According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices in Chicago, Illinois are 1,428.24% higher in 2026 versus 1920 (a $18,292,986,003.12 difference in value).
Between 1920 and 2026:Chicago experienced an average inflation rate of 2.61% per year. This rate of change indicates significant inflation. In other words, $1,280,802,282 in Chicago in the year 1920 would cost $19,573,788,285.12 in 2026 for an equivalent purchase. Compared to the overall inflation rate of 2.67% during this same period, inflation in Chicago was lower.
In the year 1920: Pricing changed by 19.10%, which is significantly above the average yearly change in Chicago during the 1920-2026 time period. Compared to inflation for all items in 1920 (15.63%), inflation in Chicago was much higher.
Below are calculations of equivalent buying power in Chicago, over time, for $1,280,802,282 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 | $1,280,802,282.00 | 19.10% |
| 1921 | $1,172,724,507.57 | -8.44% |
| 1922 | $1,107,662,762.77 | -5.55% |
| 1923 | $1,121,105,272.03 | 1.21% |
| 1924 | $1,143,150,987.21 | 1.97% |
| 1925 | $1,168,422,904.61 | 2.21% |
| 1926 | $1,188,855,518.68 | 1.75% |
| 1927 | $1,178,101,511.28 | -0.90% |
| 1928 | $1,141,537,886.10 | -3.10% |
| 1929 | $1,138,849,384.25 | -0.24% |
| 1930 | $1,126,482,275.73 | -1.09% |
| 1931 | $1,029,696,209.08 | -8.59% |
| 1932 | $908,713,625.77 | -11.75% |
| 1933 | $815,153,761.34 | -10.30% |
| 1934 | $820,530,765.04 | 0.66% |
| 1935 | $856,018,989.48 | 4.33% |
| 1936 | $873,225,401.33 | 2.01% |
| 1937 | $909,251,326.14 | 4.13% |
| 1938 | $902,798,921.70 | -0.71% |
| 1939 | $885,054,809.48 | -1.97% |
| 1940 | $889,894,112.81 | 0.55% |
| 1941 | $936,674,045.02 | 5.26% |
| 1942 | $1,029,696,209.08 | 9.93% |
| 1943 | $1,087,230,148.70 | 5.59% |
| 1944 | $1,103,898,860.18 | 1.53% |
| 1945 | $1,127,557,676.47 | 2.14% |
| 1946 | $1,228,107,645.71 | 8.92% |
| 1947 | $1,426,519,082.35 | 16.16% |
| 1948 | $1,550,727,867.88 | 8.71% |
| 1949 | $1,549,114,766.77 | -0.10% |
| 1950 | $1,564,708,077.51 | 1.01% |
| 1951 | $1,687,841,462.30 | 7.87% |
| 1952 | $1,724,405,087.48 | 2.17% |
| 1953 | $1,739,460,697.85 | 0.87% |
| 1954 | $1,765,270,315.62 | 1.48% |
| 1955 | $1,777,099,723.77 | 0.67% |
| 1956 | $1,801,833,940.80 | 1.39% |
| 1957 | $1,860,443,281.16 | 3.25% |
| 1958 | $1,916,901,820.04 | 3.03% |
| 1959 | $1,932,495,130.78 | 0.81% |
| 1960 | $1,959,380,149.29 | 1.39% |
| 1961 | $1,969,058,755.95 | 0.49% |
| 1962 | $1,989,491,370.03 | 1.04% |
| 1963 | $2,009,386,283.73 | 1.00% |
| 1964 | $2,017,451,789.28 | 0.40% |
| 1965 | $2,044,336,807.79 | 1.33% |
| 1966 | $2,105,634,650.01 | 3.00% |
| 1967 | $2,160,480,087.77 | 2.60% |
| 1968 | $2,251,889,150.72 | 4.23% |
| 1969 | $2,375,022,535.51 | 5.47% |
| 1970 | $2,511,060,729.19 | 5.73% |
| 1971 | $2,609,997,597.32 | 3.94% |
| 1972 | $2,684,200,248.42 | 2.84% |
| 1973 | $2,852,500,464.32 | 6.27% |
| 1974 | $3,154,150,372.05 | 10.57% |
| 1975 | $3,403,105,643.48 | 7.89% |
| 1976 | $3,566,028,855.68 | 4.79% |
| 1977 | $3,790,249,910.08 | 6.29% |
| 1978 | $4,119,860,237.06 | 8.70% |
| 1979 | $4,633,901,791.05 | 12.48% |
| 1980 | $5,302,263,351.30 | 14.42% |
| 1981 | $5,809,852,500.84 | 9.57% |
| 1982 | $6,206,137,673.74 | 6.82% |
| 1983 | $6,453,479,844.07 | 3.99% |
| 1984 | $6,697,058,111.80 | 3.77% |
| 1985 | $6,949,777,285.83 | 3.77% |
| 1986 | $7,094,956,385.81 | 2.09% |
| 1987 | $7,387,465,387.24 | 4.12% |
| 1988 | $7,676,210,486.08 | 3.91% |
| 1989 | $8,064,430,153.42 | 5.06% |
| 1990 | $8,497,816,651.86 | 5.37% |
| 1991 | $8,842,482,589.21 | 4.06% |
| 1992 | $9,101,654,167.68 | 2.93% |
| 1993 | $9,382,333,760.96 | 3.08% |
| 1994 | $9,587,735,302.41 | 2.19% |
| 1995 | $9,892,611,412.36 | 3.18% |
| 1996 | $10,157,159,994.53 | 2.67% |
| 1997 | $10,435,151,085.97 | 2.74% |
| 1998 | $10,645,391,930.75 | 2.01% |
| 1999 | $10,865,849,082.56 | 2.07% |
| 2000 | $11,214,816,622.87 | 3.21% |
| 2001 | $11,506,787,923.93 | 2.60% |
| 2002 | $11,690,143,750.19 | 1.59% |
| 2003 | $11,905,223,898.30 | 1.84% |
| 2004 | $12,171,385,581.59 | 2.24% |
| 2005 | $12,539,710,335.23 | 3.03% |
| 2006 | $12,796,731,112.22 | 2.05% |
| 2007 | $13,215,658,847.71 | 3.27% |
| 2008 | $13,713,655,422.65 | 3.77% |
| 2009 | $13,549,732,087.76 | -1.20% |
| 2010 | $13,735,260,223.52 | 1.37% |
| 2011 | $14,110,386,886.85 | 2.73% |
| 2012 | $14,324,644,353.39 | 1.52% |
| 2013 | $14,488,562,311.27 | 1.14% |
| 2014 | $14,741,663,252.56 | 1.75% |
| 2015 | $14,698,082,637.55 | -0.30% |
| 2016 | $14,795,476,305.62 | 0.66% |
| 2017 | $15,073,548,052.11 | 1.88% |
| 2018 | $15,337,768,637.06 | 1.75% |
| 2019 | $15,561,952,052.44 | 1.46% |
| 2020 | $15,735,656,157.06 | 1.12% |
| 2021 | $16,399,371,986.11 | 4.22% |
| 2022 | $17,638,040,067.10 | 7.55% |
| 2023 | $18,224,784,088.15 | 3.33% |
| 2024 | $18,855,538,884.51 | 3.46% |
| 2025 | $19,454,133,821.72 | 3.17% |
| 2026 | $19,573,788,285.12 | 0.62%* |
* 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 | 2026 |
| 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 | 301.502 | 303.356 |