$1 in 1915 is worth $0.94 in 1911

Value of $1 from 1915 to 1911

$1 in 1915 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $0.94 in 1911, an increase of $-0.06 over 4 years. The dollar had an average inflation rate of 1.54% per year between 1911 and 1915, producing a cumulative price increase of -5.94%.

This means that prices in 1911 are 5.94% lower than average prices since 1915, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index.

The inflation rate in 1911 was 0.00%. The inflation rate in 1915 was 1.00%. The 1915 inflation rate is lower compared to the average inflation rate of 3.19% per year between 1915 and 2024.


Inflation from 1915 to 1911
Cumulative price change-5.94%
Average inflation rate1.54%
Converted amount
$1 base
$0.94
Price difference
$1 base
$-0.06
CPI in 191510.100
CPI in 19119.500
Inflation in 19110.00%
Inflation in 19151.00%
$1 in 1915$0.94 in 1911

USD inflation since 1911
Annual Rate, the Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI
Download

Buying power of $1 in 1911

This chart shows a calculation of buying power equivalence for $1 in 1911 (price index tracking began in 1635).

For example, if you started with $1, you would need to end with $0.94 in order to "adjust" for inflation (sometimes refered to as "beating inflation").

When $1 is equivalent to $0.94 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 1911 dollars, the chart below shows how $1 is worth less over 4 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: 1911-1915
YearDollar ValueInflation Rate
1911$1.00-
1912$1.022.11%
1913$1.042.06%
1914$1.051.01%
1915$1.061.00%
1916$1.157.92%
1917$1.3517.43%
1918$1.5917.97%
1919$1.8214.57%
1920$2.1115.61%
1921$1.88-10.50%
1922$1.77-6.15%
1923$1.801.79%
1924$1.800.00%
1925$1.842.34%
1926$1.861.14%
1927$1.83-1.69%
1928$1.80-1.72%
1929$1.800.00%
1930$1.76-2.34%
1931$1.60-8.98%
1932$1.44-9.87%
1933$1.37-5.11%
1934$1.413.08%
1935$1.442.24%
1936$1.461.46%
1937$1.523.60%
1938$1.48-2.08%
1939$1.46-1.42%
1940$1.470.72%
1941$1.555.00%
1942$1.7210.88%
1943$1.826.13%
1944$1.851.73%
1945$1.892.27%
1946$2.058.33%
1947$2.3514.36%
1948$2.548.07%
1949$2.51-1.24%
1950$2.541.26%
1951$2.747.88%
1952$2.791.92%
1953$2.810.75%
1954$2.830.75%
1955$2.82-0.37%
1956$2.861.49%
1957$2.963.31%
1958$3.042.85%
1959$3.060.69%
1960$3.121.72%
1961$3.151.01%
1962$3.181.00%
1963$3.221.32%
1964$3.261.31%
1965$3.321.61%
1966$3.412.86%
1967$3.523.09%
1968$3.664.19%
1969$3.865.46%
1970$4.085.72%
1971$4.264.38%
1972$4.403.21%
1973$4.676.22%
1974$5.1911.04%
1975$5.669.13%
1976$5.995.76%
1977$6.386.50%
1978$6.867.59%
1979$7.6411.35%
1980$8.6713.50%
1981$9.5710.32%
1982$10.166.16%
1983$10.483.21%
1984$10.944.32%
1985$11.333.56%
1986$11.541.86%
1987$11.963.65%
1988$12.454.14%
1989$13.054.82%
1990$13.765.40%
1991$14.344.21%
1992$14.773.01%
1993$15.212.99%
1994$15.602.56%
1995$16.042.83%
1996$16.522.95%
1997$16.892.29%
1998$17.161.56%
1999$17.542.21%
2000$18.133.36%
2001$18.642.85%
2002$18.941.58%
2003$19.372.28%
2004$19.882.66%
2005$20.563.39%
2006$21.223.23%
2007$21.832.85%
2008$22.663.84%
2009$22.58-0.36%
2010$22.951.64%
2011$23.683.16%
2012$24.172.07%
2013$24.521.46%
2014$24.921.62%
2015$24.950.12%
2016$25.261.26%
2017$25.802.13%
2018$26.452.49%
2019$26.911.76%
2020$27.241.23%
2021$28.524.70%
2022$30.818.00%
2023$32.074.12%
2024$32.671.85%*
* Compared to previous annual rate. Not final. See inflation summary for latest 12-month trailing value.

This conversion table shows various other 1911 amounts in 1915 dollars, based on the -5.94% change in prices:

Conversion: 1911 dollars in 1915
Initial valueEquivalent value
$1 dollar in 1911$1.06 dollars in 1915
$5 dollars in 1911$5.32 dollars in 1915
$10 dollars in 1911$10.63 dollars in 1915
$50 dollars in 1911$53.16 dollars in 1915
$100 dollars in 1911$106.32 dollars in 1915
$500 dollars in 1911$531.58 dollars in 1915
$1,000 dollars in 1911$1,063.16 dollars in 1915
$5,000 dollars in 1911$5,315.79 dollars in 1915
$10,000 dollars in 1911$10,631.58 dollars in 1915
$50,000 dollars in 1911$53,157.89 dollars in 1915
$100,000 dollars in 1911$106,315.79 dollars in 1915
$500,000 dollars in 1911$531,578.95 dollars in 1915
$1,000,000 dollars in 1911$1,063,157.89 dollars in 1915

Inflation by Country

Inflation can also vary widely by country. For comparison, in the UK £1.00 in 1915 would be equivalent to £0.87 in 1911, an absolute change of £-0.13 and a cumulative change of -12.73%.

Compare these numbers to the US's overall absolute change of $-0.06 and total percent change of -5.94%.


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 1915 and 1911.

Compare these values to the overall average of 1.54% per year:

CategoryAvg Inflation (%)Total Inflation (%)$1 in 1911 → 1915
Food and beverages0.000.001.00
Housing0.000.001.00
Apparel1.837.521.08
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 1915. This table and charts use the earliest available data for each category.



How to calculate inflation rate for $1, 1911 to 1915

Our calculations use the following inflation rate formula to calculate the change in value between 1911 and 1915:

CPI in 1911 CPI in 1915
×
1915 USD value
=
1911 USD value

Then plug in historical CPI values. The U.S. CPI was 10.1 in the year 1915 and 9.5 in 1911:

9.510.1
×
$1
=
$0.94

$1 in 1915 has the same "purchasing power" or "buying power" as $0.94 in 1911.

To get the total inflation rate for the 4 years between 1911 and 1915, we use the following formula:

CPI in 1911 - CPI in 1915CPI in 1915
×
100
=
Cumulative inflation rate (4 years)

Plugging in the values to this equation, we get:

9.5 - 10.110.1
×
100
=
-6%

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 1915 → 1911 | Inflation Calculator.” Official Inflation Data, Alioth Finance, 26 Mar. 2024, https://www.officialdata.org/us/inflation/1915?amount=1&endYear=1911.

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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» Read more about inflation and investment.

Inflation from 1915 to 1911
Cumulative price change-5.94%
Average inflation rate1.54%
Converted amount
$1 base
$0.94
Price difference
$1 base
$-0.06
CPI in 191510.100
CPI in 19119.500
Inflation in 19110.00%
Inflation in 19151.00%
$1 in 1915$0.94 in 1911