$1 in 1800 is worth $1.22 in 1815

Value of $1 from 1800 to 1815

$1 in 1800 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $1.22 in 1815, an increase of $0.22 over 15 years. The dollar had an average inflation rate of 1.35% per year between 1800 and 1815, producing a cumulative price increase of 22.22%.

This means that prices in 1815 are 1.22 times as high as average prices since 1800, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index.

The inflation rate in 1800 was 2.44%. The inflation rate in 1815 was -12.50%. The 1815 inflation rate is lower compared to the average inflation rate of 1.45% per year between 1815 and 2024.


Inflation from 1800 to 1815
Cumulative price change22.22%
Average inflation rate1.35%
Converted amount
$1 base
$1.22
Price difference
$1 base
$0.22
CPI in 180012.600
CPI in 181515.400
Inflation in 18002.44%
Inflation in 1815-12.50%
$1 in 1800$1.22 in 1815

USD inflation since 1800
Annual Rate, the Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI
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Buying power of $1 in 1800

This chart shows a calculation of buying power equivalence for $1 in 1800 (price index tracking began in 1635).

For example, if you started with $1, you would need to end with $1.22 in order to "adjust" for inflation (sometimes refered to as "beating inflation").

When $1 is equivalent to $1.22 over time, that means that the "real value" of a single U.S. dollar decreases over time. In other words, a dollar will pay for fewer items at the store.

This effect explains how inflation erodes the value of a dollar over time. By calculating the value in 1800 dollars, the chart below shows how $1 is worth less over 15 years.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, each of these USD amounts below is equal in terms of what it could buy at the time:

