According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices in Chicago, Illinois are 1,415.17% higher in 2025 versus 1920 (a $49,530,796,599.50 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, $3,500,000,000 in Chicago in the year 1920 would cost $53,030,796,599.50 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 $3,500,000,000 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 | $3,500,000,000.00 | 19.10% |
| 1921 | $3,204,659,949.62 | -8.44% |
| 1922 | $3,026,868,178.00 | -5.55% |
| 1923 | $3,063,602,015.11 | 1.21% |
| 1924 | $3,123,845,507.98 | 1.97% |
| 1925 | $3,192,905,121.75 | 2.21% |
| 1926 | $3,248,740,554.16 | 1.75% |
| 1927 | $3,219,353,484.47 | -0.90% |
| 1928 | $3,119,437,447.52 | -3.10% |
| 1929 | $3,112,090,680.10 | -0.24% |
| 1930 | $3,078,295,549.96 | -1.09% |
| 1931 | $2,813,811,922.75 | -8.59% |
| 1932 | $2,483,207,388.75 | -11.75% |
| 1933 | $2,227,539,882.45 | -10.30% |
| 1934 | $2,242,233,417.30 | 0.66% |
| 1935 | $2,339,210,747.27 | 4.33% |
| 1936 | $2,386,230,058.77 | 2.01% |
| 1937 | $2,484,676,742.23 | 4.13% |
| 1938 | $2,467,044,500.42 | -0.71% |
| 1939 | $2,418,555,835.43 | -1.97% |
| 1940 | $2,431,780,016.79 | 0.55% |
| 1941 | $2,559,613,769.94 | 5.26% |
| 1942 | $2,813,811,922.75 | 9.93% |
| 1943 | $2,971,032,745.59 | 5.59% |
| 1944 | $3,016,582,703.61 | 1.53% |
| 1945 | $3,081,234,256.93 | 2.14% |
| 1946 | $3,356,003,358.52 | 8.92% |
| 1947 | $3,898,194,794.29 | 16.16% |
| 1948 | $4,237,615,449.20 | 8.71% |
| 1949 | $4,233,207,388.75 | -0.10% |
| 1950 | $4,275,818,639.80 | 1.01% |
| 1951 | $4,612,300,587.74 | 7.87% |
| 1952 | $4,712,216,624.69 | 2.17% |
| 1953 | $4,753,358,522.25 | 0.87% |
| 1954 | $4,823,887,489.50 | 1.48% |
| 1955 | $4,856,213,266.16 | 0.67% |
| 1956 | $4,923,803,526.45 | 1.39% |
| 1957 | $5,083,963,056.26 | 3.25% |
| 1958 | $5,238,245,172.12 | 3.03% |
| 1959 | $5,280,856,423.17 | 0.81% |
| 1960 | $5,354,324,097.40 | 1.39% |
| 1961 | $5,380,772,460.12 | 0.49% |
| 1962 | $5,436,607,892.53 | 1.04% |
| 1963 | $5,490,973,971.45 | 1.00% |
| 1964 | $5,513,014,273.72 | 0.40% |
| 1965 | $5,586,481,947.94 | 1.33% |
| 1966 | $5,753,988,245.17 | 3.00% |
| 1967 | $5,903,862,300.59 | 2.60% |
| 1968 | $6,153,652,392.95 | 4.23% |
| 1969 | $6,490,134,340.89 | 5.47% |
| 1970 | $6,861,880,772.46 | 5.73% |
| 1971 | $7,132,241,813.60 | 3.94% |
| 1972 | $7,335,012,594.46 | 2.84% |
| 1973 | $7,794,920,235.10 | 6.27% |
| 1974 | $8,619,227,539.88 | 10.57% |
| 1975 | $9,299,538,203.19 | 7.89% |
| 1976 | $9,744,752,308.98 | 4.79% |
| 1977 | $10,357,472,712.01 | 6.29% |
| 1978 | $11,258,186,397.98 | 8.70% |
| 1979 | $12,662,888,329.14 | 12.48% |
| 1980 | $14,489,294,710.33 | 14.42% |
| 1981 | $15,876,364,399.66 | 9.57% |
| 1982 | $16,959,277,917.72 | 6.82% |
| 1983 | $17,635,180,520.57 | 3.99% |
| 1984 | $18,300,797,649.03 | 3.77% |
| 1985 | $18,991,393,786.73 | 3.77% |
| 1986 | $19,388,119,227.54 | 2.09% |
| 1987 | $20,187,447,523.09 | 4.12% |
| 1988 | $20,976,490,344.25 | 3.91% |
| 1989 | $22,037,363,560.03 | 5.06% |
| 1990 | $23,221,662,468.51 | 5.37% |
| 1991 | $24,163,518,052.06 | 4.06% |
| 1992 | $24,871,746,431.57 | 2.93% |
| 1993 | $25,638,748,950.46 | 3.08% |
| 1994 | $26,200,041,981.53 | 2.19% |
| 1995 | $27,033,165,407.22 | 3.18% |
| 1996 | $27,756,087,321.58 | 2.67% |
| 1997 | $28,515,743,073.05 | 2.74% |
| 1998 | $29,090,260,285.47 | 2.01% |
| 1999 | $29,692,695,214.11 | 2.07% |
| 2000 | $30,646,305,625.52 | 3.21% |
| 2001 | $31,444,164,567.59 | 2.60% |
| 2002 | $31,945,214,105.79 | 1.59% |
| 2003 | $32,532,955,499.58 | 1.84% |
| 2004 | $33,260,285,474.39 | 2.24% |
| 2005 | $34,266,792,611.25 | 3.03% |
| 2006 | $34,969,143,576.83 | 2.05% |
| 2007 | $36,113,931,570.11 | 3.27% |
| 2008 | $37,474,787,993.28 | 3.77% |
| 2009 | $37,026,840,890.01 | -1.20% |
| 2010 | $37,533,826,616.29 | 1.37% |
| 2011 | $38,558,921,074.73 | 2.73% |
| 2012 | $39,144,414,357.68 | 1.52% |
| 2013 | $39,592,346,767.42 | 1.14% |
| 2014 | $40,283,986,146.10 | 1.75% |
| 2015 | $40,164,895,046.18 | -0.30% |
| 2016 | $40,431,039,042.82 | 0.66% |
| 2017 | $41,190,915,197.31 | 1.88% |
| 2018 | $41,912,940,806.05 | 1.75% |
| 2019 | $42,525,558,354.32 | 1.46% |
| 2020 | $43,000,232,997.48 | 1.12% |
| 2021 | $44,813,944,164.57 | 4.22% |
| 2022 | $48,198,805,625.52 | 7.55% |
| 2023 | $49,802,178,841.31 | 3.33% |
| 2024 | $51,525,818,639.80 | 3.46% |
| 2025 | $53,030,796,599.50 | 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 |