How to use this inflation calculator
- Choose a mode. “Historical” converts money between two dates using published CPI data; “Future inflation” projects prices forward at a rate you choose.
- Enter an amount and pick the two years. Each year uses its official annual average; 2026 has no annual average yet, so it uses the latest month (August 2026). The ending year defaults to the latest data.
- Need a specific month? Open “Specific months” to compare, say, January 2020 with August 2026. Monthly values are available from January 2000; October 2025 was never published and can’t be selected.
- Read the results: the equivalent amount, cumulative inflation, the average yearly rate, the reverse conversion, and a year-by-year table. Copy the link to share your exact scenario.
What is the CPI-U?
The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) is the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ measure of the average change over time in the prices urban consumers pay for a market basket of goods and services. According to BLS, the CPI-U population makes up over 90% of the U.S. population. The index is set so that the 1982–84 average equals 100: a reading of 334.980 in August 2026 means the same basket costs about 3.35 times what it did in 1982–84.
This calculator uses the headline series, CUUR0000SA0 (U.S. city average, all items, not seasonally adjusted), the index BLS features in its monthly news release. The not-seasonally-adjusted CPI-U is final when issued (BLS does not revise it), which makes it the usual basis for converting dollars between dates. The data include official annual averages back to 1913 and monthly values from January 2000 through August 2026. BLS is scheduled to publish September 2026 data on October 14, 2026.
How the inflation calculation works
Converting money between two dates uses the ratio of the price index on those dates:
V_to = V_from × CPI_to ÷ CPI_from
- V_from
- the amount in the starting year or month
- V_to
- the equivalent amount in the ending year or month
- CPI_from, CPI_to
- the CPI-U index for each date (annual average or monthly value)
The average annual inflation rate is the compound annual growth rate of the index:
i = (CPI_to ÷ CPI_from)^(1/t) − 1
- i
- average annual inflation rate
- t
- years between the two dates (an annual average counts as mid-year, a month as mid-month)
Worked example
The CPI-U averaged 172.2 in 2000 and was 334.980 in August 2026. So $100 × 334.980 ÷ 172.2 = $194.53. The index rose by a factor of 1.9453, which is 94.5% cumulative inflation. The two dates are 26.125 years apart, so the average rate is 1.94531/26.125 − 1 = 2.58% a year.
What $100 from each decade is worth today
Each row converts $100 at that year’s CPI-U annual average into August 2026 dollars.
| Year | CPI-U (annual avg.) | $100 in August 2026 dollars | Cumulative inflation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 20.0 | $1,674.90 | 1,575% |
| 1930 | 16.7 | $2,005.87 | 1,906% |
| 1940 | 14.0 | $2,392.71 | 2,293% |
| 1950 | 24.1 | $1,389.96 | 1,290% |
| 1960 | 29.6 | $1,131.69 | 1,032% |
| 1970 | 38.8 | $863.35 | 763% |
| 1980 | 82.4 | $406.53 | 307% |
| 1990 | 130.7 | $256.30 | 156% |
| 2000 | 172.2 | $194.53 | 95% |
| 2010 | 218.056 | $153.62 | 54% |
| 2020 | 258.811 | $129.43 | 29% |
US inflation rate by year
The inflation rate for a year is usually quoted as the change in the annual average CPI-U from the year before. News reports often quote the December-to-December change instead, so both are shown. In 2025 prices rose 2.6% on an annual-average basis; the peak of the recent surge was 8.0% in 2022. The December-to-December column starts in 2001, the first year for which this calculator’s monthly data include the prior December; BLS publishes earlier December values on its CPI-U series page.
