• Home
  • Related Sites
    • Financial Trend Forecaster
      • Moore Inflation Predictor
      • NYSE Rate of Change (ROC)
      • NASDAQ Rate of Change (ROC)
      • Crypto ROC- BTC & ETH
    • Unemployment Data
      • Historical Employment Data
      • Unemployment Rate Chart
      • Labor Force Participation Rate
    • Optio Money
    • Elliott Wave University
    • More Resources
  • Definitions
    • What is Inflation?
    • What is Core Inflation?
    • Inflation vs CPI
    • What is Deflation?
    • What is Disinflation?
    • What is Agflation?
    • What is Stagflation?
    • What is Hyperinflation?
    • What is Quantitative Easing?
    • What is Quantitative Tightening?
    • What is Velocity of Money?
    • What is Fiat Currency?
    • How Do I Calculate Inflation?
    • What are “Sticky Prices” and Why Do They Matter?
  • Featured Content
  • About Us
  • Feedback
    • Sitemap
  • Subscribe Now

InflationData.com

Your Place in Cyber Space for Inflation Data

CPI Index

  • Numerical Inflation Data
    • Current Inflation Rate
    • Monthly Inflation Rate
    • Historical U.S. Inflation Rates
    • Historical CPI
  • Inflation Charts
    • Ann. Inf. Rate Chart
    • Long Term Inflation >
      • Ave. Inf. by Decade
      • Total Inf. by Decade
      • Inflation 1913-1919
      • Inflation 1920-1929
      • Inflation 1930-1939
      • Inflation 1940-1949
      • Inflation 1950-1959
      • Inflation 1960-1969
      • Inflation 1970-1979
    • Cumulative Inflation
    • FED Monetary Policy and Inflation
    • Inflation and Recession
    • Confederate Inflation (1861 – 1865)
    • Misery Index
    • The 3 Stages of Inflation
    • 15-Yr Inflation Trends Chart
  • Inflation Calculators
    • Cumulative Inf. Calc.
    • How Much Would it Cost
    • Salary Inf. Calc.
    • Cost of Living Calc.
    • U.K. Inf. Calc.
    • Cost of Gas Calc.
    • Net Worth Calc.
    • Lifetime Earnings Calc.
    • Savings Goal Calc.
    • Financial Calculators
  • Inf. Adjusted Prices
    • Energy >
      • Inflation Adj. Gas Prices
      • Historical Oil Prices Chart
      • Crude Oil Price (Table)
      • Natural Gas Prices
      • Electricity Prices
      • Oil vs Gold
    • Gold >
      • Inflation Adjusted Annual Average Gold Prices
      • Gold is a “Crisis Hedge” not an  “Inflation Hedge”
      • Comparing Oil vs. Gold
    • Corn Prices
    • Education Inflation
    • Housing Prices
    • Mortgage Rates
    • NYSE Index
    • Inf. Indexed Bonds
    • Movie Revenues
    • Inflation-Adjusted Wages
  • Cost of Living
    • Calculate Cost of Living
    • Cost-of-living Adj. (COLA)
    • Consumer Price Index CPI
      • Historical CPI
      • Current CPI
      • CPI Release Dates
    • Gas Prices >
      • Cost of Gas
      • Cost of Gas Per Month
      • Gas vs. Oil Price Chart
    • Food Prices 1913 vs 2013
    • Health Insurance
  • Blog
    • Key Inflation Articles
    • International Inflation
    • Historical Inflation Rates for Japan (1971 to 2014)
You are here: Home » Blog » Inflation » Total U.S. Cumulative Inflation

Total U.S. Cumulative Inflation

Published on August 10, 2022 Updated on August 2, 2025 by Tim McMahon Leave a Comment

How Much Inflation have we had since 1913?

Just like compound interest, “compound inflation” grows faster and faster.  So, even though the average annual inflation since 1913 has been “only” 3.24% PER YEAR. After over 100 years, the total cumulative inflation becomes astronomical.

See Average Annual Inflation Rates by Decade to see how each decade stacked up.

As you can see from the chart below, compounding something for over 100 years at 3.16% will result in over 3000% inflation! The Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) for January 1913 was 9.8.  The CPI-U for June 2025 was 322.561.  This means that something that cost $9.80 in January 1913 would cost $322.56 in June of 2025! Of course, there are certain things we have readily available (like A/C, Refrigerators, TVs, and Computers) that weren’t available for any price in 1913.

Cumulative Inflation Chart

Cumulative Inflation through June 2025

If that isn’t bad enough, the situation is actually worse. Looking at the chart carefully, you will see that inflation was fairly steep during the “teens” from 1913 – 1920. So, in 7 years, prices had already almost doubled. (See: Total Inflation by Decade). But then, during the 1920s and 1930s, inflation declined. The CPI-U index stood at 13.9 in January of 1940.

We would expect prices in the 30s to decline (deflation) because of the depression, but it is surprising that prices also fell during the “roaring 20s“.

