According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices in Chicago, Illinois are 1,554.80% higher in 2025 versus 1921 (a $310,960,522.70 difference in value).
Between 1921 and 2025: Chicago experienced an average inflation rate of 2.74% per year. This rate of change indicates significant inflation. In other words, $20,000,000 in Chicago in the year 1921 would cost $330,960,522.70 in 2025 for an equivalent purchase. Compared to the overall inflation rate of 2.82% during this same period, inflation in Chicago was lower.
In the year 1921: Pricing changed by -8.44%, which is significantly below the average yearly change in Chicago during the 1921-2025 time period. Compared to inflation for all items in 1921 (-10.90%), inflation in Chicago was higher.
Below are calculations of equivalent buying power in Chicago, over time, for $20,000,000 beginning in 1921. Each of the amounts below is equivalent in terms of what it could buy at the time:
| Year | USD Value | Inflation Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1921 | $20,000,000.00 | -8.44% |
| 1922 | $18,890,417.24 | -5.55% |
| 1923 | $19,119,669.88 | 1.21% |
| 1924 | $19,495,644.20 | 1.97% |
| 1925 | $19,926,639.16 | 2.21% |
| 1926 | $20,275,103.16 | 1.75% |
| 1927 | $20,091,701.05 | -0.90% |
| 1928 | $19,468,133.88 | -3.10% |
| 1929 | $19,422,283.36 | -0.24% |
| 1930 | $19,211,370.93 | -1.09% |
| 1931 | $17,560,751.95 | -8.59% |
| 1932 | $15,497,478.22 | -11.75% |
| 1933 | $13,901,879.87 | -10.30% |
| 1934 | $13,993,580.93 | 0.66% |
| 1935 | $14,598,807.89 | 4.33% |
| 1936 | $14,892,251.26 | 2.01% |
| 1937 | $15,506,648.33 | 4.13% |
| 1938 | $15,396,607.06 | -0.71% |
| 1939 | $15,093,993.58 | -1.97% |
| 1940 | $15,176,524.53 | 0.55% |
| 1941 | $15,974,323.70 | 5.26% |
| 1942 | $17,560,751.95 | 9.93% |
| 1943 | $18,541,953.23 | 5.59% |
| 1944 | $18,826,226.50 | 1.53% |
| 1945 | $19,229,711.14 | 2.14% |
| 1946 | $20,944,520.86 | 8.92% |
| 1947 | $24,328,289.78 | 16.16% |
| 1948 | $26,446,584.14 | 8.71% |
| 1949 | $26,419,073.82 | -0.10% |
| 1950 | $26,685,006.88 | 1.01% |
| 1951 | $28,784,961.03 | 7.87% |
| 1952 | $29,408,528.20 | 2.17% |
| 1953 | $29,665,291.15 | 0.87% |
| 1954 | $30,105,456.21 | 1.48% |
| 1955 | $30,307,198.53 | 0.67% |
| 1956 | $30,729,023.38 | 1.39% |
| 1957 | $31,728,564.88 | 3.25% |
| 1958 | $32,691,425.95 | 3.03% |
| 1959 | $32,957,359.01 | 0.81% |
| 1960 | $33,415,864.28 | 1.39% |
| 1961 | $33,580,926.18 | 0.49% |
| 1962 | $33,929,390.19 | 1.04% |
| 1963 | $34,268,684.09 | 1.00% |
| 1964 | $34,406,235.67 | 0.40% |
| 1965 | $34,864,740.94 | 1.33% |
| 1966 | $35,910,132.97 | 3.00% |
| 1967 | $36,845,483.72 | 2.60% |
| 1968 | $38,404,401.65 | 4.23% |
| 1969 | $40,504,355.80 | 5.47% |
| 1970 | $42,824,392.48 | 5.73% |
| 1971 | $44,511,691.88 | 3.94% |
| 1972 | $45,777,166.44 | 2.84% |
| 1973 | $48,647,409.45 | 6.27% |
| 1974 | $53,791,838.61 | 10.57% |
| 1975 | $58,037,597.43 | 7.89% |
| 1976 | $60,816,139.39 | 4.79% |
| 1977 | $64,640,073.36 | 6.29% |
| 1978 | $70,261,348.01 | 8.70% |
| 1979 | $79,027,968.82 | 12.48% |
| 1980 | $90,426,409.90 | 14.42% |
| 1981 | $99,082,989.45 | 9.57% |
| 1982 | $105,841,357.18 | 6.82% |
| 1983 | $110,059,605.69 | 3.99% |
| 1984 | $114,213,663.46 | 3.77% |
| 1985 | $118,523,613.02 | 3.77% |
| 1986 | $120,999,541.49 | 2.09% |
| 1987 | $125,988,078.86 | 4.12% |
| 1988 | $130,912,425.49 | 3.91% |
| 1989 | $137,533,241.63 | 5.06% |
| 1990 | $144,924,346.63 | 5.37% |
| 1991 | $150,802,384.23 | 4.06% |
| 1992 | $155,222,375.06 | 2.93% |
| 1993 | $160,009,170.11 | 3.08% |
| 1994 | $163,512,150.39 | 2.19% |
| 1995 | $168,711,600.18 | 3.18% |
| 1996 | $173,223,292.07 | 2.67% |
| 1997 | $177,964,236.59 | 2.74% |
| 1998 | $181,549,747.82 | 2.01% |
| 1999 | $185,309,491.06 | 2.07% |
| 2000 | $191,260,889.50 | 3.21% |
| 2001 | $196,240,256.76 | 2.60% |
| 2002 | $199,367,262.72 | 1.59% |
| 2003 | $203,035,304.91 | 1.84% |
| 2004 | $207,574,507.11 | 2.24% |
| 2005 | $213,856,029.34 | 3.03% |
| 2006 | $218,239,339.75 | 2.05% |
| 2007 | $225,383,860.61 | 3.27% |
| 2008 | $233,876,845.48 | 3.77% |
| 2009 | $231,081,247.13 | -1.20% |
| 2010 | $234,245,300.32 | 1.37% |
| 2011 | $240,642,824.39 | 2.73% |
| 2012 | $244,296,836.31 | 1.52% |
| 2013 | $247,092,342.96 | 1.14% |
| 2014 | $251,408,803.30 | 1.75% |
| 2015 | $250,665,566.25 | -0.30% |
| 2016 | $252,326,547.46 | 0.66% |
| 2017 | $257,068,867.49 | 1.88% |
| 2018 | $261,574,965.61 | 1.75% |
| 2019 | $265,398,257.68 | 1.46% |
| 2020 | $268,360,660.25 | 1.12% |
| 2021 | $279,679,871.62 | 4.22% |
| 2022 | $300,804,493.35 | 7.55% |
| 2023 | $310,811,004.13 | 3.33% |
| 2024 | $321,568,088.03 | 3.46% |
| 2025 | $330,960,522.70 | 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 |