| Year | CPI-U (annual avg.) | Inflation (annual avg.) | Dec. to Dec. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 321.943 | 2.6% | 2.7% |
| 2024 | 313.689 | 2.9% | 2.9% |
| 2023 | 304.702 | 4.1% | 3.4% |
| 2022 | 292.655 | 8.0% | 6.5% |
| 2021 | 270.970 | 4.7% | 7.0% |
| 2020 | 258.811 | 1.2% | 1.4% |
| 2019 | 255.657 | 1.8% | 2.3% |
| 2018 | 251.107 | 2.4% | 1.9% |
| 2017 | 245.120 | 2.1% | 2.1% |
| 2016 | 240.007 | 1.3% | 2.1% |
| 2015 | 237.017 | 0.1% | 0.7% |
| 2014 | 236.736 | 1.6% | 0.8% |
| 2013 | 232.957 | 1.5% | 1.5% |
| 2012 | 229.594 | 2.1% | 1.7% |
| 2011 | 224.939 | 3.2% | 3.0% |
| 2010 | 218.056 | 1.6% | 1.5% |
| 2009 | 214.537 | -0.4% | 2.7% |
| 2008 | 215.303 | 3.8% | 0.1% |
| 2007 | 207.342 | 2.8% | 4.1% |
| 2006 | 201.6 | 3.2% | 2.5% |
| 2005 | 195.3 | 3.4% | 3.4% |
| 2004 | 188.9 | 2.7% | 3.3% |
| 2003 | 184.0 | 2.3% | 1.9% |
| 2002 | 179.9 | 1.6% | 2.4% |
| 2001 | 177.1 | 2.8% | 1.6% |
| 2000 | 172.2 | 3.4% | — |
| 1999 | 166.6 | 2.2% | — |
| 1998 | 163.0 | 1.6% | — |
| 1997 | 160.5 | 2.3% | — |
| 1996 | 156.9 | 3.0% | — |
| 1995 | 152.4 | 2.8% | — |
| 1994 | 148.2 | 2.6% | — |
| 1993 | 144.5 | 3.0% | — |
| 1992 | 140.3 | 3.0% | — |
| 1991 | 136.2 | 4.2% | — |
| 1990 | 130.7 | 5.4% | — |
Over the full record since 1913, prices rose an average of 3.16% a year. The highest annual rate was 18.0% in 1918, and the steepest deflation was -10.5% in 1921.
Cumulative inflation since 2000, 2010 and 2020
| Period | Cumulative inflation | Average per year | $100 then in August 2026 dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2000 | 94.5% | 2.58% | $194.53 |
| Since 2010 | 53.6% | 2.70% | $153.62 |
| Since 2020 | 29.4% | 4.30% | $129.43 |
Why October 2025 is missing
BLS did not collect CPI price data from October 1 through November 12, 2025, because of the lapse in federal appropriations (the government shutdown). As its November 2025 CPI release explains, BLS was unable to collect the October 2025 survey data retroactively, so there is no official index for that month. The official 2025 annual average is based on the 11 months that were published. In this calculator the month is disabled in the month pickers; choose the month before or after it, or the annual average.
Inflation vs. purchasing power
Inflation and purchasing power are two sides of the same index. When prices rise 94.5%, a dollar does not lose 94.5% of its value; it loses 48.6%, because 1 ÷ 1.9453 = 0.5141. That is why $100 today buys only what $51.41 bought in 2000.
Looking ahead, the math is the same compound growth used for interest. At 3.4% a year (the latest 12-month CPI-U change), what costs $100 today would cost $139.70 in 10 years, and $100 in cash would buy only $71.58 worth of today’s goods. At 2% inflation the same purchases would cost $121.90. Money that must keep its value, such as savings for retirement, needs to earn more than inflation after taxes.
The Fed’s 2% inflation target
The Federal Reserve’s policy committee (FOMC) judges that inflation of 2% over the longer run, measured by the annual change in the price index for personal consumption expenditures (PCE), is most consistent with its mandate of maximum employment and price stability. The goal was first adopted in January 2012 and was reaffirmed in the committee’s January 2026 statement. The Fed targets PCE inflation, not the CPI. The two indexes differ in formula, weights and scope (the CPI covers households’ out-of-pocket spending, while PCE also counts spending made on their behalf by third parties, such as employers and government health programs), so a CPI reading above or below 2% does not by itself mean the Fed is missing its goal. The latest 12-month CPI-U change is 3.4%.
