According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices in Chicago, Illinois are 1,415.17% higher in 2025 versus 1920 (a $20,661,418,010.08 difference in value).
Between 1920 and 2025: Chicago experienced an average inflation rate of 2.62% per year. This rate of change indicates significant inflation. In other words, $1,460,000,000 in Chicago in the year 1920 would cost $22,121,418,010.08 in 2025 for an equivalent purchase. Compared to the overall inflation rate of 2.68% 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 1920-2025 time period. Compared to inflation for all items in 1920 (15.62%), inflation in Chicago was much higher.
Below are calculations of equivalent buying power in Chicago, over time, for $1,460,000,000 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 | $1,460,000,000.00 | 19.10% |
| 1921 | $1,336,801,007.56 | -8.44% |
| 1922 | $1,262,636,439.97 | -5.55% |
| 1923 | $1,277,959,697.73 | 1.21% |
| 1924 | $1,303,089,840.47 | 1.97% |
| 1925 | $1,331,897,565.07 | 2.21% |
| 1926 | $1,355,188,916.88 | 1.75% |
| 1927 | $1,342,930,310.66 | -0.90% |
| 1928 | $1,301,251,049.54 | -3.10% |
| 1929 | $1,298,186,397.98 | -0.24% |
| 1930 | $1,284,089,000.84 | -1.09% |
| 1931 | $1,173,761,544.92 | -8.59% |
| 1932 | $1,035,852,225.02 | -11.75% |
| 1933 | $929,202,350.97 | -10.30% |
| 1934 | $935,331,654.07 | 0.66% |
| 1935 | $975,785,054.58 | 4.33% |
| 1936 | $995,398,824.52 | 2.01% |
| 1937 | $1,036,465,155.33 | 4.13% |
| 1938 | $1,029,109,991.60 | -0.71% |
| 1939 | $1,008,883,291.35 | -1.97% |
| 1940 | $1,014,399,664.15 | 0.55% |
| 1941 | $1,067,724,601.18 | 5.26% |
| 1942 | $1,173,761,544.92 | 9.93% |
| 1943 | $1,239,345,088.16 | 5.59% |
| 1944 | $1,258,345,927.79 | 1.53% |
| 1945 | $1,285,314,861.46 | 2.14% |
| 1946 | $1,399,932,829.55 | 8.92% |
| 1947 | $1,626,104,114.19 | 16.16% |
| 1948 | $1,767,691,015.95 | 8.71% |
| 1949 | $1,765,852,225.02 | -0.10% |
| 1950 | $1,783,627,204.03 | 1.01% |
| 1951 | $1,923,988,245.17 | 7.87% |
| 1952 | $1,965,667,506.30 | 2.17% |
| 1953 | $1,982,829,555.00 | 0.87% |
| 1954 | $2,012,250,209.91 | 1.48% |
| 1955 | $2,025,734,676.74 | 0.67% |
| 1956 | $2,053,929,471.03 | 1.39% |
| 1957 | $2,120,738,874.90 | 3.25% |
| 1958 | $2,185,096,557.51 | 3.03% |
| 1959 | $2,202,871,536.52 | 0.81% |
| 1960 | $2,233,518,052.06 | 1.39% |
| 1961 | $2,244,550,797.65 | 0.49% |
| 1962 | $2,267,842,149.45 | 1.04% |
| 1963 | $2,290,520,570.95 | 1.00% |
| 1964 | $2,299,714,525.61 | 0.40% |
| 1965 | $2,330,361,041.14 | 1.33% |
| 1966 | $2,400,235,096.56 | 3.00% |
| 1967 | $2,462,753,988.25 | 2.60% |
| 1968 | $2,566,952,141.06 | 4.23% |
| 1969 | $2,707,313,182.20 | 5.47% |
| 1970 | $2,862,384,550.80 | 5.73% |
| 1971 | $2,975,163,727.96 | 3.94% |
| 1972 | $3,059,748,110.83 | 2.84% |
| 1973 | $3,251,595,298.07 | 6.27% |
| 1974 | $3,595,449,202.35 | 10.57% |
| 1975 | $3,879,235,936.19 | 7.89% |
| 1976 | $4,064,953,820.32 | 4.79% |
| 1977 | $4,320,545,759.87 | 6.29% |
| 1978 | $4,696,272,040.30 | 8.70% |
| 1979 | $5,282,233,417.30 | 12.48% |
| 1980 | $6,044,105,793.45 | 14.42% |
| 1981 | $6,622,712,006.72 | 9.57% |
| 1982 | $7,074,441,645.68 | 6.82% |
| 1983 | $7,356,389,588.58 | 3.99% |
| 1984 | $7,634,047,019.31 | 3.77% |
| 1985 | $7,922,124,265.32 | 3.77% |
| 1986 | $8,087,615,449.20 | 2.09% |
| 1987 | $8,421,049,538.20 | 4.12% |
| 1988 | $8,750,193,115.03 | 3.91% |
| 1989 | $9,192,728,799.33 | 5.06% |
| 1990 | $9,686,750,629.72 | 5.37% |
| 1991 | $10,079,638,958.86 | 4.06% |
| 1992 | $10,375,071,368.60 | 2.93% |
| 1993 | $10,695,020,990.76 | 3.08% |
| 1994 | $10,929,160,369.44 | 2.19% |
| 1995 | $11,276,691,855.58 | 3.18% |
| 1996 | $11,578,253,568.43 | 2.67% |
| 1997 | $11,895,138,539.04 | 2.74% |
| 1998 | $12,134,794,290.51 | 2.01% |
| 1999 | $12,386,095,717.88 | 2.07% |
| 2000 | $12,783,887,489.50 | 3.21% |
| 2001 | $13,116,708,648.19 | 2.60% |
| 2002 | $13,325,717,884.13 | 1.59% |
| 2003 | $13,570,890,008.40 | 1.84% |
| 2004 | $13,874,290,512.17 | 2.24% |
| 2005 | $14,294,147,774.98 | 3.03% |
| 2006 | $14,587,128,463.48 | 2.05% |
| 2007 | $15,064,668,597.82 | 3.27% |
| 2008 | $15,632,340,134.34 | 3.77% |
| 2009 | $15,445,482,199.83 | -1.20% |
| 2010 | $15,656,967,674.22 | 1.37% |
| 2011 | $16,084,578,505.46 | 2.73% |
| 2012 | $16,328,812,846.35 | 1.52% |
| 2013 | $16,515,664,651.55 | 1.14% |
| 2014 | $16,804,177,078.09 | 1.75% |
| 2015 | $16,754,499,076.41 | -0.30% |
| 2016 | $16,865,519,143.58 | 0.66% |
| 2017 | $17,182,496,053.74 | 1.88% |
| 2018 | $17,483,683,879.09 | 1.75% |
| 2019 | $17,739,232,913.52 | 1.46% |
| 2020 | $17,937,240,050.38 | 1.12% |
| 2021 | $18,693,816,708.65 | 4.22% |
| 2022 | $20,105,787,489.50 | 7.55% |
| 2023 | $20,774,623,173.80 | 3.33% |
| 2024 | $21,493,627,204.03 | 3.46% |
| 2025 | $22,121,418,010.08 | 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 |