According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices in Chicago, Illinois are 1,415.17% higher in 2025 versus 1920 (a $67,220,366,813.60 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, $4,750,000,000 in Chicago in the year 1920 would cost $71,970,366,813.60 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 $4,750,000,000 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 | $4,750,000,000.00 | 19.10% |
| 1921 | $4,349,181,360.20 | -8.44% |
| 1922 | $4,107,892,527.29 | -5.55% |
| 1923 | $4,157,745,591.94 | 1.21% |
| 1924 | $4,239,504,617.97 | 1.97% |
| 1925 | $4,333,228,379.51 | 2.21% |
| 1926 | $4,409,005,037.78 | 1.75% |
| 1927 | $4,369,122,586.06 | -0.90% |
| 1928 | $4,233,522,250.21 | -3.10% |
| 1929 | $4,223,551,637.28 | -0.24% |
| 1930 | $4,177,686,817.80 | -1.09% |
| 1931 | $3,818,744,752.31 | -8.59% |
| 1932 | $3,370,067,170.45 | -11.75% |
| 1933 | $3,023,089,840.47 | -10.30% |
| 1934 | $3,043,031,066.33 | 0.66% |
| 1935 | $3,174,643,157.01 | 4.33% |
| 1936 | $3,238,455,079.76 | 2.01% |
| 1937 | $3,372,061,293.03 | 4.13% |
| 1938 | $3,348,131,822.00 | -0.71% |
| 1939 | $3,282,325,776.66 | -1.97% |
| 1940 | $3,300,272,879.93 | 0.55% |
| 1941 | $3,473,761,544.92 | 5.26% |
| 1942 | $3,818,744,752.31 | 9.93% |
| 1943 | $4,032,115,869.02 | 5.59% |
| 1944 | $4,093,933,669.19 | 1.53% |
| 1945 | $4,181,675,062.97 | 2.14% |
| 1946 | $4,554,575,986.57 | 8.92% |
| 1947 | $5,290,407,220.82 | 16.16% |
| 1948 | $5,751,049,538.20 | 8.71% |
| 1949 | $5,745,067,170.45 | -0.10% |
| 1950 | $5,802,896,725.44 | 1.01% |
| 1951 | $6,259,550,797.65 | 7.87% |
| 1952 | $6,395,151,133.50 | 2.17% |
| 1953 | $6,450,986,565.91 | 0.87% |
| 1954 | $6,546,704,450.04 | 1.48% |
| 1955 | $6,590,575,146.94 | 0.67% |
| 1956 | $6,682,304,785.89 | 1.39% |
| 1957 | $6,899,664,147.77 | 3.25% |
| 1958 | $7,109,047,019.31 | 3.03% |
| 1959 | $7,166,876,574.31 | 0.81% |
| 1960 | $7,266,582,703.61 | 1.39% |
| 1961 | $7,302,476,910.16 | 0.49% |
| 1962 | $7,378,253,568.43 | 1.04% |
| 1963 | $7,452,036,104.11 | 1.00% |
| 1964 | $7,481,947,942.91 | 0.40% |
| 1965 | $7,581,654,072.21 | 1.33% |
| 1966 | $7,808,984,047.02 | 3.00% |
| 1967 | $8,012,384,550.80 | 2.60% |
| 1968 | $8,351,385,390.43 | 4.23% |
| 1969 | $8,808,039,462.64 | 5.47% |
| 1970 | $9,312,552,476.91 | 5.73% |
| 1971 | $9,679,471,032.75 | 3.94% |
| 1972 | $9,954,659,949.62 | 2.84% |
| 1973 | $10,578,820,319.06 | 6.27% |
| 1974 | $11,697,523,089.84 | 10.57% |
| 1975 | $12,620,801,847.19 | 7.89% |
| 1976 | $13,225,020,990.76 | 4.79% |
| 1977 | $14,056,570,109.15 | 6.29% |
| 1978 | $15,278,967,254.41 | 8.70% |
| 1979 | $17,185,348,446.68 | 12.48% |
| 1980 | $19,664,042,821.16 | 14.42% |
| 1981 | $21,546,494,542.40 | 9.57% |
| 1982 | $23,016,162,888.33 | 6.82% |
| 1983 | $23,933,459,277.92 | 3.99% |
| 1984 | $24,836,796,809.40 | 3.77% |
| 1985 | $25,774,034,424.85 | 3.77% |
| 1986 | $26,312,447,523.09 | 2.09% |
| 1987 | $27,397,250,209.91 | 4.12% |
| 1988 | $28,468,094,038.62 | 3.91% |
| 1989 | $29,907,850,545.76 | 5.06% |
| 1990 | $31,515,113,350.13 | 5.37% |
| 1991 | $32,793,345,927.79 | 4.06% |
| 1992 | $33,754,513,014.27 | 2.93% |
| 1993 | $34,795,445,004.20 | 3.08% |
| 1994 | $35,557,199,832.07 | 2.19% |
| 1995 | $36,687,867,338.37 | 3.18% |
| 1996 | $37,668,975,650.71 | 2.67% |
| 1997 | $38,699,937,027.71 | 2.74% |
| 1998 | $39,479,638,958.86 | 2.01% |
| 1999 | $40,297,229,219.14 | 2.07% |
| 2000 | $41,591,414,777.50 | 3.21% |
| 2001 | $42,674,223,341.73 | 2.60% |
| 2002 | $43,354,219,143.58 | 1.59% |
| 2003 | $44,151,868,178.00 | 1.84% |
| 2004 | $45,138,958,858.10 | 2.24% |
| 2005 | $46,504,932,829.56 | 3.03% |
| 2006 | $47,458,123,425.69 | 2.05% |
| 2007 | $49,011,764,273.72 | 3.27% |
| 2008 | $50,858,640,848.03 | 3.77% |
| 2009 | $50,250,712,636.44 | -1.20% |
| 2010 | $50,938,764,693.53 | 1.37% |
| 2011 | $52,329,964,315.70 | 2.73% |
| 2012 | $53,124,562,342.57 | 1.52% |
| 2013 | $53,732,470,612.93 | 1.14% |
| 2014 | $54,671,124,055.42 | 1.75% |
| 2015 | $54,509,500,419.82 | -0.30% |
| 2016 | $54,870,695,843.83 | 0.66% |
| 2017 | $55,901,956,339.21 | 1.88% |
| 2018 | $56,881,848,236.78 | 1.75% |
| 2019 | $57,713,257,766.58 | 1.46% |
| 2020 | $58,357,459,068.01 | 1.12% |
| 2021 | $60,818,924,223.34 | 4.22% |
| 2022 | $65,412,664,777.50 | 7.55% |
| 2023 | $67,588,671,284.63 | 3.33% |
| 2024 | $69,927,896,725.44 | 3.46% |
| 2025 | $71,970,366,813.60 | 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 |