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Inflation Calculator

This inflation calculator shows what a US dollar amount from any year since 1913 is worth in another year, using the official Consumer Price Index — or projects what prices and your money will be worth in the future.

Amount

USD

Value in year

Worth in year

US dollars and US prices only: Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), annual averages 1913–2025. Entering 2026 uses the latest single month, Aug 2026. Either year can be the earlier one.

Equivalent value

$256.30

in Aug 2026 has the same buying power as $100.00 in 1990

Cumulative inflation 1990–Aug 2026: 156.3%; CPI 130.7 → 334.98
Average annual inflation: 2.64%; compounded over 36.13 years
Purchasing power of $100.00 from 1990 by Aug 2026: Fell 61%; $1.00 in Aug 2026 buys what $0.39 bought in 1990.

$100.00 from 1990 in each year's dollars

Year-by-year CPI, inflation rate and equivalent value
Year	CPI-U	Inflation	Value
1990	130.7	5.4%	$100.00
1991	136.2	4.2%	$104.21
1992	140.3	3%	$107.35
1993	144.5	3%	$110.56
1994	148.2	2.6%	$113.39
1995	152.4	2.8%	$116.60
1996	156.9	3%	$120.05
1997	160.5	2.3%	$122.80
1998	163	1.6%	$124.71
1999	166.6	2.2%	$127.47
2000	172.2	3.4%	$131.75
2001	177.1	2.8%	$135.50
2002	179.9	1.6%	$137.64
2003	184	2.3%	$140.78
2004	188.9	2.7%	$144.53
2005	195.3	3.4%	$149.43
2006	201.6	3.2%	$154.25
2007	207.342	2.8%	$158.64
2008	215.303	3.8%	$164.73
2009	214.537	−0.4%	$164.14
2010	218.056	1.6%	$166.84
2011	224.939	3.2%	$172.10
2012	229.594	2.1%	$175.66
2013	232.957	1.5%	$178.24
2014	236.736	1.6%	$181.13
2015	237.017	0.1%	$181.34
2016	240.007	1.3%	$183.63
2017	245.12	2.1%	$187.54
2018	251.107	2.4%	$192.12
2019	255.657	1.8%	$195.61
2020	258.811	1.2%	$198.02
2021	270.97	4.7%	$207.32
2022	292.655	8%	$223.91
2023	304.702	4.1%	$233.13
2024	313.689	2.9%	$240.01
2025	321.943	2.6%	$246.32
Aug 2026one month vs 2025 average	334.98	4%	$256.30

Based on the average US consumer basket. Your own costs — rent, tuition, health care — may have risen faster or slower.

How the calculation works

Equivalent valueamount × CPI(to year) ÷ CPI(from year)
Cumulative inflationCPI(later) ÷ CPI(earlier) − 1
Average annual inflation(CPI(later) ÷ CPI(earlier))^(1 ÷ years) − 1
Purchasing power change1 − CPI(earlier) ÷ CPI(later)
Future costamount × (1 + rate)^years — and what it buys: amount ÷ (1 + rate)^years

Years are measured between the middle of each period: an annual average sits at mid-year and a single month at mid-month. The yearly table shows each year's average against the previous year's average.

Worked examples

$100.00 in 1990 → Aug 2026. $100.00 × 334.98 ÷ 130.7 = $256.30. Prices rose 156.3%, an average of 2.64% a year over 36.13 years, and $100.00 kept as cash lost 61.0% of its buying power.

$100.00 in 1913 → 2025. $100.00 × 321.943 ÷ 9.9 = $3,251.95, an average of 3.16% a year for 112 years.

Going back: $100.00 in 2025 → 1980. $100.00 × 82.4 ÷ 321.943 = $25.59 in 1980 dollars.

Future: $1,000.00 for 10 years at 3.11%. Something that costs $1,000.00 today will cost $1,000.00 × 1.0311^10 = $1,358.31, and $1,000.00 then will buy what $736.21 buys today.

