Inflation Calculator

See what an amount of money from any year since 1913 is worth in another year — using the official CPI-U from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with the math shown.

$

$863.35

$100.00 in 1970 had the same buying power as $863.35 in August 2026.

Cumulative inflation
763.35%
Prices rose from 1970 to August 2026
Average per year
3.92%
compound rate over 56.1 years
Value of $1 from 1970
$8.63
in August 2026 dollars
CPI-U used
38.8 → 334.980
annual avg → monthly

Working

  1. CPI-U for 1970 (annual average): 38.8. CPI-U for August 2026: 334.980.
  2. Value in August 2026 dollars = amount × CPI(August 2026) ÷ CPI(1970) = $100.00 × 334.980 ÷ 38.8 = $100.00 × 8.63351 = $863.35
  3. Cumulative inflation from 1970 to August 2026: (334.980 ÷ 38.8 − 1) × 100 = 763.35%
  4. Average annual inflation over 56.125 years: (334.980 ÷ 38.8)^(1 ÷ 56.125) − 1 = 3.916% a year
  5. Buying power: $1 in August 2026 buys what $0.1158 bought in 1970, a loss of 88.42%.

Year by year

Inflation is the change in the annual average from the year before.

YearCPI-UInflationValue of $100.00 from 1970
197038.85.7%$100.00
197140.54.4%$104.38
197241.83.2%$107.73
197344.46.2%$114.43
197449.311.0%$127.06
197553.89.1%$138.66
197656.95.8%$146.65
197760.66.5%$156.19
197865.27.6%$168.04
197972.611.3%$187.11
198082.413.5%$212.37
198190.910.3%$234.28
198296.56.2%$248.71
198399.63.2%$256.70
1984103.94.3%$267.78
1985107.63.6%$277.32
1986109.61.9%$282.47
1987113.63.6%$292.78
1988118.34.1%$304.90
1989124.04.8%$319.59
1990130.75.4%$336.86
1991136.24.2%$351.03
1992140.33.0%$361.60
1993144.53.0%$372.42
1994148.22.6%$381.96
1995152.42.8%$392.78
1996156.93.0%$404.38
1997160.52.3%$413.66
1998163.01.6%$420.10
1999166.62.2%$429.38
2000172.23.4%$443.81
2001177.12.8%$456.44
2002179.91.6%$463.66
2003184.02.3%$474.23
2004188.92.7%$486.86
2005195.33.4%$503.35
2006201.63.2%$519.59
2007207.3422.8%$534.39
2008215.3033.8%$554.90
2009214.537−0.4%$552.93
2010218.0561.6%$562.00
2011224.9393.2%$579.74
2012229.5942.1%$591.74
2013232.9571.5%$600.40
2014236.7361.6%$610.14
2015237.0170.1%$610.87
2016240.0071.3%$618.57
2017245.1202.1%$631.75
2018251.1072.4%$647.18
2019255.6571.8%$658.91
2020258.8111.2%$667.04
2021270.9704.7%$698.38
2022292.6558.0%$754.27
2023304.7024.1%$785.31
2024313.6892.9%$808.48
2025321.9432.6%$829.75
Aug 2026334.980—$863.35

Data: CPI-U, U.S. city average, all items, 1982–84 = 100. Annual averages 1913–2025; monthly values for 2026 through August 2026 (released September 11, 2026).

How to use the inflation calculator

Type an amount, choose the year it comes from and the year you want to compare it with. The result, the cumulative and average inflation between the two dates, the working with the CPI values used and a year-by-year table update instantly. Pick an earlier year in the second box to convert today’s money back in time, or tap ⇄ to swap the years. For 2026, choose a month: the newest is the latest index BLS has published. The page address keeps your numbers, so you can share a comparison.

The formula

value in year B = amount × CPI(B) ÷ CPI(A) cumulative inflation = (CPI(later) ÷ CPI(earlier) − 1) × 100 average annual inflation = (CPI(later) ÷ CPI(earlier))^(1 ÷ years) − 1

The Consumer Price Index is a number that tracks the cost of a fixed basket of goods and services; its base is set so that the 1982–84 average equals 100. Because the index is proportional to prices, the ratio of two CPI values tells you how much prices changed between those dates. An annual average is treated as the middle of its year and a 2026 month as the middle of that month, so the “years” in the average-rate formula is the real time between the two.

Worked example

What did $100 in 1970 become? The 1970 annual average CPI-U is 38.8 and the 2025 average is 321.943, so $100 × 321.943 ÷ 38.8 = $829.75. Prices rose (321.943 ÷ 38.8 − 1) × 100 = 729.75% over 55 years, an average of (321.943 ÷ 38.8)^(1/55) − 1 = 3.92% a year. Put the other way, a 2025 dollar buys what about 12 cents did in 1970 — the dollar lost 87.9% of its buying power. Using the latest monthly index instead (August 2026, 334.980), the same $100 is $863.35.

A more recent comparison: $100 in 2000 equals $186.96 in 2025 (CPI 172.2 → 321.943), an average of 2.53% a year, including the surge of 2021–2023 (annual-average inflation of 4.7%, 8.0% and 4.1%).

