According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices in Chicago, Illinois are 2,902.60% higher in 2025 versus 1915 (a $278,649,544,093.18 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, $9,600,000,000 in Chicago in the year 1915 would cost $288,249,544,093.18 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 $9,600,000,000 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 | $9,600,000,000.00 | 0.17% |
| 1916 | $9,887,520,798.67 | 3.00% |
| 1917 | $11,269,217,970.05 | 13.97% |
| 1918 | $13,162,063,227.95 | 16.80% |
| 1919 | $15,973,377,703.83 | 21.36% |
| 1920 | $19,024,292,845.26 | 19.10% |
| 1921 | $17,418,968,386.02 | -8.44% |
| 1922 | $16,452,579,034.94 | -5.55% |
| 1923 | $16,652,246,256.24 | 1.21% |
| 1924 | $16,979,700,499.17 | 1.97% |
| 1925 | $17,355,074,875.21 | 2.21% |
| 1926 | $17,658,569,051.58 | 1.75% |
| 1927 | $17,498,835,274.54 | -0.90% |
| 1928 | $16,955,740,432.61 | -3.10% |
| 1929 | $16,915,806,988.35 | -0.24% |
| 1930 | $16,732,113,144.76 | -1.09% |
| 1931 | $15,294,509,151.41 | -8.59% |
| 1932 | $13,497,504,159.73 | -11.75% |
| 1933 | $12,107,820,299.50 | -10.30% |
| 1934 | $12,187,687,188.02 | 0.66% |
| 1935 | $12,714,808,652.25 | 4.33% |
| 1936 | $12,970,382,695.51 | 2.01% |
| 1937 | $13,505,490,848.59 | 4.13% |
| 1938 | $13,409,650,582.36 | -0.71% |
| 1939 | $13,146,089,850.25 | -1.97% |
| 1940 | $13,217,970,049.92 | 0.55% |
| 1941 | $13,912,811,980.03 | 5.26% |
| 1942 | $15,294,509,151.41 | 9.93% |
| 1943 | $16,149,084,858.57 | 5.59% |
| 1944 | $16,396,672,212.98 | 1.53% |
| 1945 | $16,748,086,522.46 | 2.14% |
| 1946 | $18,241,597,337.77 | 8.92% |
| 1947 | $21,188,685,524.13 | 16.16% |
| 1948 | $23,033,610,648.92 | 8.71% |
| 1949 | $23,009,650,582.36 | -0.10% |
| 1950 | $23,241,264,559.07 | 1.01% |
| 1951 | $25,070,216,306.16 | 7.87% |
| 1952 | $25,613,311,148.09 | 2.17% |
| 1953 | $25,836,938,435.94 | 0.87% |
| 1954 | $26,220,299,500.83 | 1.48% |
| 1955 | $26,396,006,655.57 | 0.67% |
| 1956 | $26,763,394,342.76 | 1.39% |
| 1957 | $27,633,943,427.62 | 3.25% |
| 1958 | $28,472,545,757.07 | 3.03% |
| 1959 | $28,704,159,733.78 | 0.81% |
| 1960 | $29,103,494,176.37 | 1.39% |
| 1961 | $29,247,254,575.71 | 0.49% |
| 1962 | $29,550,748,752.08 | 1.04% |
| 1963 | $29,846,256,239.60 | 1.00% |
| 1964 | $29,966,056,572.38 | 0.40% |
| 1965 | $30,365,391,014.98 | 1.33% |
| 1966 | $31,275,873,544.09 | 3.00% |
| 1967 | $32,090,515,806.99 | 2.60% |
| 1968 | $33,448,252,911.81 | 4.23% |
| 1969 | $35,277,204,658.90 | 5.47% |
| 1970 | $37,297,836,938.44 | 5.73% |
| 1971 | $38,767,387,687.19 | 3.94% |
| 1972 | $39,869,550,748.75 | 2.84% |
| 1973 | $42,369,384,359.40 | 6.27% |
| 1974 | $46,849,916,805.32 | 10.57% |
| 1975 | $50,547,753,743.76 | 7.89% |
| 1976 | $52,967,720,465.89 | 4.79% |
| 1977 | $56,298,169,717.14 | 6.29% |
| 1978 | $61,194,009,983.36 | 8.70% |
| 1979 | $68,829,284,525.79 | 12.48% |
| 1980 | $78,756,738,768.72 | 14.42% |
| 1981 | $86,296,173,044.93 | 9.57% |
| 1982 | $92,182,362,728.79 | 6.82% |
| 1983 | $95,856,239,600.67 | 3.99% |
| 1984 | $99,474,209,650.58 | 3.77% |
| 1985 | $103,227,953,410.98 | 3.77% |
| 1986 | $105,384,359,401.00 | 2.09% |
| 1987 | $109,729,118,136.44 | 4.12% |
| 1988 | $114,017,970,049.92 | 3.91% |
| 1989 | $119,784,359,401.00 | 5.06% |
| 1990 | $126,221,630,615.64 | 5.37% |
| 1991 | $131,341,098,169.72 | 4.06% |
| 1992 | $135,190,682,196.34 | 2.93% |
| 1993 | $139,359,733,777.04 | 3.08% |
| 1994 | $142,410,648,918.47 | 2.19% |
| 1995 | $146,939,101,497.50 | 3.18% |
| 1996 | $150,868,552,412.65 | 2.67% |
| 1997 | $154,997,670,549.08 | 2.74% |
| 1998 | $158,120,465,890.18 | 2.01% |
| 1999 | $161,395,008,319.47 | 2.07% |
| 2000 | $166,578,369,384.36 | 3.21% |
| 2001 | $170,915,141,430.95 | 2.60% |
| 2002 | $173,638,602,329.45 | 1.59% |
| 2003 | $176,833,277,870.22 | 1.84% |
| 2004 | $180,786,688,851.91 | 2.24% |
| 2005 | $186,257,570,715.47 | 3.03% |
| 2006 | $190,075,207,986.69 | 2.05% |
| 2007 | $196,297,717,138.10 | 3.27% |
| 2008 | $203,694,668,885.19 | 3.77% |
| 2009 | $201,259,846,921.80 | -1.20% |
| 2010 | $204,015,574,043.26 | 1.37% |
| 2011 | $209,587,487,520.80 | 2.73% |
| 2012 | $212,769,943,427.62 | 1.52% |
| 2013 | $215,204,685,524.13 | 1.14% |
| 2014 | $218,964,099,833.61 | 1.75% |
| 2015 | $218,316,778,702.16 | -0.30% |
| 2016 | $219,763,407,653.91 | 0.66% |
| 2017 | $223,893,723,793.68 | 1.88% |
| 2018 | $227,818,302,828.62 | 1.75% |
| 2019 | $231,148,193,011.65 | 1.46% |
| 2020 | $233,728,292,845.26 | 1.12% |
| 2021 | $243,586,742,096.51 | 4.22% |
| 2022 | $261,985,198,003.33 | 7.55% |
| 2023 | $270,700,352,745.42 | 3.33% |
| 2024 | $280,069,217,970.05 | 3.46% |
| 2025 | $288,249,544,093.18 | 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 |