$100 in 1862 is worth $124.75 in 1863

Value of $100 from 1862 to 1863

$100 in 1862 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $124.75 in 1863. The dollar had an average inflation rate of 24.75% per year between 1862 and 1863, producing a cumulative price increase of 24.75%.

This means that prices in 1863 are 1.25 times as high as average prices since 1862, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index.

The inflation rate in 1862 was 14.77%. The inflation rate in 1863 was 24.75%. The 1863 inflation rate is higher compared to the average inflation rate of 2.02% per year between 1863 and 2025.


Inflation from 1862 to 1863
Average inflation rate24.75%
Converted amount
$100 base
$124.75
Price difference
$100 base
$24.75
CPI in 186210.100
CPI in 186312.600
Inflation in 186214.77%
Inflation in 186324.75%
$100 in 1862$124.75 in 1863

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

Inflation by Country

Inflation can also vary widely by country. For comparison, in the UK £100.00 in 1862 would be equivalent to £96.77 in 1863, an absolute change of £-3.23 and a cumulative change of -3.23%.

Compare these numbers to the US's overall absolute change of $24.75 and total percent change of 24.75%.


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 1862 and 1863.

Compare these values to the overall average of 24.75% per year:

CategoryAvg Inflation (%)Total Inflation (%)$100 in 1862 → 1863
Food and beverages0.000.00100.00
Housing0.000.00100.00
Apparel0.000.00100.00
Transportation0.000.00100.00
Medical care0.000.00100.00
Recreation0.000.00100.00
Education and communication0.000.00100.00
Other goods and services0.000.00100.00

For all these visualizations, it's important to note that not all categories may have been tracked since 1862. This table and charts use the earliest available data for each category.



How to calculate inflation rate for $100, 1862 to 1863

Our calculations use the following inflation rate formula to calculate the change in value between 1862 and 1863:

CPI in 1863 CPI in 1862
×
1862 USD value
=
1863 USD value

Then plug in historical CPI values. The U.S. CPI was 10.1 in the year 1862 and 12.6 in 1863:

12.610.1
×
$100
=
$124.75

$100 in 1862 has the same "purchasing power" or "buying power" as $124.75 in 1863.

To get the total inflation rate for the 1 years between 1862 and 1863, we use the following formula:

CPI in 1863 - CPI in 1862CPI in 1862
×
100
=
Cumulative inflation rate (1 years)

Plugging in the values to this equation, we get:

12.6 - 10.110.1
×
100
=
25%

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: “1862 dollars in 1863 | Inflation Calculator.” Official Inflation Data, Alioth Finance, 27 May. 2025, https://www.officialdata.org/1862-dollars-in-1863.

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


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 1862 to 1863
Average inflation rate24.75%
Converted amount
$100 base
$124.75
Price difference
$100 base
$24.75
CPI in 186210.100
CPI in 186312.600
Inflation in 186214.77%
Inflation in 186324.75%
$100 in 1862$124.75 in 1863