About the data

Which index

CPI-U, U.S. city average, all items, not seasonally adjusted (BLS series CUUR0000SA0), with 1982–84 = 100. It is the headline US consumer price index and the one most inflation calculators use.

Which years

Annual averages for every year from 1913 to 2025, plus Aug 2026, the latest month published when the table was last updated (14 October 2026). The table is built into the page, so it changes only when the site is updated.

What it can't tell you

The CPI follows an average household's basket. Prices you pay — rent in your city, college tuition, a particular car — may have risen much faster or slower, and the basket itself changes over time as people buy different things.

Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U series CUUR0000SA0 annual averages via the BLS Public Data API (api.bls.gov), cross-checked against the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis "Consumer Price Index, 1913–" table; Federal Open Market Committee, "Statement on Longer-Run Goals and Monetary Policy Strategy" (2% PCE inflation goal). Checked 14 October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate inflation between two years?+

Divide the CPI for the later year by the CPI for the earlier year and multiply your amount by the result. The CPI averaged 130.7 in 1990 and was 334.98 in Aug 2026, so $100.00 in 1990 is worth $100.00 × 334.98 ÷ 130.7 = $256.30 today. Prices rose 156.3% in total.

What is the CPI?+

The Consumer Price Index is a measure, published monthly by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, of the average change over time in the prices urban consumers pay for a basket of goods and services — food, housing, transport, medical care and more. This calculator uses CPI-U for the U.S. city average, all items, not seasonally adjusted, where the 1982–84 average is 100.

Why does it use annual averages?+

A year's average CPI smooths out seasonal and month-to-month swings, so it is the usual figure for comparing one year with another. The years 1913–2025 use annual averages. 2026 isn't over yet, so entering 2026 uses the latest single month, Aug 2026.

Why are my results different from another inflation calculator?+

Small differences usually come from the data, not the maths. Other calculators may compare single months instead of annual averages, use a different index (CPI-W, chained CPI or the PCE price index), use a newer or older month as "today", or round. BLS publishes annual averages to one decimal place before 2007, which can move older results by a fraction of a percent.

What were the highest and lowest inflation years in the US?+

On annual averages since 1913, prices rose most in 1918 (18.0%) and fell most in 1921 (−10.5%). Since 1950 the highest was 1980 at 13.5%. 2022 saw 8.0%. Between 1929 and 1933 prices fell 24.0% in total, so $100.00 in 1929 bought what $76.02 did in 1933.

What inflation rate should I use for the future?+

Nobody knows future inflation, so the rate is your assumption. The calculator starts at the US average for the last 10 years, 3.11% a year (2015–2025); the 20-year average is 2.53%. The Federal Reserve aims for 2% a year over the longer run, measured by the PCE price index. At 2%, $1,000.00 of spending today costs $1,218.99 in 10 years.

Can I use it for other countries?+

The historical part uses US prices and US dollars only, so it doesn't apply to other countries' money. The future projection works in any currency: pick yours from the currency list and enter your own country's expected inflation rate.

What does "purchasing power fell" mean?+

It is how much less a fixed sum of money buys. Since 1990 prices have risen 156.3%, so $100.00 kept as cash since 1990 buys 61.0% less: it now buys what $39.02 bought in 1990. A rise in prices and the fall in purchasing power are different percentages of the same change.

How much is $100 from 1980 worth today?+

About $406.53 in Aug 2026 money. The CPI averaged 82.4 in 1980 and was 334.98 in Aug 2026, so prices rose 306.5% and averaged 3.09% a year. Enter any year from 1913 to see the same for another amount.

Can I convert today's dollars into past dollars?+

Yes. Put the later year in “Value in year” and the earlier one in “Worth in year”, or use the swap button. $100.00 in 2025 had the same buying power as $25.59 in 1980, because the CPI was 321.943 then and 82.4 in 1980.

Is anything I enter saved or sent?+

No. The CPI table is built into the page and everything is calculated in your browser. Nothing is stored or uploaded.