What is $1 from 1917 worth today?
$1 in 1917 is worth $26.32 in September 2026, based on the official Consumer Price Index. Prices have risen 2532% since 1917, an average of 3.04% a year over 109 years. In other words, prices have doubled about 4.7 times, and a dollar today buys 3.8% of what it bought in 1917.
The same ratio applies to any amount: $20 from 1917 is worth $526.47, $100 is worth $2,632 and $1,000 is worth $26,323 in today's dollars.
Inflation in 1917
The CPI-U averaged 12.8 in 1917, up 17.4% from 10.9 in 1916. From December 1916 to December 1917, prices rose 18.1%. This was the period of the First World War. Ranked by annual inflation, 1917 is number 2 of the 112 years from 1914 to 2025.
In the 1910s, annual inflation averaged 9.7% a year (over the 6 years with data). The highest rate was 18.0% in 1918 and the lowest 1.0% in 1915.
1917 prices in today's money, and today's prices in 1917 money
If something cost $5 in 1917, the same buying power today is $131.62. Going the other way, $100 in September 2026 would have bought what $3.80 bought in 1917, and a $60,000 salary today has the buying power of a $2,279 salary in 1917.
If your pay in 1917 was, say, $1,000 a month, you would need about $26,323 a month in September 2026 to afford the same basket of goods and services. Remember that this is an average across consumer spending: some prices, such as housing, health care and tuition, have risen faster than the CPI, while others have risen more slowly.
How this 1917 inflation figure is calculated
The calculation divides the latest CPI-U (336.94 for September 2026) by the 1917 annual average (12.8): 336.94 ÷ 12.8 = 26.3234. Multiply any 1917 amount by 26.3234 to convert it to September 2026 dollars. The data is the CPI for All Urban Consumers, U.S. city average, all items, not seasonally adjusted (BLS series CUUR0000SA0), published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Use the calculator above to pick a specific month in 1917 or a different end date. See also $1 in 1916 and $1 in 1918. All years are on the main US inflation calculator page.