According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices in Boston, Massachusetts are 1,579.93% higher in 2025 versus 1920 (a $663,572,565,869.48 difference in value).
Between 1920 and 2025: Boston experienced an average inflation rate of 2.72% per year. This rate of change indicates significant inflation. In other words, $42,000,000,000 in Boston in the year 1920 would cost $705,572,565,869.48 in 2025 for an equivalent purchase. Compared to the overall inflation rate of 2.68% during this same period, inflation in Boston was higher.
In the year 1920: Pricing changed by 17.25%, which is significantly above the average yearly change in Boston during the 1920-2025 time period. Compared to inflation for all items in 1920 (15.62%), inflation in Boston was higher.
Below are calculations of equivalent buying power in Boston, over time, for $42,000,000,000 beginning in 1920. Each of the amounts below is equivalent in terms of what it could buy at the time:
| Year | USD Value | Inflation Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1920 | $42,000,000,000.00 | 17.25% |
| 1921 | $38,237,535,468.18 | -8.96% |
| 1922 | $34,849,614,916.90 | -8.86% |
| 1923 | $35,377,381,434.94 | 1.51% |
| 1924 | $35,615,727,604.38 | 0.67% |
| 1925 | $36,007,296,311.31 | 1.10% |
| 1926 | $37,335,224,969.60 | 3.69% |
| 1927 | $36,943,656,262.67 | -1.05% |
| 1928 | $36,228,617,754.36 | -1.94% |
| 1929 | $36,058,370,490.47 | -0.47% |
| 1930 | $35,802,999,594.65 | -0.71% |
| 1931 | $33,027,969,193.35 | -7.75% |
| 1932 | $29,776,246,453.18 | -9.85% |
| 1933 | $27,801,378,192.14 | -6.63% |
| 1934 | $28,669,639,237.94 | 3.12% |
| 1935 | $29,265,504,661.53 | 2.08% |
| 1936 | $29,435,751,925.42 | 0.58% |
| 1937 | $30,099,716,254.56 | 2.26% |
| 1938 | $29,333,603,567.09 | -2.55% |
| 1939 | $28,890,960,680.99 | -1.51% |
| 1940 | $29,163,356,303.20 | 0.94% |
| 1941 | $30,457,235,508.72 | 4.44% |
| 1942 | $33,708,958,248.89 | 10.68% |
| 1943 | $35,479,529,793.27 | 5.25% |
| 1944 | $35,871,098,500.20 | 1.10% |
| 1945 | $36,603,161,734.90 | 2.04% |
| 1946 | $39,599,513,579.25 | 8.19% |
| 1947 | $45,081,475,476.29 | 13.84% |
| 1948 | $48,792,865,828.94 | 8.23% |
| 1949 | $48,197,000,405.35 | -1.22% |
| 1950 | $48,826,915,281.72 | 1.31% |
| 1951 | $52,095,662,748.28 | 6.69% |
| 1952 | $53,236,319,416.30 | 2.19% |
| 1953 | $53,372,517,227.40 | 0.26% |
| 1954 | $53,576,813,944.06 | 0.38% |
| 1955 | $53,832,184,839.89 | 0.48% |
| 1956 | $55,313,336,035.67 | 2.75% |
| 1957 | $57,254,154,843.94 | 3.51% |
| 1958 | $59,092,825,293.88 | 3.21% |
| 1959 | $59,552,492,906.36 | 0.78% |
| 1960 | $60,676,124,847.99 | 1.89% |
| 1961 | $61,595,460,072.96 | 1.52% |
| 1962 | $62,923,388,731.25 | 2.16% |
| 1963 | $64,200,243,210.38 | 2.03% |
| 1964 | $65,068,504,256.18 | 1.35% |
| 1965 | $66,294,284,556.14 | 1.88% |
| 1966 | $68,337,251,722.74 | 3.08% |
| 1967 | $70,124,847,993.51 | 2.62% |
| 1968 | $72,882,853,668.42 | 3.93% |
| 1969 | $76,917,713,822.46 | 5.54% |
| 1970 | $81,616,538,305.63 | 6.11% |
| 1971 | $85,957,843,534.66 | 5.32% |
| 1972 | $89,022,294,284.56 | 3.57% |
| 1973 | $93,976,489,663.56 | 5.57% |
| 1974 | $103,680,583,704.90 | 10.33% |
