Great Recession Era Purchasing Power Decrease: 2000 - 2019

This graph illustrates a clear economic distinction between the Great Depression 1920 -1939 period and the Great Recession period we are experiencing now. The Great Depression period saw deflation during recessions and a strengthening in dollar purchasing power over the twenty-year period, the economy today sees continued mild inflation, with price deflation and a strengthening in dollar purchasing power only briefly in 2009. See also: Great Depression Era Purchasing Power Increase: 1920 -1939.