US inflation calculator

This free US inflation calculator shows what a dollar amount from one year is worth in another. Enter an amount, choose two years between 1913 and 2025, and see the equivalent value, the total price change and the average yearly rate. Our US inflation calculator uses official Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), so every result rests on published government figures.

Amount (US dollars)$

From year

To year

Calculate Swap years

Source: BLS CPI-U, U.S. city average, all items, annual averages (1982–84 = 100). Results are estimates based on national averages, not your personal cost of living.

What is inflation and how does a US inflation calculator help?

Inflation is the general rise in prices over time. When prices rise, each dollar buys a little less than before. A cart of groceries that cost $50 one year may cost $52 the next. Nothing has happened to the dollar bill itself. It simply buys fewer goods and services.

A small amount of inflation is normal in a healthy economy. The Federal Reserve aims for about 2% a year. The effect adds up, though. Because each year’s increase builds on the last, a modest rate can double prices over a few decades. That is why a dollar from 1980 and a dollar today are very different things. A calculator converts old dollars into today’s prices so you can compare them fairly.

What is the Consumer Price Index (CPI)?

The Consumer Price Index tracks how the prices consumers pay change over time. BLS collects prices for a large “basket” of everyday goods and services, such as food, housing, clothing, transportation, medical care and education. It then turns the changes into a single index number.

This calculator uses CPI-U, the index for all urban consumers. BLS says it represents about 93% of the U.S. population. The index is set so that the 1982–84 average equals 100. A CPI of 200 therefore means prices are about twice the 1982–84 level. The number has no unit. Only the ratio between two years matters.

How the US inflation calculation works

The calculator compares the CPI of your two years. It multiplies your amount by the ratio of the end-year CPI to the start-year CPI:

Example: $1,000 in 2000 (CPI 172.2), measured in 2025 (CPI 321.943): 1,000 × (321.943 ÷ 172.2) = $1,869.59. Prices rose about 87.0% over the period.

To find the average yearly rate, the calculator uses the compound rate:

For the same example: (321.943 ÷ 172.2)^1/25 − 1 ≈ 2.5% per year. This is a smoothed figure. Actual inflation was higher in some years and lower in others.

The calculation also works backward. If you pick a later “from” year and an earlier “to” year, you get the older-dollar equivalent. For instance, $1,000 in 2025 is worth about $534.88 in 2000 dollars, because 1,000 × (172.2 ÷ 321.943) = 534.88.

How to use the calculator

1. Type the dollar amount. You can include commas, such as 25,000.
2. Choose the year the amount comes from.
3. Choose the year you want to compare with. Most people choose 2025, the latest full year.
4. Press Calculate. Use Swap years to reverse the direction.

The result shows the equivalent amount, the total percentage change in prices, the average yearly rate, and how much a dollar from the start year can buy compared with the end year. A figure below 100% means the original dollars buy less.

Examples: what was money worth then?

These examples use the same data as the calculator, converted to 2025 dollars.

• $1 in 1950 equals about $13.36 in 2025.
• $20 in 1990 equals about $49.26 in 2025.
• $1,000 in 2000 equals about $1,869.59 in 2025.
• $50,000 in 2010 equals about $73,821 in 2025.
• $100 in 1913, the first year of the series, equals about $3,251.95 in 2025.

Examples like these help when you compare old salaries, prices or savings. A salary of $30,000 in 1990 is not the same as $30,000 today. Converting both to the same year gives a fairer comparison.

What was $100 worth over time?

The table converts $100 from each year into 2025 dollars. It uses the same CPI values as the calculator above.

Why CPI is not your personal inflation rate

CPI is an average of price changes across the country. Your own experience can be quite different, for several reasons:

• Your spending mix is different. A renter, a homeowner, a commuter and a retiree all spend in different proportions. If your biggest costs rise faster than the average, you feel more inflation than CPI shows.
• Where you live matters. Rent, insurance and energy costs can change faster in some regions than in others. CPI-U is a national measure.
• Some prices rise faster than others. Medical care and college tuition have often risen faster than overall prices, while some electronics have become cheaper.
• Quality changes. A car or phone today does far more than one from decades ago. Price comparisons across long periods cannot fully capture that.
• The basket changes. BLS updates what it measures as spending habits change, so very long comparisons are approximate.

Use the calculator as a reliable guide to average price changes, not as an exact measure of your own cost of living.

Where the data comes from

All values are annual averages of CPI-U (U.S. city average, all items, not seasonally adjusted, 1982–84 = 100) from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. You can check them at bls.gov/cpi.

• Why it starts in 1913. The official CPI series begins with 1913 estimates. Reliable national figures for earlier years come from other historical sources, so they are not included here.
• 2025. BLS did not publish an October 2025 index. The 2025 value used here (321.943) is the average of the 11 monthly values that were published.
• 2026. The current year is not complete, so it is not included. A partial-year average would not be a fair comparison with full years. 2025 is used as the latest full year. The calculator will add 2026 once a full-year average is published.

Frequently asked questions

What data is this calculator based on?

This US inflation calculator is based on the annual average CPI-U published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. It compares the index for the two years you choose.

Why can’t I choose a year before 1913?

The official CPI series starts in 1913, so this US inflation calculator cannot go back further. Earlier years rely on different historical estimates that are less precise.

Why is 2026 not available?

2026 is not finished yet, and the US inflation calculator uses full-year averages. Including a partial year would skew comparisons, so 2026 will be added once BLS publishes its annual average.

Is this my personal inflation rate?

No. The US inflation calculator uses a national average, so your own rate depends on what you buy and where you live.

Does it predict future inflation?

No. The US inflation calculator uses past data only. It cannot forecast what prices will do in the future.

What does an average yearly rate of 2.5% mean?

The US inflation calculator shows the steady annual rate that would produce the same total price change over the period. Real inflation moved up and down from year to year.

Can I calculate backward from a later year to an earlier one?

Yes. Choose the later year as the “from” year and the earlier year as the “to” year, or use the Swap years button. The US inflation calculator then shows the older-dollar equivalent.

Why might other calculators show slightly different results?

Some calculators use monthly CPI values instead of annual averages, and some use a different index or data source. Small differences from this US inflation calculator are normal when the method differs.

Is this calculator free to use?

Yes. This US inflation calculator is free and needs no sign-up. The numbers you type are not sent to a server by this tool.

How accurate are the results?

The US inflation calculator uses official BLS annual averages, so it is accurate for average national price changes. It cannot reflect your personal spending, so treat results as estimates.

Conclusion

A US inflation calculator turns decades of price data into one clear number. With official BLS data behind it, this US inflation calculator helps you compare old salaries, prices and savings in today’s dollars in a few seconds. The results show national averages, so use them as a guide rather than an exact measure of your own costs.

Planning your own finances next? Explore more free money tools and calculators at EMI Checker.

For education only. This is not financial advice. Check current data at bls.gov/cpi.