According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices in Chicago, Illinois are 1,415.17% higher in 2025 versus 1920 (a $359,452,066,750.63 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, $25,400,000,000 in Chicago in the year 1920 would cost $384,852,066,750.63 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 $25,400,000,000 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 | $25,400,000,000.00 | 19.10% |
| 1921 | $23,256,675,062.97 | -8.44% |
| 1922 | $21,966,414,777.50 | -5.55% |
| 1923 | $22,232,997,481.11 | 1.21% |
| 1924 | $22,670,193,115.03 | 1.97% |
| 1925 | $23,171,368,597.82 | 2.21% |
| 1926 | $23,576,574,307.30 | 1.75% |
| 1927 | $23,363,308,144.42 | -0.90% |
| 1928 | $22,638,203,190.60 | -3.10% |
| 1929 | $22,584,886,649.87 | -0.24% |
| 1930 | $22,339,630,562.55 | -1.09% |
| 1931 | $20,420,235,096.56 | -8.59% |
| 1932 | $18,020,990,764.06 | -11.75% |
| 1933 | $16,165,575,146.94 | -10.30% |
| 1934 | $16,272,208,228.38 | 0.66% |
| 1935 | $16,975,986,565.91 | 4.33% |
| 1936 | $17,317,212,426.53 | 2.01% |
| 1937 | $18,031,654,072.21 | 4.13% |
| 1938 | $17,903,694,374.48 | -0.71% |
| 1939 | $17,551,805,205.71 | -1.97% |
| 1940 | $17,647,774,979.01 | 0.55% |
| 1941 | $18,575,482,787.57 | 5.26% |
| 1942 | $20,420,235,096.56 | 9.93% |
| 1943 | $21,561,209,068.01 | 5.59% |
| 1944 | $21,891,771,620.49 | 1.53% |
| 1945 | $22,360,957,178.84 | 2.14% |
| 1946 | $24,354,995,801.85 | 8.92% |
| 1947 | $28,289,756,507.14 | 16.16% |
| 1948 | $30,752,980,688.50 | 8.71% |
| 1949 | $30,720,990,764.06 | -0.10% |
| 1950 | $31,030,226,700.25 | 1.01% |
| 1951 | $33,472,124,265.32 | 7.87% |
| 1952 | $34,197,229,219.14 | 2.17% |
| 1953 | $34,495,801,847.19 | 0.87% |
| 1954 | $35,007,640,638.12 | 1.48% |
| 1955 | $35,242,233,417.30 | 0.67% |
| 1956 | $35,732,745,591.94 | 1.39% |
| 1957 | $36,895,046,179.68 | 3.25% |
| 1958 | $38,014,693,534.84 | 3.03% |
| 1959 | $38,323,929,471.03 | 0.81% |
| 1960 | $38,857,094,878.25 | 1.39% |
| 1961 | $39,049,034,424.85 | 0.49% |
| 1962 | $39,454,240,134.34 | 1.04% |
| 1963 | $39,848,782,535.68 | 1.00% |
| 1964 | $40,008,732,157.85 | 0.40% |
| 1965 | $40,541,897,565.07 | 1.33% |
| 1966 | $41,757,514,693.53 | 3.00% |
| 1967 | $42,845,172,124.27 | 2.60% |
| 1968 | $44,657,934,508.82 | 4.23% |
| 1969 | $47,099,832,073.89 | 5.47% |
| 1970 | $49,797,649,034.42 | 5.73% |
| 1971 | $51,759,697,733.00 | 3.94% |
| 1972 | $53,231,234,256.93 | 2.84% |
| 1973 | $56,568,849,706.13 | 6.27% |
| 1974 | $62,550,965,575.15 | 10.57% |
| 1975 | $67,488,077,246.01 | 7.89% |
| 1976 | $70,719,059,613.77 | 4.79% |
| 1977 | $75,165,659,109.99 | 6.29% |
| 1978 | $81,702,267,002.52 | 8.70% |
| 1979 | $91,896,389,588.58 | 12.48% |
| 1980 | $105,150,881,612.09 | 14.42% |
| 1981 | $115,217,044,500.42 | 9.57% |
| 1982 | $123,075,902,602.85 | 6.82% |
| 1983 | $127,981,024,349.29 | 3.99% |
| 1984 | $132,811,502,938.71 | 3.77% |
| 1985 | $137,823,257,766.58 | 3.77% |
| 1986 | $140,702,350,965.58 | 2.09% |
| 1987 | $146,503,190,596.14 | 4.12% |
| 1988 | $152,229,387,069.69 | 3.91% |
| 1989 | $159,928,295,549.96 | 5.06% |
| 1990 | $168,522,921,914.36 | 5.37% |
| 1991 | $175,358,102,434.93 | 4.06% |
| 1992 | $180,497,816,960.54 | 2.93% |
| 1993 | $186,064,063,811.92 | 3.08% |
| 1994 | $190,137,447,523.09 | 2.19% |
| 1995 | $196,183,543,240.97 | 3.18% |
| 1996 | $201,429,890,848.03 | 2.67% |
| 1997 | $206,942,821,158.69 | 2.74% |
| 1998 | $211,112,174,643.16 | 2.01% |
| 1999 | $215,484,130,982.37 | 2.07% |
| 2000 | $222,404,617,968.09 | 3.21% |
| 2001 | $228,194,794,290.51 | 2.60% |
| 2002 | $231,830,982,367.76 | 1.59% |
| 2003 | $236,096,305,625.52 | 1.84% |
| 2004 | $241,374,643,157.01 | 2.24% |
| 2005 | $248,679,009,235.94 | 3.03% |
| 2006 | $253,776,070,528.97 | 2.05% |
| 2007 | $262,083,960,537.36 | 3.27% |
| 2008 | $271,959,890,008.40 | 3.77% |
| 2009 | $268,709,073,887.49 | -1.20% |
| 2010 | $272,388,341,729.64 | 1.37% |
| 2011 | $279,827,598,656.59 | 2.73% |
| 2012 | $284,076,607,052.90 | 1.52% |
| 2013 | $287,327,316,540.72 | 1.14% |
| 2014 | $292,346,642,317.38 | 1.75% |
| 2015 | $291,482,381,192.28 | -0.30% |
| 2016 | $293,413,826,196.47 | 0.66% |
| 2017 | $298,928,356,003.36 | 1.88% |
| 2018 | $304,168,198,992.44 | 1.75% |
| 2019 | $308,614,052,057.09 | 1.46% |
| 2020 | $312,058,833,753.15 | 1.12% |
| 2021 | $325,221,194,794.29 | 4.22% |
| 2022 | $349,785,617,968.09 | 7.55% |
| 2023 | $361,421,526,448.36 | 3.33% |
| 2024 | $373,930,226,700.25 | 3.46% |
| 2025 | $384,852,066,750.63 | 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 |