According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices in Chicago, Illinois are 2,457.85% higher in 2025 versus 1917 (a $368,677,303,330.97 difference in value).
Between 1917 and 2025: Chicago experienced an average inflation rate of 3.05% per year. This rate of change indicates significant inflation. In other words, $15,000,000,000 in Chicago in the year 1917 would cost $383,677,303,330.97 in 2025 for an equivalent purchase. Compared to the overall inflation rate of 3.03% during this same period, inflation in Chicago was higher.
In the year 1917: Pricing changed by 13.97%, which is significantly above the average yearly change in Chicago during the 1917-2025 time period. Compared to inflation for all items in 1917 (17.81%), inflation in Chicago was much lower.
Below are calculations of equivalent buying power in Chicago, over time, for $15,000,000,000 beginning in 1917. Each of the amounts below is equivalent in terms of what it could buy at the time:
| Year | USD Value | Inflation Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1917 | $15,000,000,000.00 | 13.97% |
| 1918 | $17,519,489,723.60 | 16.80% |
| 1919 | $21,261,516,654.85 | 21.36% |
| 1920 | $25,322,466,335.93 | 19.10% |
| 1921 | $23,185,683,912.12 | -8.44% |
| 1922 | $21,899,362,154.50 | -5.55% |
| 1923 | $22,165,131,112.69 | 1.21% |
| 1924 | $22,600,992,204.11 | 1.97% |
| 1925 | $23,100,637,845.50 | 2.21% |
| 1926 | $23,504,606,661.94 | 1.75% |
| 1927 | $23,291,991,495.39 | -0.90% |
| 1928 | $22,569,099,929.13 | -3.10% |
| 1929 | $22,515,946,137.49 | -0.24% |
| 1930 | $22,271,438,695.96 | -1.09% |
| 1931 | $20,357,902,197.02 | -8.59% |
| 1932 | $17,965,981,573.35 | -11.75% |
| 1933 | $16,116,229,624.38 | -10.30% |
| 1934 | $16,222,537,207.65 | 0.66% |
| 1935 | $16,924,167,257.26 | 4.33% |
| 1936 | $17,264,351,523.74 | 2.01% |
| 1937 | $17,976,612,331.68 | 4.13% |
| 1938 | $17,849,043,231.75 | -0.71% |
| 1939 | $17,498,228,206.95 | -1.97% |
| 1940 | $17,593,905,031.89 | 0.55% |
| 1941 | $18,518,781,006.38 | 5.26% |
| 1942 | $20,357,902,197.02 | 9.93% |
| 1943 | $21,495,393,338.06 | 5.59% |
| 1944 | $21,824,946,846.21 | 1.53% |
| 1945 | $22,292,700,212.62 | 2.14% |
| 1946 | $24,280,652,019.84 | 8.92% |
| 1947 | $28,203,401,842.66 | 16.16% |
| 1948 | $30,659,107,016.30 | 8.71% |
| 1949 | $30,627,214,741.32 | -0.10% |
| 1950 | $30,935,506,732.81 | 1.01% |
| 1951 | $33,369,950,389.79 | 7.87% |
| 1952 | $34,092,841,956.06 | 2.17% |
| 1953 | $34,390,503,189.23 | 0.87% |
| 1954 | $34,900,779,588.94 | 1.48% |
| 1955 | $35,134,656,272.15 | 0.67% |
| 1956 | $35,623,671,155.21 | 1.39% |
| 1957 | $36,782,423,812.90 | 3.25% |
| 1958 | $37,898,653,437.28 | 3.03% |
