$100 in 1917 has the same buying power as about $2,596 in 2026. Prices rose 2,495.6% over 109 years, an average of 3.03% per year, and the dollar lost about 96% of its 1917 purchasing power.
Ledger
$100 of 1917- Cumulative inflation
- 2,495.6%
- Average per year
- 3.03%
- Inflation rate in 1917
- 17.4%
- CPI-U 1917 → 2026
- 12.8 → 332.2
- Multiplier
- ×25.956
On the time scale
1917 to 2026CPI-U annual averages (1982–84 = 100). Calculate a different amount or end year.
1917 in context: World War I
The CPI record starts in 1913, the year the Federal Reserve Act was signed. Prices were nearly flat until the war in Europe raised demand for American goods. After the United States entered the war in April 1917, heavy federal borrowing and a fast-growing money supply pushed annual inflation to 17–18% in 1917 and 1918. Prices almost doubled between 1915 and 1920.
- Inflation in 1917 was 17.4%, the 2nd highest annual rate of the 112 full years from 1914 to 2025.
- From 1913 to 1919, inflation averaged 9.75% a year, from a high of 18.0% in 1918 to a low of 1.0% in 1915.
- Prices first reached double their 1917 level in 1951, 34 years later.
Read more: The history of US inflation
1917 dollars in 2026 dollars
| AMOUNT IN 1917 | VALUE IN 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $25.96 |
| $5 | $129.78 |
| $10 | $259.56 |
| $20 | $519.13 |
| $50 | $1,298 |
| $100 | $2,596 |
| $500 | $12,978 |
| $1,000 | $25,956 |
| $10,000 | $259,565 |
| $100,000 | $2,595,648 |
Value of $100 from 1917, year by year
What $100 from 1917 was worth in each later year, with that year's inflation rate.
| YEAR | $100 IN 1917 EQUALS | INFLATION RATE |
|---|---|---|
| 1917 | $100 | 17.4% |
| 1918 | $117.97 | 18.0% |
| 1919 | $135.16 | 14.6% |
| 1920 | $156.25 | 15.6% |
| 1921 | $139.84 | -10.5% |
| 1922 | $131.25 | -6.1% |
| 1923 | $133.59 | 1.8% |
| 1924 | $133.59 | 0.0% |
| 1925 | $136.72 | 2.3% |
| 1926 | $138.28 | 1.1% |
| 1927 | $135.94 | -1.7% |
| 1928 | $133.59 | -1.7% |
| 1929 | $133.59 | 0.0% |
| 1930 | $130.47 | -2.3% |
| 1931 | $118.75 | -9.0% |
| 1932 | $107.03 | -9.9% |
| 1933 | $101.56 | -5.1% |
| 1934 | $104.69 | 3.1% |
| 1935 | $107.03 | 2.2% |
| 1936 | $108.59 | 1.5% |
| 1937 | $112.50 | 3.6% |
| 1938 | $110.16 | -2.1% |
| 1939 | $108.59 | -1.4% |
| 1940 | $109.38 | 0.7% |
| 1941 | $114.84 | 5.0% |
| 1942 | $127.34 | 10.9% |
| 1943 | $135.16 | 6.1% |
| 1944 | $137.50 | 1.7% |
| 1945 | $140.63 | 2.3% |
| 1946 | $152.34 | 8.3% |
| 1947 | $174.22 | 14.4% |
| 1948 | $188.28 | 8.1% |
| 1949 | $185.94 | -1.2% |
| 1950 | $188.28 | 1.3% |
| 1951 | $203.13 | 7.9% |
| 1952 | $207.03 | 1.9% |
| 1953 | $208.59 | 0.8% |
| 1954 | $210.16 | 0.7% |
| 1955 | $209.38 | -0.4% |
| 1956 | $212.50 | 1.5% |
| 1957 | $219.53 | 3.3% |
| 1958 | $225.78 | 2.8% |
| 1959 | $227.34 | 0.7% |