About the data

The calculator uses the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), U.S. city average, all items, not seasonally adjusted — the headline CPI published monthly by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. For 1913–2025 it uses the official annual averages; before 2007 BLS publishes them to one decimal place, which is why older values look rounder. The 2025 average is based on 11 months, since BLS could not collect October 2025 data during the lapse in federal appropriations. For 2026 you can pick any month published so far; the table is updated as new months are released.

  • Early years are rougher. The early index was built from fewer cities and items than today’s, so treat century-long comparisons as approximate.
  • Quality changes. A 1970 car and a 2025 car are different products. The CPI adjusts for some quality changes, but no index captures them all.
  • Not a wage or asset measure. The CPI tracks consumer prices. Wages, home values and stock prices have their own histories.

Inflation and your plans

Inflation is why the retirement calculator asks for income in today’s dollars, and why a savings account paying less than inflation loses buying power even as its balance grows — compare the two with the savings calculator. For a single percentage change between two prices, the percentage calculator shows the working.

CPI-U annual averages, 1913–2025

Official BLS annual averages (1982–84 = 100) with the change from the year before. Scroll the table to see every year.

YearCPI-U annual averageChange from prior year
2025321.9432.6%
2024313.6892.9%
2023304.7024.1%
2022292.6558.0%
2021270.9704.7%
2020258.8111.2%
2019255.6571.8%
2018251.1072.4%
2017245.1202.1%
2016240.0071.3%
2015237.0170.1%
2014236.7361.6%
2013232.9571.5%
2012229.5942.1%
2011224.9393.2%
2010218.0561.6%
2009214.537−0.4%
2008215.3033.8%
2007207.3422.8%
2006201.63.2%
2005195.33.4%
2004188.92.7%
2003184.02.3%
2002179.91.6%
2001177.12.8%
2000172.23.4%
1999166.62.2%
1998163.01.6%
1997160.52.3%
1996156.93.0%
1995152.42.8%
1994148.22.6%
1993144.53.0%
1992140.33.0%
1991136.24.2%
1990130.75.4%
1989124.04.8%
1988118.34.1%
1987113.63.6%
1986109.61.9%
1985107.63.6%
1984103.94.3%
198399.63.2%
198296.56.2%
198190.910.3%
198082.413.5%
197972.611.3%
197865.27.6%
197760.66.5%
197656.95.8%
197553.89.1%
197449.311.0%
197344.46.2%
197241.83.2%
197140.54.4%
197038.85.7%
196936.75.5%
196834.84.2%
196733.43.1%
196632.42.9%
196531.51.6%
196431.01.3%
196330.61.3%
196230.21.0%
196129.91.0%
196029.61.7%
195929.10.7%
195828.92.8%
195728.13.3%
195627.21.5%
195526.8−0.4%
195426.90.7%
195326.70.8%
195226.51.9%
195126.07.9%
195024.11.3%
194923.8−1.2%
194824.18.1%
194722.314.4%
194619.58.3%
194518.02.3%
194417.61.7%
194317.36.1%
194216.310.9%
194114.75.0%
194014.00.7%
193913.9−1.4%
193814.1−2.1%
193714.43.6%
193613.91.5%
193513.72.2%
193413.43.1%
193313.0−5.1%
193213.7−9.9%
193115.2−9.0%
193016.7−2.3%
192917.10.0%
192817.1−1.7%
192717.4−1.7%
192617.71.1%
192517.52.3%
192417.10.0%
192317.11.8%
192216.8−6.1%
192117.9−10.5%
192020.015.6%
191917.314.6%
191815.118.0%
191712.817.4%
191610.97.9%
191510.11.0%
191410.01.0%
19139.9—

Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate what a dollar from a past year is worth today?

Multiply the amount by the CPI for the later year and divide by the CPI for the earlier year. For $100 in 1970 in 2025 dollars: $100 × 321.943 ÷ 38.8 = $829.75. To go the other way — what today’s money would have been in the past — swap the two CPI values.

What was the inflation rate in 2025?

Measured by annual averages, the CPI-U rose 2.6% from 2024 (313.689) to 2025 (321.943). BLS headline figures often compare one month with the same month a year earlier instead, so you will also see slightly different 2025 numbers quoted. The 2025 annual average covers 11 months because BLS could not collect October 2025 prices during the federal government shutdown.

Why is my result different from the BLS CPI Inflation Calculator?

The BLS calculator compares two specific months, while this page uses annual averages for 1913–2025 (plus the monthly indexes for 2026). A single month can be above or below its year’s average, so results can differ by a percent or two. Both use the same CPI-U index; annual averages are better when you only know the year.

Which years had the highest and lowest inflation?

In this annual-average series, prices rose most in 1918 (18.0%) and 1917 (17.4%); since 1950 the peak was 1980 (13.5%). Prices fell in 1921 (-10.5%) and through the early Depression — 1932 was -9.9%. In 2022 annual-average inflation reached 8.0%, the highest since 1981.

Does the CPI measure my personal inflation?

Not exactly. The CPI-U tracks the average price change of a broad basket of goods and services bought by urban consumers. Your own inflation depends on what you buy and where you live: rent, health care, gas or tuition can rise much faster or slower than the average. Use the result as a general measure of buying power, not a precise figure for any one household or item.

Sources

Last reviewed · Built and checked by the Reeliy team · How we test our tools