 | $2,483,842,460,360.80 | 10.57% |
| 1975 | $2,679,890,714,562.47 | 7.89% |
| 1976 | $2,808,190,112,020.59 | 4.79% |
| 1977 | $2,984,760,569,908.50 | 6.29% |
| 1978 | $3,244,323,377,307.26 | 8.70% |
| 1979 | $3,649,122,796,350.04 | 12.48% |
| 1980 | $4,175,446,727,176.58 | 14.42% |
| 1981 | $4,575,164,981,963.59 | 9.57% |
| 1982 | $4,887,233,153,338.61 | 6.82% |
| 1983 | $5,082,011,116,476.35 | 3.99% |
| 1984 | $5,273,825,067,131.56 | 3.77% |
| 1985 | $5,472,837,333,815.77 | 3.77% |
| 1986 | $5,587,163,529,570.52 | 2.09% |
| 1987 | $5,817,509,642,498.63 | 4.12% |
| 1988 | $6,044,891,742,944.21 | 3.91% |
| 1989 | $6,350,608,458,999.52 | 5.06% |
| 1990 | $6,691,893,324,845.21 | 5.37% |
| 1991 | $6,963,312,182,174.10 | 4.06% |
| 1992 | $7,167,405,613,114.08 | 2.93% |
| 1993 | $7,388,436,258,239.94 | 3.08% |
| 1994 | $7,550,186,653,715.20 | 2.19% |
| 1995 | $7,790,271,664,800.19 | 3.18% |
| 1996 | $7,998,599,399,286.64 | 2.67% |
| 1997 | $8,217,512,892,639.27 | 2.74% |
| 1998 | $8,383,074,161,306.35 | 2.01% |
| 1999 | $8,556,680,606,711.72 | 2.07% |
| 2000 | $8,831,486,906,877.79 | 3.21% |
| 2001 | $9,061,409,589,451.25 | 2.60% |
| 2002 | $9,205,799,340,385.96 | 1.59% |
| 2003 | $9,375,171,482,244.86 | 1.84% |
| 2004 | $9,584,769,507,795.25 | 2.24% |
| 2005 | $9,874,819,300,728.62 | 3.03% |
| 2006 | $10,077,219,010,250.01 | 2.05% |
| 2007 | $10,407,117,833,859.23 | 3.27% |
| 2008 | $10,799,282,091,119.33 | 3.77% |
| 2009 | $10,670,195,113,201.57 | -1.20% |
| 2010 | $10,816,295,522,769.06 | 1.37% |
| 2011 | $11,111,701,709,688.72 | 2.73% |
| 2012 | $11,280,426,003,105.01 | 1.52% |
| 2013 | $11,409,508,746,719.23 | 1.14% |
| 2014 | $11,608,821,648,955.24 | 1.75% |
| 2015 | $11,574,502,618,711.08 | -0.30% |
| 2016 | $11,651,198,558,848.33 | 0.66% |
| 2017 | $11,870,175,566,754.16 | 1.88% |
| 2018 | $12,078,245,008,724.27 | 1.75% |
| 2019 | $12,254,785,826,487.36 | 1.46% |
| 2020 | $12,391,575,002,556.15 | 1.12% |
| 2021 | $12,914,240,495,118.54 | 4.22% |
| 2022 | $13,889,671,597,298.14 | 7.55% |
| 2023 | $14,351,723,034,592.77 | 3.33% |
| 2024 | $14,848,432,246,415.27 | 3.46% |
| 2025 | $15,282,128,670,010.95 | 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 |