According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices in Chicago, Illinois are 1,415.17% higher in 2025 versus 1920 (a $21,227,484,256,926,956 difference in value).
Between 1920 and 2025: Chicago experienced an average inflation rate of 2.62% per year. This rate of change indicates significant inflation. In other words, $1,500,000,000,000,000 in Chicago in the year 1920 would cost $22,727,484,256,926,956 in 2025 for an equivalent purchase. Compared to the overall inflation rate of 2.68% during this same period, inflation in Chicago was lower.
In the year 1920: Pricing changed by 19.10%, which is significantly above the average yearly change in Chicago during the 1920-2025 time period. Compared to inflation for all items in 1920 (15.62%), inflation in Chicago was much higher.
Below are calculations of equivalent buying power in Chicago, over time, for $1,500,000,000,000,000 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 | $1,500,000,000,000,000.00 | 19.10% |
| 1921 | $1,373,425,692,695,214.25 | -8.44% |
| 1922 | $1,297,229,219,143,577.00 | -5.55% |
| 1923 | $1,312,972,292,191,436.00 | 1.21% |
| 1924 | $1,338,790,931,989,924.50 | 1.97% |
| 1925 | $1,368,387,909,319,899.25 | 2.21% |
| 1926 | $1,392,317,380,352,645.00 | 1.75% |
| 1927 | $1,379,722,921,914,358.00 | -0.90% |
| 1928 | $1,336,901,763,224,181.50 | -3.10% |
| 1929 | $1,333,753,148,614,610.00 | -0.24% |
| 1930 | $1,319,269,521,410,579.50 | -1.09% |
| 1931 | $1,205,919,395,465,995.00 | -8.59% |
| 1932 | $1,064,231,738,035,264.63 | -11.75% |
| 1933 | $954,659,949,622,166.38 | -10.30% |
| 1934 | $960,957,178,841,309.88 | 0.66% |
| 1935 | $1,002,518,891,687,657.50 | 4.33% |
| 1936 | $1,022,670,025,188,917.00 | 2.01% |
| 1937 | $1,064,861,460,957,179.00 | 4.13% |
| 1938 | $1,057,304,785,894,206.50 | -0.71% |
| 1939 | $1,036,523,929,471,033.00 | -1.97% |
| 1940 | $1,042,191,435,768,262.13 | 0.55% |
| 1941 | $1,096,977,329,974,811.25 | 5.26% |
| 1942 | $1,205,919,395,465,995.00 | 9.93% |
| 1943 | $1,273,299,748,110,831.25 | 5.59% |
| 1944 | $1,292,821,158,690,176.50 | 1.53% |
| 1945 | $1,320,528,967,254,408.50 | 2.14% |
| 1946 | $1,438,287,153,652,393.25 | 8.92% |
| 1947 | $1,670,654,911,838,791.00 | 16.16% |
| 1948 | $1,816,120,906,801,007.75 | 8.71% |
| 1949 | $1,814,231,738,035,265.00 | -0.10% |
| 1950 | $1,832,493,702,770,781.00 | 1.01% |
| 1951 | $1,976,700,251,889,169.00 | 7.87% |
| 1952 | $2,019,521,410,579,345.25 | 2.17% |
| 1953 | $2,037,153,652,392,947.25 | 0.87% |
| 1954 | $2,067,380,352,644,836.50 | 1.48% |
| 1955 | $2,081,234,256,926,952.25 | 0.67% |
| 1956 | $2,110,201,511,335,012.75 | 1.39% |
| 1957 | $2,178,841,309,823,677.75 | 3.25% |
| 1958 | $2,244,962,216,624,685.50 | 3.03% |
| 1959 | $2,263,224,181,360,202.00 | 0.81% |
| 1960 | $2,294,710,327,455,919.00 | 1.39% |
| 1961 | $2,306,045,340,050,378.00 | 0.49% |
| 1962 | $2,329,974,811,083,123.50 | 1.04% |
| 1963 | $2,353,274,559,193,955.00 | 1.00% |
