US Inflation Calculator
What a dollar from one year is worth in another.
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Enter your numbers to see the result.
This US inflation calculator shows what an amount of money from one year is worth in another, using the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) back to 1913. Enter an amount and two years to see the equivalent value, the cumulative change in prices and the average annual inflation rate between them.
What is a US Inflation Calculator?
Inflation is the general rise in prices over time, which means a dollar buys less each year. The most widely used US measure is the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), published monthly by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Comparing the CPI in two years tells you how much prices changed between them. This US inflation calculator uses annual-average CPI-U values from 1913 onwards to convert an amount from one year’s dollars into another’s, so you can compare old prices, salaries or savings in today’s terms.
How does the US Inflation Calculator work?
The calculator divides the CPI in the target year by the CPI in the starting year and multiplies your amount by that ratio. The average annual rate is the compound rate that turns the first CPI into the second over the number of years between them.
How to use the US Inflation Calculator step by step
- Enter the amount in dollars.
- Enter the from year the amount belongs to.
- Enter the to year you want to compare with.
- Read the equivalent value.
- Check the cumulative and average inflation.
- Swap the years to see the value going backwards.
US Inflation Calculator example with real numbers
You want to know how much $100 from the year 2000 is worth in today’s money.
| Example input | Value |
|---|---|
| Amount | $100.00 |
| From year | 2,000 |
| To year | 2,026 |
| Example output | Value |
|---|---|
| $100.00 in 2000 equals | $194.19 |
| Cumulative price change | +94.2% |
| Average annual inflation | 2.59% |
| CPI-U 2000 | 172.2 |
| CPI-U 2026 | 334.4 (estimate) |
| Buying power of $100.00 from 2026 in 2000 | $51.50 |
The calculator shows that $194.19 in 2026 buys what $100 bought in 2000, a cumulative price rise of +94.2%, or 2.59% a year on average.
Key features of this US Inflation Calculator
- CPI-U data from 1913
- Any two years, forwards or backwards
- Cumulative and average inflation
- CPI values shown
- Copy and CSV
Who should use the US Inflation Calculator?
Who is this US Inflation Calculator for?
- Students and teachers
- Writers and researchers
- Investors checking real returns
- Anyone comparing old prices
Practical use cases
- Converting a historical price to today’s dollars
- Checking if a salary has kept up with inflation
- Comparing returns in real terms
- Adjusting a budget for rising prices
Key benefits
- Long history: back to 1913.
- Two directions: past to present or present to past.
- Context: average yearly inflation.
- Fast: no page reloads.
Tips for better results
- Use the annual average for year comparisons; monthly CPI is better for exact dates.
- Compare your salary growth with the average inflation rate.
- Real return = (1 + nominal) ÷ (1 + inflation) − 1.
- For Indian rupee inflation, use the India US inflation calculator.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Treating the 2026 estimate as final.
- Comparing amounts without adjusting for inflation.
- Assuming every item rose at the CPI rate.
- Mixing CPI-U with other indexes.
Limitations of this US Inflation Calculator
- CPI measures an average basket; your costs may differ.
- Annual averages hide changes within a year.
- Data before 1947 is less detailed.
US Inflation Calculator vs other ways to calculate
| Period | Average annual inflation |
|---|---|
| 1913 to 2026 | About 3.1% |
| 1970 to 1980 | About 7.8% |
| 2010 to 2020 | About 1.7% |
| 2021 to 2025 | About 4.4% |
For rupee inflation, use the India price-rise tool. To see how savings grow faster than inflation, try the investment calculator.
Privacy and data handling
This US Inflation Calculator runs entirely in your browser. The numbers you type are not sent to Qorico or stored on any server, and nothing is saved after you close the page. The Copy and Download buttons create the result on your own device. If the page has analytics turned on, it may count that a calculation happened, but it does not record the values you entered.
US Inflation Calculator FAQs
What is $100 in 1970 worth today?
Enter 100, 1970 and 2026 above. With CPI-U of 38.8 in 1970, it is roughly $860 in 2026 dollars.
Where does the data come from?
Annual-average CPI-U values from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as compiled by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.
Why is 2026 an estimate?
The full-year average is published in January of the next year; until then it is estimated from months released so far.
What is CPI-U?
The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, covering about 90% of the US population.
What was the average US inflation rate?
Since 1913 it has averaged about 3% a year, with large swings.
Can I calculate deflation?
Yes. Choose years such as 1929 to 1933, when prices fell.
Related tools
Sources and references
We checked the method and the current figures used in this US Inflation Calculator against these official and primary sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: CPI
- Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis: CPI 1913–
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- BLS: CPI US inflation calculator
Written and reviewed by the Qorico Team