Limits: your personal inflation rate is different
- The CPI is an average. BLS notes that it does not necessarily measure your own experience; if you spend more than the average household on something whose price is rising fast, such as medical care or rent, your personal inflation rate can be higher.
- It is not a complete cost-of-living measure. BLS says the CPI is often called a cost-of-living index but differs from one in important ways; it measures prices, not your total spending or quality of life.
- Other indexes exist. Social Security’s cost-of-living adjustment uses the CPI-W, and the chained CPI-U allows for substitution across item categories. Their results differ somewhat from the CPI-U.
- It is a national average. Prices rise at different rates in different parts of the country and for different items, so a single national figure is only a starting point.
To see whether your pay has kept up with prices, convert your old salary with this calculator and compare it with what you earn now; the salary calculator then turns that annual figure into hourly, weekly or monthly pay. To plan for decades of rising prices, use the retirement calculator, which adjusts your income goal for inflation, or the compound interest calculator to compare savings growth with inflation.
Frequently asked questions
How much is $100 from 2000 worth today?
$100 in 2000 is worth about $194.53 in August 2026 dollars. The CPI-U averaged 172.2 in 2000 and stood at 334.980 in August 2026, so prices rose 94.5%. Put the other way, $100 today buys what $51.41 bought in 2000.
How do you calculate inflation between two years?
Divide the CPI for the later date by the CPI for the earlier date and multiply by the dollar amount: value = amount × CPI(later) ÷ CPI(earlier). The cumulative inflation rate is that ratio minus 1. To get the average yearly rate, raise the ratio to the power of 1 ÷ years and subtract 1. Use the same index series (such as the CPI-U, not seasonally adjusted) for both dates.
What was the US inflation rate in 2025?
Consumer prices rose 2.6% in 2025, measured by the change in the CPI-U annual average from 2024. Measured from December to December, inflation was 2.7%. Both figures come from the not-seasonally-adjusted CPI-U series this calculator uses. The most recent 12-month rate is 3.4% (August 2025 to August 2026). BLS is scheduled to release September 2026 CPI data on October 14, 2026.
Why is there no CPI for October 2025?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics did not collect price data from October 1 through November 12, 2025, during the lapse in federal appropriations, and it could not collect October 2025 prices after the fact. As a result, no CPI index exists for October 2025. BLS computed the 2025 annual average from the other 11 months. This calculator disables that month and uses only published values.
What is the Federal Reserve’s inflation target?
The Federal Open Market Committee aims for inflation of 2 percent over the longer run, measured by the annual change in the price index for personal consumption expenditures (PCE), not the CPI. The FOMC first adopted the goal in January 2012 and reaffirmed it most recently in January 2026. The two indexes differ in coverage and formula, so CPI inflation and PCE inflation are not identical.
What is the average US inflation rate?
From 1913 to 2025, consumer prices rose an average of 3.16% a year, based on CPI-U annual averages. Over the last 30 years (1995 to 2025) the average was 2.52% a year. Individual years vary widely, from 18.0% in 1918 to -10.5% in 1921.
Is inflation the same as the loss of purchasing power?
No, they are related but not equal. If prices rise 94.5%, a dollar buys 1 ÷ 1.9453 = 0.5141 as much, a loss of 48.6% of its buying power. Inflation measures how much prices went up; purchasing power measures how much less your money buys. The two numbers are only close when inflation is small.
Does this calculator use CPI-U or CPI-W?
It uses the CPI-U for the U.S. city average, all items, not seasonally adjusted (BLS series CUUR0000SA0), which covers over 90% of the U.S. population. The CPI-W covers a subset, households of urban wage earners and clerical workers (about 30% of the population), and is the index Social Security uses for its annual cost-of-living adjustment. The chained CPI-U is a third variant that allows for substitution between item categories.