According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices in Chicago, Illinois are 1,546.44% higher in 2026 versus 1926 (a $525,789,470,827.68 difference in value).
Between 1926 and 2026:Chicago experienced an average inflation rate of 2.84% per year. This rate of change indicates significant inflation. In other words, $34,000,000,000 in Chicago in the year 1926 would cost $559,789,470,827.68 in 2026 for an equivalent purchase. Compared to the overall inflation rate of 2.96% during this same period, inflation in Chicago was lower.
In the year 1926: Pricing changed by 1.75%, which is below the average yearly change in Chicago during the 1926-2026 time period. Compared to inflation for all items in 1926 (0.90%), inflation in Chicago was higher.
Below are calculations of equivalent buying power in Chicago, over time, for $34,000,000,000 beginning in 1926. Each of the amounts below is equivalent in terms of what it could buy at the time:
| Year | USD Value | Inflation Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1926 | $34,000,000,000.00 | 1.75% |
| 1927 | $33,692,446,856.63 | -0.90% |
| 1928 | $32,646,766,169.15 | -3.10% |
| 1929 | $32,569,877,883.31 | -0.24% |
| 1930 | $32,216,191,768.43 | -1.09% |
| 1931 | $29,448,213,478.06 | -8.59% |
| 1932 | $25,988,240,615.11 | -11.75% |
| 1933 | $23,312,528,267.75 | -10.30% |
| 1934 | $23,466,304,839.44 | 0.66% |
| 1935 | $24,481,230,212.57 | 4.33% |
| 1936 | $24,973,315,241.97 | 2.01% |
| 1937 | $26,003,618,272.27 | 4.13% |
| 1938 | $25,819,086,386.25 | -0.71% |
| 1939 | $25,311,623,699.68 | -1.97% |
| 1940 | $25,450,022,614.20 | 0.55% |
| 1941 | $26,787,878,787.88 | 5.26% |
| 1942 | $29,448,213,478.06 | 9.93% |
| 1943 | $31,093,622,795.12 | 5.59% |
| 1944 | $31,570,330,167.35 | 1.53% |
| 1945 | $32,246,947,082.77 | 2.14% |
| 1946 | $35,122,568,973.32 | 8.92% |
| 1947 | $40,796,924,468.57 | 16.16% |
| 1948 | $44,349,163,274.54 | 8.71% |
| 1949 | $44,303,030,303.03 | -0.10% |
| 1950 | $44,748,982,360.92 | 1.01% |
| 1951 | $48,270,465,852.56 | 7.87% |
| 1952 | $49,316,146,540.03 | 2.17% |
| 1953 | $49,746,720,940.75 | 0.87% |
| 1954 | $50,484,848,484.85 | 1.48% |
| 1955 | $50,823,156,942.56 | 0.67% |
| 1956 | $51,530,529,172.32 | 1.39% |
| 1957 | $53,206,693,803.71 | 3.25% |
| 1958 | $54,821,347,806.42 | 3.03% |
| 1959 | $55,267,299,864.31 | 0.81% |
| 1960 | $56,036,182,722.75 | 1.39% |
| 1961 | $56,312,980,551.79 | 0.49% |
| 1962 | $56,897,331,524.20 | 1.04% |
| 1963 | $57,466,304,839.44 | 1.00% |
| 1964 | $57,696,969,696.97 | 0.40% |
| 1965 | $58,465,852,555.40 | 1.33% |
| 1966 | $60,218,905,472.64 | 3.00% |
| 1967 | $61,787,426,503.84 | 2.60% |
| 1968 | $64,401,628,222.52 | 4.23% |
| 1969 | $67,923,111,714.16 | 5.47% |
| 1970 | $71,813,658,977.84 | 5.73% |
| 1971 | $74,643,147,896.88 | 3.94% |
| 1972 | $76,765,264,586.16 | 2.84% |
| 1973 | $81,578,471,279.96 | 6.27% |
| 1974 | $90,205,336,951.61 | 10.57% |
| 1975 | $97,325,192,220.71 | 7.89% |
| 1976 | $101,984,622,342.83 | 4.79% |
| 1977 | $108,397,105,382.18 | 6.29% |
| 1978 | $117,823,609,226.59 | 8.70% |
| 1979 | $132,524,649,479.87 | 12.48% |
| 1980 | $151,639,077,340.57 | 14.42% |
| 1981 | $166,155,585,707.82 | 9.57% |
| 1982 | $177,488,919,041.16 | 6.82% |
| 1983 | $184,562,641,338.76 | 3.99% |
| 1984 | $191,528,720,036.18 | 3.77% |
| 1985 | $198,756,218,905.47 | 3.77% |
| 1986 | $202,908,186,341.02 | 2.09% |
| 1987 | $211,273,631,840.80 | 4.12% |
| 1988 | $219,531,433,740.39 | 3.91% |
| 1989 | $230,634,102,216.19 | 5.06% |
| 1990 | $243,028,493,894.17 | 5.37% |
| 1991 | $252,885,572,139.30 | 4.06% |
| 1992 | $260,297,602,894.62 | 2.93% |
| 1993 | $268,324,739,936.68 | 3.08% |
| 1994 | $274,199,004,975.12 | 2.19% |
| 1995 | $282,918,136,589.78 | 3.18% |
| 1996 | $290,483,943,916.78 | 2.67% |
| 1997 | $298,434,192,673.00 | 2.74% |
| 1998 | $304,446,856,625.96 | 2.01% |
| 1999 | $310,751,696,065.13 | 2.07% |
| 2000 | $320,731,795,567.62 | 3.21% |
| 2001 | $329,081,863,410.22 | 2.60% |
| 2002 | $334,325,644,504.75 | 1.59% |
| 2003 | $340,476,707,372.23 | 1.84% |
| 2004 | $348,088,647,670.74 | 2.24% |
| 2005 | $358,622,342,831.30 | 3.03% |
| 2006 | $365,972,862,957.94 | 2.05% |
| 2007 | $377,953,749,434.64 | 3.27% |
| 2008 | $392,195,920,398.01 | 3.77% |
| 2009 | $387,507,887,833.56 | -1.20% |
| 2010 | $392,813,794,663.05 | 1.37% |
| 2011 | $403,542,017,186.79 | 2.73% |
| 2012 | $409,669,552,238.81 | 1.52% |
| 2013 | $414,357,431,026.68 | 1.14% |
| 2014 | $421,595,848,032.56 | 1.75% |
| 2015 | $420,349,488,919.04 | -0.30% |
| 2016 | $423,134,843,962.01 | 0.66% |
| 2017 | $431,087,399,366.80 | 1.88% |
| 2018 | $438,643,826,322.93 | 1.75% |
| 2019 | $445,055,232,926.28 | 1.46% |
| 2020 | $450,022,985,074.63 | 1.12% |
| 2021 | $469,004,549,977.39 | 4.22% |
| 2022 | $504,429,136,137.49 | 7.55% |
| 2023 | $521,209,389,416.55 | 3.33% |
| 2024 | $539,248,303,934.87 | 3.46% |
| 2025 | $556,367,480,777.93 | 3.17% |
| 2026 | $559,789,470,827.68 | 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 |