Historical data · sourced snapshots
Bitcoin vs the Dollar Since 2014
Bitcoin is included because it is the most widely followed alternative to government-issued money, not because it is comparable to CPI or the national debt. This page shows its dollar price as a multiple of the first 2014 observation in the FRED Coinbase series, on a logarithmic scale so that early years and recent years are both readable.
Historical chart
Dec 2014 to Oct 2026
Bitcoin’s dollar price as a multiple of its earliest FRED Coinbase observation in 2014, plotted monthly on a log scale because the range spans orders of magnitude.
| Period | Value | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 2014 | 1x | First available FRED Coinbase period |
| Dec 2015 | 1x | Observation for Dec 2015 |
| Dec 2016 | 2x | Early exchange-price history |
| Dec 2017 | 42x | Observation for Dec 2017 |
| Dec 2018 | 10x | Post-2017 boom reset |
| Dec 2019 | 20x | Observation for Dec 2019 |
| Dec 2020 | 60x | Institutional narrative grows |
| Dec 2021 | 134x | Cycle peak snapshot |
| Dec 2022 | 46x | Observation for Dec 2022 |
| Dec 2023 | 116x | Observation for Dec 2023 |
| Dec 2024 | 267x | ETF-era repricing |
| Dec 2025 | 242x | Observation for Dec 2025 |
| Oct 2026 | 230x | Coinbase price (FRED CBBTCUSD) 2026-10-08 versus the first 2014 observation |
What the numbers mean
Reading the bitcoin vs dollar history
The chart plots every monthly observation rather than a handful of snapshots, so the full shape is visible: the 2017 run and its collapse, the 2020-2021 climb, the 2022 drawdown, and where the price sits today. The multiple has ranged from below 1 to several hundred within a decade, with drawdowns of more than 70% along the way. That volatility is the reason the figure is labelled a comparison rather than a benchmark, and why it is presented separately from the inflation-linked series.
Related pages
Gold vs dollar · Market returns comparison · Purchasing power explained
Sourced snapshots are rounded; the latest point is refreshed by a scheduled data update and carries its observation date. Methodology · Report a correction.
Questions
Bitcoin vs dollar history FAQ
Why does the chart start in 2014 instead of 1971?
Reliable exchange price data begins in the early 2010s. The FRED Coinbase series used here starts in December 2014, so 2014 is the base year.
Why is the scale logarithmic?
On a linear scale the early values would be invisible next to recent ones. A log scale shows proportional changes evenly, so a doubling covers the same distance in 2016 as it does today. Because a filled area under a log curve is not proportional to anything, this chart draws the line alone.
Is Bitcoin an inflation hedge?
Its history is too short and too volatile to say. The market returns comparison lets you test it against gold, stocks, and cash over the periods that data exists.