According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices in Chicago, Illinois are 1,569.09% higher in 2026 versus 1921 (a $910,070,261,348.01 difference in value).
Between 1921 and 2026:Chicago experienced an average inflation rate of 2.72% per year. This rate of change indicates significant inflation. In other words, $58,000,000,000 in Chicago in the year 1921 would cost $968,070,261,348.01 in 2026 for an equivalent purchase. Compared to the overall inflation rate of 2.81% 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 1921-2026 time period. Compared to inflation for all items in 1921 (-10.94%), inflation in Chicago was higher.
Below are calculations of equivalent buying power in Chicago, over time, for $58,000,000,000 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 | $58,000,000,000.00 | -8.44% |
| 1922 | $54,782,209,995.41 | -5.55% |
| 1923 | $55,447,042,640.99 | 1.21% |
| 1924 | $56,537,368,179.73 | 1.97% |
| 1925 | $57,787,253,553.42 | 2.21% |
| 1926 | $58,797,799,174.69 | 1.75% |
| 1927 | $58,265,933,058.23 | -0.90% |
| 1928 | $56,457,588,262.27 | -3.10% |
| 1929 | $56,324,621,733.15 | -0.24% |
| 1930 | $55,712,975,699.22 | -1.09% |
| 1931 | $50,926,180,651.08 | -8.59% |
| 1932 | $44,942,686,840.90 | -11.75% |
| 1933 | $40,315,451,627.69 | -10.30% |
| 1934 | $40,581,384,685.92 | 0.66% |
| 1935 | $42,336,542,870.24 | 4.33% |
| 1936 | $43,187,528,656.58 | 2.01% |
| 1937 | $44,969,280,146.72 | 4.13% |
| 1938 | $44,650,160,476.85 | -0.71% |
| 1939 | $43,772,581,384.69 | -1.97% |
| 1940 | $44,011,921,137.09 | 0.55% |
| 1941 | $46,325,538,743.70 | 5.26% |
| 1942 | $50,926,180,651.08 | 9.93% |
| 1943 | $53,771,664,374.14 | 5.59% |
| 1944 | $54,596,056,854.65 | 1.53% |
| 1945 | $55,766,162,310.87 | 2.14% |
| 1946 | $60,739,110,499.77 | 8.92% |
| 1947 | $70,552,040,348.46 | 16.16% |
| 1948 | $76,695,093,993.58 | 8.71% |
| 1949 | $76,615,314,076.11 | -0.10% |
| 1950 | $77,386,519,944.98 | 1.01% |
| 1951 | $83,476,386,978.45 | 7.87% |
| 1952 | $85,284,731,774.42 | 2.17% |
| 1953 | $86,029,344,337.46 | 0.87% |
| 1954 | $87,305,823,016.96 | 1.48% |
| 1955 | $87,890,875,745.07 | 0.67% |
| 1956 | $89,114,167,812.93 | 1.39% |
| 1957 | $92,012,838,147.64 | 3.25% |
| 1958 | $94,805,135,259.06 | 3.03% |
| 1959 | $95,576,341,127.92 | 0.81% |
| 1960 | $96,906,006,419.07 | 1.39% |
| 1961 | $97,384,685,923.89 | 0.49% |
| 1962 | $98,395,231,545.16 | 1.04% |
| 1963 | $99,379,183,860.61 | 1.00% |
| 1964 | $99,778,083,447.96 | 0.40% |
| 1965 | $101,107,748,739.11 | 1.33% |
| 1966 | $104,139,385,602.93 | 3.00% |
| 1967 | $106,851,902,796.88 | 2.60% |
| 1968 | $111,372,764,786.80 | 4.23% |
| 1969 | $117,462,631,820.27 | 5.47% |
| 1970 | $124,190,738,193.49 | 5.73% |
| 1971 | $129,083,906,464.92 | 3.94% |
| 1972 | $132,753,782,668.50 | 2.84% |
| 1973 | $141,077,487,391.11 | 6.27% |
| 1974 | $155,996,331,957.82 | 10.57% |
| 1975 | $168,309,032,553.87 | 7.89% |
| 1976 | $176,366,804,218.25 | 4.79% |
| 1977 | $187,456,212,746.45 | 6.29% |
| 1978 | $203,757,909,215.96 | 8.70% |
| 1979 | $229,181,109,582.76 | 12.48% |
| 1980 | $262,236,588,720.77 | 14.42% |
| 1981 | $287,340,669,417.70 | 9.57% |
| 1982 | $306,939,935,809.26 | 6.82% |
| 1983 | $319,172,856,487.85 | 3.99% |
| 1984 | $331,219,624,025.68 | 3.77% |
| 1985 | $343,718,477,762.49 | 3.77% |
| 1986 | $350,898,670,334.71 | 2.09% |
| 1987 | $365,365,428,702.43 | 4.12% |
| 1988 | $379,646,033,929.39 | 3.91% |
| 1989 | $398,846,400,733.61 | 5.06% |
| 1990 | $420,280,605,226.96 | 5.37% |
| 1991 | $437,326,914,259.51 | 4.06% |
| 1992 | $450,144,887,666.21 | 2.93% |
| 1993 | $464,026,593,305.82 | 3.08% |
| 1994 | $474,185,236,130.22 | 2.19% |
| 1995 | $489,263,640,531.87 | 3.18% |
| 1996 | $502,347,546,996.79 | 2.67% |
| 1997 | $516,096,286,107.29 | 2.74% |
| 1998 | $526,494,268,684.09 | 2.01% |
| 1999 | $537,397,524,071.53 | 2.07% |
| 2000 | $554,656,579,550.66 | 3.21% |
| 2001 | $569,096,744,612.56 | 2.60% |
| 2002 | $578,165,061,898.21 | 1.59% |
| 2003 | $588,802,384,227.42 | 1.84% |
| 2004 | $601,966,070,609.81 | 2.24% |
| 2005 | $620,182,485,098.58 | 3.03% |
| 2006 | $632,894,085,281.98 | 2.05% |
| 2007 | $653,613,195,781.75 | 3.27% |
| 2008 | $678,242,851,902.80 | 3.77% |
| 2009 | $670,135,616,689.59 | -1.20% |
| 2010 | $679,311,370,930.77 | 1.37% |
| 2011 | $697,864,190,738.19 | 2.73% |
| 2012 | $708,460,825,309.49 | 1.52% |
| 2013 | $716,567,794,589.64 | 1.14% |
| 2014 | $729,085,529,573.59 | 1.75% |
| 2015 | $726,930,142,136.63 | -0.30% |
| 2016 | $731,746,987,620.36 | 0.66% |
| 2017 | $745,499,715,726.73 | 1.88% |
| 2018 | $758,567,400,275.10 | 1.75% |
| 2019 | $769,654,947,271.89 | 1.46% |
| 2020 | $778,245,914,718.02 | 1.12% |
| 2021 | $811,071,627,693.72 | 4.22% |
| 2022 | $872,333,030,719.85 | 7.55% |
| 2023 | $901,351,911,966.99 | 3.33% |
| 2024 | $932,547,455,295.74 | 3.46% |
| 2025 | $962,152,453,003.21 | 3.17% |
| 2026 | $968,070,261,348.01 | 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 |