According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices in Chicago, Illinois are 1,415.17% higher in 2025 versus 1920 (a $117,314,522,547.19 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, $8,289,808,707 in Chicago in the year 1920 would cost $125,604,331,254.19 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 $8,289,808,707 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 | $8,289,808,707.00 | 19.10% |
| 1921 | $7,590,290,843.81 | -8.44% |
| 1922 | $7,169,188,050.55 | -5.55% |
| 1923 | $7,256,192,759.91 | 1.21% |
| 1924 | $7,398,880,483.24 | 1.97% |
| 1925 | $7,562,449,336.82 | 2.21% |
| 1926 | $7,694,696,495.04 | 1.75% |
| 1927 | $7,625,092,727.56 | -0.90% |
| 1928 | $7,388,439,918.12 | -3.10% |
| 1929 | $7,371,038,976.25 | -0.24% |
| 1930 | $7,290,994,643.65 | -1.09% |
| 1931 | $6,664,560,736.32 | -8.59% |
| 1932 | $5,881,518,352.15 | -11.75% |
| 1933 | $5,275,965,575.07 | -10.30% |
| 1934 | $5,310,767,458.81 | 0.66% |
| 1935 | $5,540,459,891.50 | 4.33% |
| 1936 | $5,651,825,919.47 | 2.01% |
| 1937 | $5,884,998,540.53 | 4.13% |
| 1938 | $5,843,236,280.04 | -0.71% |
| 1939 | $5,728,390,063.70 | -1.97% |
| 1940 | $5,759,711,759.06 | 0.55% |
| 1941 | $6,062,488,147.60 | 5.26% |
| 1942 | $6,664,560,736.32 | 9.93% |
| 1943 | $7,036,940,892.34 | 5.59% |
| 1944 | $7,144,826,731.94 | 1.53% |
| 1945 | $7,297,955,020.39 | 2.14% |
| 1946 | $7,948,750,246.34 | 8.92% |
| 1947 | $9,232,939,756.37 | 16.16% |
| 1948 | $10,036,863,270.78 | 8.71% |
| 1949 | $10,026,422,705.65 | -0.10% |
| 1950 | $10,127,348,168.50 | 1.01% |
| 1951 | $10,924,311,306.16 | 7.87% |
| 1952 | $11,160,964,115.60 | 2.17% |
| 1953 | $11,258,409,390.07 | 0.87% |
| 1954 | $11,425,458,432.02 | 1.48% |
| 1955 | $11,502,022,576.25 | 0.67% |
| 1956 | $11,662,111,241.46 | 1.39% |
| 1957 | $12,041,451,774.23 | 3.25% |
| 1958 | $12,406,871,553.51 | 3.03% |
| 1959 | $12,507,797,016.36 | 0.81% |
| 1960 | $12,681,806,435.06 | 1.39% |
| 1961 | $12,744,449,825.79 | 0.49% |
| 1962 | $12,876,696,984.01 | 1.04% |
| 1963 | $13,005,463,953.85 | 1.00% |
| 1964 | $13,057,666,779.46 | 0.40% |
| 1965 | $13,231,676,198.16 | 1.33% |
| 1966 | $13,628,417,672.80 | 3.00% |
| 1967 | $13,983,396,886.95 | 2.60% |
| 1968 | $14,575,028,910.54 | 4.23% |
| 1969 | $15,371,992,048.20 | 5.47% |
| 1970 | $16,252,479,706.84 | 5.73% |
| 1971 | $16,892,834,367.66 | 3.94% |
| 1972 | $17,373,100,363.28 | 2.84% |
| 1973 | $18,462,399,324.36 | 6.27% |
| 1974 | $20,414,785,002.21 | 10.57% |
| 1975 | $22,026,112,219.40 | 7.89% |
| 1976 | $23,080,609,296.74 | 4.79% |
| 1977 | $24,531,847,848.72 | 6.29% |
| 1978 | $26,665,203,322.01 | 8.70% |
| 1979 | $29,992,263,407.61 | 12.48% |
| 1980 | $34,318,137,556.56 | 14.42% |
| 1981 | $37,603,435,381.67 | 9.57% |
| 1982 | $40,168,334,213.35 | 6.82% |
| 1983 | $41,769,220,865.41 | 3.99% |
| 1984 | $43,345,746,198.86 | 3.77% |
| 1985 | $44,981,434,734.67 | 3.77% |
| 1986 | $45,921,085,595.66 | 2.09% |
| 1987 | $47,814,308,071.15 | 4.12% |
| 1988 | $49,683,169,228.02 | 3.91% |
| 1989 | $52,195,865,234.08 | 5.06% |
| 1990 | $55,000,897,063.57 | 5.37% |
| 1991 | $57,231,697,811.34 | 4.06% |
| 1992 | $58,909,148,607.64 | 2.93% |
| 1993 | $60,725,806,938.89 | 3.08% |
| 1994 | $62,055,238,897.78 | 2.19% |
| 1995 | $64,028,505,705.87 | 3.18% |
| 1996 | $65,740,758,385.91 | 2.67% |
| 1997 | $67,540,015,775.29 | 2.74% |
| 1998 | $68,900,769,429.55 | 2.01% |
| 1999 | $70,327,646,662.91 | 2.07% |
| 2000 | $72,586,288,917.67 | 3.21% |
| 2001 | $74,476,031,204.79 | 2.60% |
| 2002 | $75,662,775,440.34 | 1.59% |
| 2003 | $77,054,850,789.96 | 1.84% |
| 2004 | $78,777,544,035.12 | 2.24% |
| 2005 | $81,161,473,071.35 | 3.03% |
| 2006 | $82,825,003,114.14 | 2.05% |
| 2007 | $85,536,452,678.26 | 3.27% |
| 2008 | $88,759,663,942.77 | 3.77% |
| 2009 | $87,698,693,715.06 | -1.20% |
| 2010 | $88,899,497,911.64 | 1.37% |
| 2011 | $91,327,451,330.80 | 2.73% |
| 2012 | $92,714,201,992.21 | 1.52% |
| 2013 | $93,775,137,418.04 | 1.14% |
| 2014 | $95,413,296,887.59 | 1.75% |
| 2015 | $95,131,227,619.87 | -0.30% |
| 2016 | $95,761,594,140.07 | 0.66% |
| 2017 | $97,561,373,557.71 | 1.88% |
| 2018 | $99,271,503,322.84 | 1.75% |
| 2019 | $100,722,498,261.63 | 1.46% |
| 2020 | $101,846,773,115.87 | 1.12% |
| 2021 | $106,142,578,437.27 | 4.22% |
| 2022 | $114,159,679,583.28 | 7.55% |
| 2023 | $117,957,295,938.93 | 3.33% |
| 2024 | $122,039,765,713.00 | 3.46% |
| 2025 | $125,604,331,254.19 | 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 |