| 1964 | $2,362,720,403,022,670.50 | 0.40% |
| 1965 | $2,394,206,549,118,388.00 | 1.33% |
| 1966 | $2,465,994,962,216,625.00 | 3.00% |
| 1967 | $2,530,226,700,251,889.50 | 2.60% |
| 1968 | $2,637,279,596,977,330.50 | 4.23% |
| 1969 | $2,781,486,146,095,718.00 | 5.47% |
| 1970 | $2,940,806,045,340,050.50 | 5.73% |
| 1971 | $3,056,675,062,972,292.00 | 3.94% |
| 1972 | $3,143,576,826,196,474.00 | 2.84% |
| 1973 | $3,340,680,100,755,668.00 | 6.27% |
| 1974 | $3,693,954,659,949,622.50 | 10.57% |
| 1975 | $3,985,516,372,795,970.00 | 7.89% |
| 1976 | $4,176,322,418,136,022.00 | 4.79% |
| 1977 | $4,438,916,876,574,308.00 | 6.29% |
| 1978 | $4,824,937,027,707,809.00 | 8.70% |
| 1979 | $5,426,952,141,057,935.00 | 12.48% |
| 1980 | $6,209,697,732,997,482.00 | 14.42% |
| 1981 | $6,804,156,171,284,635.00 | 9.57% |
| 1982 | $7,268,261,964,735,517.00 | 6.82% |
| 1983 | $7,557,934,508,816,122.00 | 3.99% |
| 1984 | $7,843,198,992,443,325.00 | 3.77% |
| 1985 | $8,139,168,765,743,075.00 | 3.77% |
| 1986 | $8,309,193,954,659,951.00 | 2.09% |
| 1987 | $8,651,763,224,181,361.00 | 4.12% |
| 1988 | $8,989,924,433,249,370.00 | 3.91% |
| 1989 | $9,444,584,382,871,538.00 | 5.06% |
| 1990 | $9,952,141,057,934,512.00 | 5.37% |
| 1991 | $10,355,793,450,881,614.00 | 4.06% |
| 1992 | $10,659,319,899,244,334.00 | 2.93% |
| 1993 | $10,988,035,264,483,628.00 | 3.08% |
| 1994 | $11,228,589,420,654,914.00 | 2.19% |
| 1995 | $11,585,642,317,380,354.00 | 3.18% |
| 1996 | $11,895,465,994,962,216.00 | 2.67% |
| 1997 | $12,221,032,745,591,942.00 | 2.74% |
| 1998 | $12,467,254,408,060,454.00 | 2.01% |
| 1999 | $12,725,440,806,045,342.00 | 2.07% |
| 2000 | $13,134,130,982,367,756.00 | 3.21% |
| 2001 | $13,476,070,528,967,256.00 | 2.60% |
| 2002 | $13,690,806,045,340,050.00 | 1.59% |
| 2003 | $13,942,695,214,105,794.00 | 1.84% |
| 2004 | $14,254,408,060,453,402.00 | 2.24% |
| 2005 | $14,685,768,261,964,738.00 | 3.03% |
| 2006 | $14,986,775,818,639,800.00 | 2.05% |
| 2007 | $15,477,399,244,332,496.00 | 3.27% |
| 2008 | $16,060,623,425,692,696.00 | 3.77% |
| 2009 | $15,868,646,095,717,886.00 | -1.20% |
| 2010 | $16,085,925,692,695,216.00 | 1.37% |
| 2011 | $16,525,251,889,168,768.00 | 2.73% |
| 2012 | $16,776,177,581,863,976.00 | 1.52% |
| 2013 | $16,968,148,614,609,574.00 | 1.14% |
| 2014 | $17,264,565,491,183,880.00 | 1.75% |
| 2015 | $17,213,526,448,362,722.00 | -0.30% |
| 2016 | $17,327,588,161,209,070.00 | 0.66% |
| 2017 | $17,653,249,370,277,084.00 | 1.88% |
| 2018 | $17,962,688,916,876,574.00 | 1.75% |
| 2019 | $18,225,239,294,710,332.00 | 1.46% |
| 2020 | $18,428,671,284,634,764.00 | 1.12% |
| 2021 | $19,205,976,070,528,972.00 | 4.22% |
| 2022 | $20,656,630,982,367,760.00 | 7.55% |
| 2023 | $21,343,790,931,989,928.00 | 3.33% |
| 2024 | $22,082,493,702,770,780.00 | 3.46% |
| 2025 | $22,727,484,256,926,956.00 | 2.92%* |
* 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 |
| 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 | 300.760 |