| 1960 | $231.25 | 1.7% |
| 1961 | $233.59 | 1.0% |
| 1962 | $235.94 | 1.0% |
| 1963 | $239.06 | 1.3% |
| 1964 | $242.19 | 1.3% |
| 1965 | $246.09 | 1.6% |
| 1966 | $253.12 | 2.9% |
| 1967 | $260.94 | 3.1% |
| 1968 | $271.87 | 4.2% |
| 1969 | $286.72 | 5.5% |
| 1970 | $303.12 | 5.7% |
| 1971 | $316.41 | 4.4% |
| 1972 | $326.56 | 3.2% |
| 1973 | $346.87 | 6.2% |
| 1974 | $385.16 | 11.0% |
| 1975 | $420.31 | 9.1% |
| 1976 | $444.53 | 5.8% |
| 1977 | $473.44 | 6.5% |
| 1978 | $509.38 | 7.6% |
| 1979 | $567.19 | 11.3% |
| 1980 | $643.75 | 13.5% |
| 1981 | $710.16 | 10.3% |
| 1982 | $753.91 | 6.2% |
| 1983 | $778.12 | 3.2% |
| 1984 | $811.72 | 4.3% |
| 1985 | $840.62 | 3.6% |
| 1986 | $856.25 | 1.9% |
| 1987 | $887.50 | 3.6% |
| 1988 | $924.22 | 4.1% |
| 1989 | $968.75 | 4.8% |
| 1990 | $1,021 | 5.4% |
| 1991 | $1,064 | 4.2% |
| 1992 | $1,096 | 3.0% |
| 1993 | $1,129 | 3.0% |
| 1994 | $1,158 | 2.6% |
| 1995 | $1,191 | 2.8% |
| 1996 | $1,226 | 3.0% |
| 1997 | $1,254 | 2.3% |
| 1998 | $1,273 | 1.6% |
| 1999 | $1,302 | 2.2% |
| 2000 | $1,345 | 3.4% |
| 2001 | $1,384 | 2.8% |
| 2002 | $1,405 | 1.6% |
| 2003 | $1,438 | 2.3% |
| 2004 | $1,476 | 2.7% |
| 2005 | $1,526 | 3.4% |
| 2006 | $1,575 | 3.2% |
| 2007 | $1,620 | 2.8% |
| 2008 | $1,682 | 3.8% |
| 2009 | $1,676 | -0.4% |
| 2010 | $1,704 | 1.6% |
| 2011 | $1,757 | 3.2% |
| 2012 | $1,794 | 2.1% |
| 2013 | $1,820 | 1.5% |
| 2014 | $1,849 | 1.6% |
| 2015 | $1,852 | 0.1% |
| 2016 | $1,875 | 1.3% |
| 2017 | $1,915 | 2.1% |
| 2018 | $1,962 | 2.4% |
| 2019 | $1,997 | 1.8% |
| 2020 | $2,022 | 1.2% |
| 2021 | $2,117 | 4.7% |
| 2022 | $2,286 | 8.0% |
| 2023 | $2,380 | 4.1% |
| 2024 | $2,451 | 2.9% |
| 2025 | $2,515 | 2.6% |
| 2026 | $2,596 | 3.2% |
Questions about 1917 dollars
What is $100 in 1917 worth today?
$100 in 1917 is worth about $2,596 in 2026. The US dollar lost roughly 96% of its 1917 purchasing power, so it takes 25.96 2026 dollars to buy what one dollar bought in 1917. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U annual averages (2026: January–September average); CPI 12.8 in 1917 and 332.2 in 2026.
How much has inflation been since 1917?
Cumulative US inflation from 1917 to 2026 is about 2,495.6%, an average of 3.03% per year over 109 years.
What is $1,000 in 1917 worth in 2026?
$1,000 in 1917 has the same buying power as about $25,956 in 2026.
What was the inflation rate in 1917?
The US inflation rate in 1917 was 17.4%, measured as the change in the annual average CPI-U from 1916 (10.9) to 1917 (12.8).
Method: value = amount × (CPI2026 ÷ CPI1917). Figures are national averages for educational use and are not financial advice. The era summary is written with AI assistance; every figure on this page is computed from BLS data. See Understanding the CPI and the history of US inflation.