What is an inflation calculator?
An inflation calculator converts money between years so you can compare like with like. It uses the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which tracks the average price of a basket of goods and services — rent, groceries, gas, healthcare, and more. When the index rises, each dollar buys less.
The Federal Reserve targets about 2% inflation over time: enough to encourage spending and wage growth, but low enough that savings hold their value. Investopedia's inflation guide is a good primer if you are new to the concept. A concrete example helps: $100 in 2000 has the same buying power as about $193.91 in 2026, because the CPI rose from 172.2 to 333.9.
Use the tool above for three everyday jobs: checking what past money is worth today, working out an inflation rate between two years, and projecting what today's savings might buy in the future. If your raise is on the table, compare it with our Salary Increase Calculator to see whether you kept up. If you are saving toward a goal, try the Savings Goal Calculator.
The BLS formula
Adjusted Value = Amount × (CPI in Later Year ÷ CPI in Earlier Year)
CPI = CPI-U annual average (base 1982–1984 = 100). Verify the series at FRED CPIAUCSL or the BLS FAQ.
Same method as the BLS inflation calculator. Background reading: Investopedia on purchasing power.
How to use the calculator
- Enter an amount — any USD value from $1 to $1,000,000,000. Try your rent, salary, or house price.
- Pick two years — a starting year and a target year from 1913 to 2026. Earlier → later shows growth; later → earlier shows what today's money was worth back then.
- Click Calculate — you get the adjusted value, total inflation %, average annual rate, and both CPI values so you can check the math.
- Try the future-value box — enter an amount, an assumed rate such as 3%, and a horizon. It shows the nominal total you would need and the real buying power left over.
Tip: run it backwards. $100 today was only $51.58 in 2000 dollars ($100 × 172.2 ÷ 333.9). That reverse view is handy for reading old salaries, house prices, or tuition figures in today's money.
What your dollar is worth in 2026
The same basket of goods costs more almost every year, so cash quietly buys less. A movie ticket, a gallon of milk, or a month of rent from years ago looks cheap today — not because those things changed, but because the dollar stretched further:
Same amount, different era (in 2026 dollars)
- •
$1 in 1970 → $8.60 today. Prices rose about 760% over 56 years.
- •
$100 in 1980 → $405.22. High 1970s–80s inflation still echoes in today's prices.
- •
$100 in 1990 → $255.48. More than doubled in 36 years.
- •
$100 in 2000 → $193.91 (93.9% total, ~2.55% per year). Prices nearly doubled in a generation.
- •
$100 in 2019 → $130.59. A 30.6% jump in just 7 years after COVID.
- •
$1,000 in 2010 → $1,530.94. Useful for tuition or housing comparisons.
Math: $100 × (333.9 ÷ 172.2) = $193.91. Total rise = (333.9 − 172.2) ÷ 172.2 × 100 = 93.9%. Yearly average = (333.9 ÷ 172.2)^(1÷26) − 1 = 2.55%. Sources: BLS, FRED.
Three worked examples
1990 → 2026
CPI 130.7 → 333.9. $50 × (333.9 ÷ 130.7) = $127.74. Total +155.5%, ~2.6%/yr.
2000 → 2026
CPI 172.2 → 333.9. $100 × (333.9 ÷ 172.2) = $193.91. Total +93.9%, ~2.55%/yr.
2020 → 2026
CPI 258.8 → 333.9. $100 × (333.9 ÷ 258.8) = $129.03. Total +29.0% in 6 years.
U.S. inflation by decade
Averages hide the story. Oil shocks drove the 1970s, Volcker's rate hikes tamed the 1980s, the 2010s were unusually calm, and stimulus plus supply snarls spiked 2021–2022 (peak 8.0% in 2022 per FRED):
| Decade | Avg. Annual Rate | Key Event (FRED/BLS) |
|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 7.1% | Oil crisis, stagflation |
| 1980s | 5.1% | Volcker rate hikes |
| 1990s | 2.8% | Dot-com boom, stable growth |
| 2000s | 2.5% | Housing bubble, Great Recession |
| 2010s | 1.8% | Low inflation era |
| 2020 to 2026 | 4.2% | COVID stimulus, supply chains, 2022 peak 8.0% |
Sources: BLS CPI & FRED CPIAUCSL. Background: Federal Reserve recent trends.
U.S. inflation rate by year (2013–2026)
Year-average to year-average change from BLS CPI-U, with what $100 from each year buys in 2026 dollars. The 2021–2022 spike and the cooldown since are easy to spot:
| Year | CPI-U | Yearly change | $100 then → 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 333.9* | 3.4% YoY* | $100.00 |
| 2025 | 321.5 | 2.3% | $103.86 |
| 2024 | 314.2 | 3.1% | $106.27 |
| 2023 | 304.7 | 4.1% | $109.58 |
| 2022 | 292.7 | 8.0% | $114.08 |
| 2021 | 271.0 | 4.7% | $123.21 |
| 2020 | 258.8 | 1.2% | $129.02 |
| 2019 | 255.7 | 1.8% | $130.58 |
| 2018 | 251.1 | 2.4% | $132.97 |
| 2017 | 245.1 | 2.1% | $136.23 |
| 2016 | 240.0 | 1.3% | $139.13 |
| 2015 | 237.0 | 0.1% | $140.89 |
| 2014 | 236.7 | 1.6% | $141.06 |
| 2013 | 233.0 | 1.5% | $143.30 |
*2026 uses the July 2026 monthly CPI (333.9); all other years use BLS annual averages. Computed from the same CPI-U series as the calculator above — verify at FRED CPIAUCSL.