Dollar inflation: 1800-1815
YearDollar ValueInflation Rate
1800$1.002.44%
1801$1.010.79%
1802$0.85-15.75%
1803$0.905.61%
1804$0.944.42%
1805$0.93-0.85%
1806$0.974.27%
1807$0.92-4.92%
1808$1.008.62%
1809$0.98-2.38%
1810$0.980.00%
1811$1.046.50%
1812$1.061.53%
1813$1.2720.30%
1814$1.4010.00%
1815$1.22-12.50%
1816$1.12-8.44%
1817$1.06-5.67%
1818$1.01-4.51%
1819$1.010.00%
1820$0.93-7.87%
1821$0.90-3.42%
1822$0.933.54%
1823$0.83-10.26%
1824$0.77-7.62%
1825$0.792.06%
1826$0.790.00%
1827$0.791.01%
1828$0.75-5.00%
1829$0.74-2.11%
1830$0.73-1.08%
1831$0.69-5.43%
1832$0.68-1.15%
1833$0.67-2.33%
1834$0.682.38%
1835$0.702.33%
1836$0.745.68%
1837$0.763.23%
1838$0.74-3.12%
1839$0.740.00%
1840$0.69-6.45%
1841$0.690.00%
1842$0.65-5.75%
1843$0.59-9.76%
1844$0.601.35%
1845$0.601.33%
1846$0.611.32%
1847$0.656.49%
1848$0.63-3.66%
1849$0.61-2.53%
1850$0.621.30%
1851$0.61-1.28%
1852$0.610.00%
1853$0.610.00%
1854$0.679.09%
1855$0.693.57%
1856$0.67-2.30%
1857$0.692.35%
1858$0.65-5.75%
1859$0.661.22%
1860$0.660.00%
1861$0.706.02%
1862$0.8014.77%
1863$1.0024.75%
1864$1.2524.60%
1865$1.293.82%
1866$1.26-2.45%
1867$1.17-6.92%
1868$1.13-4.05%
1869$1.08-4.23%
1870$1.04-3.68%
1871$0.97-6.87%
1872$0.970.00%
1873$0.95-1.64%
1874$0.90-5.00%
1875$0.87-3.51%
1876$0.85-2.73%
1877$0.83-1.87%
1878$0.79-4.76%
1879$0.790.00%
1880$0.812.00%
1881$0.810.00%
1882$0.810.00%
1883$0.80-0.98%
1884$0.78-2.97%
1885$0.77-1.02%
1886$0.75-3.09%
1887$0.751.06%
1888$0.750.00%
1889$0.73-3.16%
1890$0.72-1.09%
1891$0.720.00%
1892$0.720.00%
1893$0.71-1.10%
1894$0.68-4.44%
1895$0.67-2.33%
1896$0.670.00%
1897$0.66-1.19%
1898$0.660.00%
1899$0.660.00%
1900$0.671.20%
1901$0.671.19%
1902$0.681.18%
1903$0.702.33%
1904$0.711.14%
1905$0.70-1.12%
1906$0.712.27%
1907$0.754.44%
1908$0.73-2.13%
1909$0.72-1.09%
1910$0.754.40%
1911$0.750.00%
1912$0.772.11%
1913$0.792.06%
1914$0.791.01%
1915$0.801.00%
1916$0.877.92%
1917$1.0217.43%
1918$1.2017.97%
1919$1.3714.57%
1920$1.5915.61%
1921$1.42-10.50%
1922$1.33-6.15%
1923$1.361.79%
1924$1.360.00%
1925$1.392.34%
1926$1.401.14%
1927$1.38-1.69%
1928$1.36-1.72%
1929$1.360.00%
1930$1.33-2.34%
1931$1.21-8.98%
1932$1.09-9.87%
1933$1.03-5.11%
1934$1.063.08%
1935$1.092.24%
1936$1.101.46%
1937$1.143.60%
1938$1.12-2.08%
1939$1.10-1.42%
1940$1.110.72%
1941$1.175.00%
1942$1.2910.88%
1943$1.376.13%
1944$1.401.73%
1945$1.432.27%
1946$1.558.33%
1947$1.7714.36%
1948$1.918.07%
1949$1.89-1.24%
1950$1.911.26%
1951$2.067.88%
1952$2.101.92%
1953$2.120.75%
1954$2.130.75%
1955$2.13-0.37%
1956$2.161.49%
1957$2.233.31%
1958$2.292.85%
1959$2.310.69%
1960$2.351.72%
1961$2.371.01%
1962$2.401.00%
1963$2.431.32%
1964$2.461.31%
1965$2.501.61%
1966$2.572.86%
1967$2.653.09%
1968$2.764.19%
1969$2.915.46%
1970$3.085.72%
1971$3.214.38%
1972$3.323.21%
1973$3.526.22%
1974$3.9111.04%
1975$4.279.13%
1976$4.525.76%
1977$4.816.50%
1978$5.177.59%
1979$5.7611.35%
1980$6.5413.50%
1981$7.2110.32%
1982$7.666.16%
1983$7.903.21%
1984$8.254.32%
1985$8.543.56%
1986$8.701.86%
1987$9.023.65%
1988$9.394.14%
1989$9.844.82%
1990$10.375.40%
1991$10.814.21%
1992$11.133.01%
1993$11.472.99%
1994$11.762.56%
1995$12.102.83%
1996$12.452.95%
1997$12.742.29%
1998$12.941.56%
1999$13.222.21%
2000$13.673.36%
2001$14.062.85%
2002$14.281.58%
2003$14.602.28%
2004$14.992.66%
2005$15.503.39%
2006$16.003.23%
2007$16.462.85%
2008$17.093.84%
2009$17.03-0.36%
2010$17.311.64%
2011$17.853.16%
2012$18.222.07%
2013$18.491.46%
2014$18.791.62%
2015$18.810.12%
2016$19.051.26%
2017$19.452.13%
2018$19.942.49%
2019$20.291.76%
2020$20.541.23%
2021$21.514.70%
2022$23.238.00%
2023$24.184.12%
2024$24.631.85%*
* Compared to previous annual rate. Not final. See inflation summary for latest 12-month trailing value.
Click to show 9 more rows

This conversion table shows various other 1800 amounts in 1815 dollars, based on the 22.22% change in prices:

