What is $1 from 1921 worth today?
$1 in 1921 is worth $18.82 in September 2026, based on the official Consumer Price Index. Prices have risen 1782% since 1921, an average of 2.83% a year over 105 years. In other words, prices have doubled about 4.2 times, and a dollar today buys 5.3% of what it bought in 1921.
The same ratio applies to any amount: $20 from 1921 is worth $376.47, $100 is worth $1,882 and $1,000 is worth $18,823 in today's dollars.
Inflation in 1921
The CPI-U averaged 17.9 in 1921, down 10.5% from 20 in 1920, so prices actually fell (deflation). From December 1920 to December 1921, prices fell 10.8%. This was the period of the sharp post-war recession. Ranked by annual inflation, 1921 is number 112 of the 112 years from 1914 to 2025.
In the 1920s, annual inflation averaged -0.1% a year. The highest rate was 15.6% in 1920 and the lowest -10.5% in 1921, so 1921 had the decade's lowest inflation.
1921 prices in today's money, and today's prices in 1921 money
If something cost $5 in 1921, the same buying power today is $94.12. Going the other way, $100 in September 2026 would have bought what $5.31 bought in 1921, and a $60,000 salary today has the buying power of a $3,188 salary in 1921.
If your pay in 1921 was, say, $1,000 a month, you would need about $18,823 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 1921 inflation figure is calculated
The calculation divides the latest CPI-U (336.94 for September 2026) by the 1921 annual average (17.9): 336.94 ÷ 17.9 = 18.8235. Multiply any 1921 amount by 18.8235 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 1921 or a different end date. See also $1 in 1920 and $1 in 1922. All years are on the main US inflation calculator page.