Therefore, virtually all of the 2000% inflation occurred since 1940.  The average annual inflation rate in the 1940s was 4.86%. In the 1970s, it was 7.25%, and in the 1980s, inflation averaged 5.82%. Each of those decades was especially hard economically for people trying to make ends meet. Since prices increased, but wages didn’t keep up. So far in the 2020s, the average annual inflation is 4.21%, which doesn’t sound too bad until you realize that in only half a decade (2020-2025), prices have increased 25.5% on top of 19% for the decade from 2010-2019. For more information and a chart, see the average annual inflation rates for all decades since 1913.

Total inflation of 3,191 percent might seem like a crazy number, but remember, the original price was $9.90. So, if the price rose to $19.80, you have 100% inflation, and at $29.70, you have 200% inflation, and so on.

Total U.S. Cumulative Inflation by Decade

Rather than looking at the average inflation for each year in a decade, if we look at the total inflation that piled up during a particular decade, we see that the 1970s were the worst. The teens might have been worse, but we don’t have data for the entire decade. We do know that inflation was already bad enough in 1913 to force the government to start tracking it.

The 1940s and the 1980s were also bad.

As you can see, in the first two years of this decad,e we’ve seen almost as much inflation as in the entire last decade. Also, note that even though the last decade had very low annual inflation, prices still increased by almost 20% during that time. So even very low inflation adds up.

Total Inflation by Decade June 2025

If you want to easily calculate the total cumulative inflation between two specific dates, you can use our cumulative inflation calculator. In addition to telling you how much inflation occurred between those two dates, it will also tell you how much something would cost after adjusting for inflation.

You might also like:

  • How Inflation Destroys Civilization
  • Inflation Causes Inequality
  • Inflation Destroys More Than Money
  • Have Wages Kept Up with Inflation
  • Not All Prices Have Inflated Since 1964
  • Inflation and Consumer Price Index- Decade Commentary
  • WWI – The beginning of the CPI the Inflationary period 1913 – 1919
  • The “Roaring Twenties” Inflation and Deflation 1920-1929
  • The Great Depression and the Deflationary 1930′s– 1930-1939
  • World War II — the volatile 1940′s– High and Low Inflation 1940-1949
  • The 1950′s “Happy Days”– Inflation and CPI 1950-1959
  • The 1960′s the age of possibility– Low Inflation 1960-1969
  • The Inflationary 1970’s Inflation and CPI 1970-1979
  • The Reagan Era Lower Inflation 1980-1989
  • Data Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics
Average Annual Inflation by Decade Total Inflation by Decade
Average Annual Inflation by Decade Total Inflation by Decade

About Tim McMahon

Connect with Tim on Google+.

  • Web
  • |
  • Twitter
  • |
  • Facebook
  • |
  • LinkedIn
  • |
  • More Posts(398)

Filed Under: Inflation Tagged With: cumulative inflation, Total Inflation

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Latest Posts

  • Is the FED Getting Soft on Inflation?
  • July Inflation Report
  • AI Is Deflationary But Its Energy Demand Could Fuel Inflation
  • June Inflation Up Again
  • FED’s Semiannual Monetary Policy Report
  • What Is the Trimmed Mean CPI and What Is It Good For?
  • May 2025 Inflation Up Slightly
  • The Truth About Why Gold Is Surging

Sponsored:

Access Before Tuesday...

Jim Fink is just moments away from issuing two brand new trades designed to double their money (or more) in 3 to 10 days... and you're invited to get in on the action. I would caution you not to overlook this opportunity... Over the last 10 years (through multiple downturns) Jim has closed out 97% of his recommendations "in the green." His next two trades go live on Tuesday... Investors who want in should move NOW.

Grab your first two primed-to-double trades here.

----------

As a Seasoned Investor I thought I'd seen everything... But recently I discovered TradingView which has really improved the information I have at my fingertips.~ Tim McMahon, editor

Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned trader, TradingView gives you the edge. Access powerful charting tools, real-time market data, and a global community of traders—all in one intuitive platform. With hundreds of indicators, custom scripts, and seamless brokerage integration, TradingView isn't just a charting tool—it's your full trading command center.

Trade smarter. Trade faster. Trade with TradingView.

----------

The Best Place to Buy Your Crypto

Coinbase is the largest Crypto Trading platform in the U.S. and the easiest to use. ~Tim McMahon, editor

Check out Coinbase here

Subscribe Now

eTrends Signup Form

Elliott Wave Resources

Free Elliott Wave Resources

What is Waveopedia?

Waveopedia is EWI’s free, comprehensive index of Elliott wave patterns and terms. Everyone from beginners to experts can benefit from it. It’s a great place to send your followers if they’re new to Elliott waves.

  • Deflation Hits China is the U.S. Next?

  • Why You Must Avoid the Herding Trap

  • Chasing Trends Can Cost You

  • More Education Resources

Post Archives

Home | Articles | Sitemap | Terms of Service | Privacy | Disclaimer | Advertise With Us

Copyright © 1996-2025 · Capital Professional Services, LLC · Maintained by Design Synergy Studio · Admin

Do Not Sell My Personal Information