Conversion: 1800 dollars in 1815
Initial valueEquivalent value
$1 dollar in 1800$1.22 dollars in 1815
$5 dollars in 1800$6.11 dollars in 1815
$10 dollars in 1800$12.22 dollars in 1815
$50 dollars in 1800$61.11 dollars in 1815
$100 dollars in 1800$122.22 dollars in 1815
$500 dollars in 1800$611.11 dollars in 1815
$1,000 dollars in 1800$1,222.22 dollars in 1815
$5,000 dollars in 1800$6,111.11 dollars in 1815
$10,000 dollars in 1800$12,222.22 dollars in 1815
$50,000 dollars in 1800$61,111.11 dollars in 1815
$100,000 dollars in 1800$122,222.22 dollars in 1815
$500,000 dollars in 1800$611,111.11 dollars in 1815
$1,000,000 dollars in 1800$1,222,222.22 dollars in 1815

Inflation by Country

Inflation can also vary widely by country. For comparison, in the UK £1.00 in 1800 would be equivalent to £0.94 in 1815, an absolute change of £-0.06 and a cumulative change of -5.93%.

Compare these numbers to the US's overall absolute change of $0.22 and total percent change of 22.22%.


Inflation by Spending Category

CPI is the weighted combination of many categories of spending that are tracked by the government. Breaking down these categories helps explain the main drivers behind price changes.

This chart shows the average rate of inflation for select CPI categories between 1800 and 1815.

Compare these values to the overall average of 1.35% per year:

CategoryAvg Inflation (%)Total Inflation (%)$1 in 1800 → 1815
Food and beverages0.000.001.00
Housing0.000.001.00
Apparel0.000.001.00
Transportation0.000.001.00
Medical care0.000.001.00
Recreation0.000.001.00
Education and communication0.000.001.00
Other goods and services0.000.001.00

The graph below compares inflation in categories of goods over time. Click on a category such as "Food" to toggle it on or off:

For all these visualizations, it's important to note that not all categories may have been tracked since 1800. This table and charts use the earliest available data for each category.



How to calculate inflation rate for $1, 1800 to 1815

Our calculations use the following inflation rate formula to calculate the change in value between 1800 and 1815:

CPI in 1815 CPI in 1800
×
1800 USD value
=
1815 USD value

Then plug in historical CPI values. The U.S. CPI was 12.6 in the year 1800 and 15.4 in 1815:

15.412.6
×
$1
=
$1.22

$1 in 1800 has the same "purchasing power" or "buying power" as $1.22 in 1815.

To get the total inflation rate for the 15 years between 1800 and 1815, we use the following formula:

CPI in 1815 - CPI in 1800CPI in 1800
×
100
=
Cumulative inflation rate (15 years)

Plugging in the values to this equation, we get:

15.4 - 12.612.6
×
100
=
22%

Data source & citation

Raw data for these calculations comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' (CPI), established in 1913. Price index data from 1774 to 1912 is sourced from a historical study conducted by political science professor Robert Sahr at Oregon State University and from the American Antiquarian Society. Price index data from 1634 to 1773 is from the American Antiquarian Society, using British pound equivalents.

You may use the following MLA citation for this page: “$1 in 1800 → 1815 | Inflation Calculator.” Official Inflation Data, Alioth Finance, 28 Mar. 2024, https://www.officialdata.org/us/inflation/1800?amount=1&endYear=1815.

Special thanks to QuickChart for their chart image API, which is used for chart downloads.

in2013dollars.com is a reference website maintained by the Official Data Foundation.


Ian Webster

About the author

Ian Webster is an engineer and data expert based in San Mateo, California. He has worked for Google, NASA, and consulted for governments around the world on data pipelines and data analysis. Disappointed by the lack of clear resources on the impacts of inflation on economic indicators, Ian believes this website serves as a valuable public tool. Ian earned his degree in Computer Science from Dartmouth College.

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Inflation from 1800 to 1815
Cumulative price change22.22%
Average inflation rate1.35%
Converted amount
$1 base
$1.22
Price difference
$1 base
$0.22
CPI in 180012.600
CPI in 181515.400
Inflation in 18002.44%
Inflation in 1815-12.50%
$1 in 1800$1.22 in 1815