| 1959 | $38,206,945,428.77 | 0.81% |
| 1960 | $38,738,483,345.15 | 1.39% |
| 1961 | $38,929,836,995.04 | 0.49% |
| 1962 | $39,333,805,811.48 | 1.04% |
| 1963 | $39,727,143,869.60 | 1.00% |
| 1964 | $39,886,605,244.51 | 0.40% |
| 1965 | $40,418,143,160.88 | 1.33% |
| 1966 | $41,630,049,610.21 | 3.00% |
| 1967 | $42,714,386,959.60 | 2.60% |
| 1968 | $44,521,615,875.27 | 4.23% |
| 1969 | $46,956,059,532.25 | 5.47% |
| 1970 | $49,645,641,389.09 | 5.73% |
| 1971 | $51,601,700,921.33 | 3.94% |
| 1972 | $53,068,745,570.52 | 2.84% |
| 1973 | $56,396,172,927.00 | 6.27% |
| 1974 | $62,360,028,348.69 | 10.57% |
| 1975 | $67,282,069,454.29 | 7.89% |
| 1976 | $70,503,189,227.50 | 4.79% |
| 1977 | $74,936,215,450.04 | 6.29% |
| 1978 | $81,452,870,304.75 | 8.70% |
| 1979 | $91,615,875,265.77 | 12.48% |
| 1980 | $104,829,907,866.76 | 14.42% |
| 1981 | $114,865,343,727.85 | 9.57% |
| 1982 | $122,700,212,615.17 | 6.82% |
| 1983 | $127,590,361,445.78 | 3.99% |
| 1984 | $132,406,094,968.11 | 3.77% |
| 1985 | $137,402,551,382.00 | 3.77% |
| 1986 | $140,272,856,130.40 | 2.09% |
| 1987 | $146,055,988,660.52 | 4.12% |
| 1988 | $151,764,705,882.35 | 3.91% |
| 1989 | $159,440,113,394.76 | 5.06% |
| 1990 | $168,008,504,606.66 | 5.37% |
| 1991 | $174,822,820,694.54 | 4.06% |
| 1992 | $179,946,846,208.36 | 2.93% |
| 1993 | $185,496,102,055.28 | 3.08% |
| 1994 | $189,557,051,736.36 | 2.19% |
| 1995 | $195,584,691,708.01 | 3.18% |
| 1996 | $200,815,024,805.10 | 2.67% |
| 1997 | $206,311,126,860.38 | 2.74% |
| 1998 | $210,467,753,366.41 | 2.01% |
| 1999 | $214,826,364,280.65 | 2.07% |
| 2000 | $221,725,726,435.15 | 3.21% |
| 2001 | $227,498,228,206.95 | 2.60% |
| 2002 | $231,123,316,796.60 | 1.59% |
| 2003 | $235,375,620,127.57 | 1.84% |
| 2004 | $240,637,845,499.65 | 2.24% |
| 2005 | $247,919,914,953.93 | 3.03% |
| 2006 | $253,001,417,434.44 | 2.05% |
| 2007 | $261,283,947,554.93 | 3.27% |
| 2008 | $271,129,730,687.46 | 3.77% |
| 2009 | $267,888,837,703.76 | -1.20% |
| 2010 | $271,556,874,557.05 | 1.37% |
| 2011 | $278,973,423,104.18 | 2.73% |
| 2012 | $283,209,461,374.91 | 1.52% |
| 2013 | $286,450,248,051.03 | 1.14% |
| 2014 | $291,454,252,303.33 | 1.75% |
| 2015 | $290,592,629,340.89 | -0.30% |
| 2016 | $292,518,178,596.74 | 0.66% |
| 2017 | $298,015,875,265.77 | 1.88% |
| 2018 | $303,239,723,600.28 | 1.75% |
| 2019 | $307,672,005,669.74 | 1.46% |
| 2020 | $311,106,272,147.41 | 1.12% |
| 2021 | $324,228,454,996.46 | 4.22% |
| 2022 | $348,717,895,109.85 | 7.55% |
| 2023 | $360,318,284,904.32 | 3.33% |
| 2024 | $372,788,802,267.90 | 3.46% |
| 2025 | $383,677,303,330.97 | 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 |