| 1975 | $113,027,158,492.10 | 9.01% |
| 1976 | $122,220,510,741.79 | 8.13% |
| 1977 | $128,451,560,599.92 | 5.10% |
| 1978 | $135,312,525,334.41 | 5.34% |
| 1979 | $148,932,306,445.07 | 10.07% |
| 1980 | $167,829,752,736.12 | 12.69% |
| 1981 | $186,897,446,291.04 | 11.36% |
| 1982 | $194,899,067,693.55 | 4.28% |
| 1983 | $203,513,579,246.05 | 4.42% |
| 1984 | $213,524,118,362.38 | 4.92% |
| 1985 | $222,989,866,234.29 | 4.43% |
| 1986 | $229,084,718,281.31 | 2.73% |
| 1987 | $238,856,911,228.21 | 4.27% |
| 1988 | $252,885,285,772.19 | 5.87% |
| 1989 | $267,628,698,824.48 | 5.83% |
| 1990 | $283,121,199,837.86 | 5.79% |
| 1991 | $295,957,843,534.66 | 4.53% |
| 1992 | $303,176,327,523.31 | 2.44% |
| 1993 | $312,199,432,509.12 | 2.98% |
| 1994 | $316,149,169,031.21 | 1.27% |
| 1995 | $323,742,197,000.41 | 2.40% |
| 1996 | $333,207,944,872.31 | 2.92% |
| 1997 | $342,809,890,555.33 | 2.88% |
| 1998 | $350,539,116,335.63 | 2.25% |
| 1999 | $359,017,430,077.02 | 2.42% |
| 2000 | $374,407,782,732.06 | 4.29% |
| 2001 | $390,989,866,234.29 | 4.43% |
| 2002 | $400,966,355,897.85 | 2.55% |
| 2003 | $415,811,917,308.47 | 3.70% |
| 2004 | $427,729,225,780.30 | 2.87% |
| 2005 | $441,280,907,985.41 | 3.17% |
| 2006 | $455,377,381,434.94 | 3.19% |
| 2007 | $463,948,990,676.94 | 1.88% |
| 2008 | $480,961,799,756.79 | 3.67% |
| 2009 | $477,051,560,599.92 | -0.81% |
| 2010 | $484,879,189,298.74 | 1.64% |
| 2011 | $497,725,026,347.79 | 2.65% |
| 2012 | $505,764,442,642.89 | 1.62% |
| 2013 | $512,799,400,081.07 | 1.39% |
| 2014 | $521,211,998,378.60 | 1.64% |
| 2015 | $524,517,178,759.63 | 0.63% |
| 2016 | $531,747,580,056.75 | 1.38% |
| 2017 | $545,310,839,075.80 | 2.55% |
| 2018 | $562,900,445,885.69 | 3.23% |
| 2019 | $574,202,480,745.85 | 2.01% |
| 2020 | $580,384,158,897.45 | 1.08% |
| 2021 | $598,330,603,972.44 | 3.09% |
| 2022 | $641,446,064,045.40 | 7.21% |
| 2023 | $665,431,520,064.86 | 3.74% |
| 2024 | $686,726,388,325.90 | 3.20% |
| 2025 | $705,572,565,869.48 | 2.74%* |
* 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 Boston, Massachusetts:
| 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 |
| CPI | 10.500 | 10.517 | 10.817 | 12.275 | 14.458 | 17.533 | 20.558 | 18.717 | 17.058 | 17.317 | 17.433 | 17.625 | 18.275 | 18.083 | 17.733 | 17.650 | 17.525 | 16.167 | 14.575 | 13.608 | 14.033 | 14.325 | 14.408 | 14.733 | 14.358 | 14.142 | 14.275 | 14.908 | 16.500 | 17.367 | 17.558 | 17.917 | 19.383 | 22.067 | 23.883 | 23.592 | 23.900 | 25.500 | 26.058 | 26.125 | 26.225 | 26.350 | 27.075 | 28.025 | 28.925 | 29.150 | 29.700 | 30.150 | 30.800 | 31.425 | 31.850 | 32.450 | 33.450 | 34.325 | 35.675 | 37.650 | 39.950 | 42.075 | 43.575 | 46.000 | 50.750 | 55.325 | 59.825 | 62.875 | 66.233 | 72.900 | 82.150 | 91.483 | 95.400 | 99.617 | 104.517 | 109.150 | 112.133 | 116.917 | 123.783 | 131.000 | 138.583 | 144.867 | 148.400 | 152.817 | 154.750 | 158.467 | 163.100 | 167.800 | 171.583 | 175.733 | 183.267 | 191.383 | 196.267 | 203.533 | 209.367 | 216.000 | 222.900 | 227.096 | 235.423 | 233.509 | 237.341 | 243.629 | 247.564 | 251.007 | 255.125 | 256.743 | 260.282 | 266.921 | 275.531 | 281.063 | 284.089 | 292.873 | 313.978 | 325.718 | 336.142 | 345.367 |