$1 in 1870 has about the same buying power as $25.48 in 2025 — a total price increase of 2447.8% over 155 years, averaging 2.11% a year.
Each amount multiplied by 25.4775.
Index values are annual averages on the 1982-1984 = 100 base.
$1 in 1870 has roughly the same buying power as $25.48 in 2025. Prices rose 2447.8% in total over those 155 years, an average of 2.11% per year.
Multiply the 1870 amount by 25.4775. That figure is the price index in 2025 divided by the index in 1870 (322.8 ÷ 12.67).
Consumer prices changed by -5.0% during 1870 compared with the previous year.
No. Official US Consumer Price Index data begins in 1913. Figures for 1870 come from a reconstructed historical series published by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, which splices together earlier price indices. They are reasonable estimates for historical context, but they are not official statistics and carry meaningfully more uncertainty than post-1913 figures.