Steeper means faster inflation — note the 1970s–80s climb and the post-2020 spike. Log scale keeps a century of growth readable. Data: BLS CPI-U.
Why does inflation happen?
Demand-pull
Too much spending chasing too few goods. After COVID, demand snapped back while factories and shipping lagged — prices jumped.
Cost-push
Making things gets pricier — oil, wages, or tariffs — and firms pass it on. The 1973 oil embargo is the classic case.
Built-in expectations
Workers expect higher prices and ask for raises; firms raise prices to cover payroll. The loop fed 1970s stagflation.
Money supply
More money relative to output pushes prices up over time. That is why central banks move interest rates to cool or support demand.
Deflation — falling prices — sounds nice but usually signals weak demand. Japan's 1990s and the U.S. Great Depression show why steady, low inflation beats both extremes.
CPI vs. PCE and the Rule of 72
Two details answer the most common follow-up questions:
- CPI vs. PCE: CPI tracks what urban households pay out of pocket. PCE, the Fed's preferred gauge, also covers costs paid on your behalf (like employer health plans) and adjusts faster when shoppers substitute. PCE usually runs about 0.3 points below CPI. We use CPI here because it is the headline number behind most dollar conversions.
- Rule of 72: divide 72 by the inflation rate to estimate how fast prices double. At 3%, prices double in about 24 years (72 ÷ 3). At 7%, in about 10 years. Flip it: your cash loses half its buying power over the same span.
- Real vs. nominal: a quick shortcut is nominal return minus inflation (8% − 3% = 5%), but the precise formula is ((1 + nominal) ÷ (1 + inflation) − 1) × 100. For 8% and 3%, that is 4.85% — close enough for planning, exact when it matters.
CPI data and methodology
Where do the numbers come from?
Annual-average CPI-U for 1913–2025 (base 1982–1984 = 100) from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, mirrored at FRED (St. Louis Fed). For 2026 we use the latest monthly reading — July 2026: 333.9 — the same convention as the BLS calculator. July 2026 year-over-year: 3.4% headline, 3.3% core (see BLS news release).
Recent CPI-U values — check the math yourself
| Year | CPI-U | Note | What $100 is worth in 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 333.9 | July 2026* | $100.00 |
| 2025 | 321.5 | annual avg | $103.86 |
| 2024 | 314.2 | $106.27 | |
| 2023 | 304.7 | $109.58 | |
| 2022 | 292.7 | 8.0% peak | $114.08 |
| 2021 | 271 | $123.21 | |
| 2020 | 258.8 | $129.02 | |
| 2019 | 255.7 | $130.58 | |
| 2018 | 251.1 | $132.97 | |
| 2015 | 237 | $140.89 | |
| 2010 | 218.1 | $153.09 | |
| 2000 | 172.2 | $193.90 | |
| 1990 | 130.7 | $255.47 | |
| 1980 | 82.4 | $405.22 | |
| 1970 | 38.8 | $860.57 |
Full 1913–2026 series is built into the calculator above. Raw data: BLS CUUR0000SA0 · FRED CPIAUCSL · BLS FAQ. The CPI basket covers food, housing, transport, and medical care — your own mix will differ. Background: Investopedia & Federal Reserve FAQ.
▶ How we handle 2026 and the October 2025 gap
2026 uses the July 2026 monthly CPI (released Aug 12, 2026). Once the year closes, it switches to the full-year average in Jan 2027.
BLS did not publish October 2025 CPI during a funding lapse. Annual averages are unaffected; monthly comparisons interpolate the September–November geometric mean, per BLS practice.
We use CPI-U (about 93% of the population). Chained CPI typically runs ~0.25 points lower because it adjusts faster for substitution.
How to use this for salary, savings, and investing
Salary talks: a 3% raise with 3.4% inflation is about 0.4% backwards. Bring the adjusted number to the review, then model the gap with the Salary Increase Calculator.
Retirement: $100,000 today needs about $181,000 in 20 years at 3% inflation just to stand still. Test your target with the Savings Goal Calculator.
Cash vs. investing: savings at 2% while prices rise 3% loses ground every year. Compare real returns with the ROI Calculator. Common hedges — diversified stocks, TIPS, I Bonds, real estate — each trade inflation protection for risk or lock-up.
History as context: $1 in 1970 equals $8.60 today (CPI 38.8 → 333.9, FRED). Old prices make more sense once you translate them.
Sources, updates & limits
Educational use only — not financial advice. Verify at bls.gov/cpi & FRED.