Inflation Calculator
What a dollar amount from one year is worth in another, using official US CPI data.
See what a dollar amount from any year since 1913 is worth in another year, using the US Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics — plus the total and average yearly inflation in between.
How the calculation works
The Consumer Price Index gives each year a number that reflects average prices at the time. To convert money between years, scale it by the change in that number:
Value in the later year = amount × CPI (later year) ÷ CPI (earlier year)
For example, the CPI averaged 172.2 in 2000 and 321.943 in 2025. So $100 in 2000 × 321.943 ÷ 172.2 = $186.96 in 2025 — prices rose by 87% over those 25 years.
What $100 from past years is worth in 2025
| $100 in | Worth in 2025 | Average inflation per year |
|---|---|---|
| 1913 | $3,251.95 | 3.16% |
| 1950 | $1,335.86 | 3.52% |
| 1970 | $829.75 | 3.92% |
| 1980 | $390.71 | 3.07% |
| 1990 | $246.32 | 2.61% |
| 2000 | $186.96 | 2.53% |
| 2010 | $147.64 | 2.63% |
| 2020 | $124.39 | 4.46% |
Notable years for US inflation
- 1932: prices fell 9.9% during the Great Depression — the opposite of inflation, called deflation.
- 1980: prices rose 13.5%, capping the high inflation of the 1970s.
- 2009: prices dipped 0.4% after the financial crisis.
- 2022: prices rose 8.0%, the fastest pace in four decades.
- 2025: inflation slowed to 2.6%.
These are changes in the annual average CPI from the year before.
Why inflation matters for your money
Inflation quietly shrinks what your savings can buy. At 3% a year, something that costs $100 today will cost about $134 in 10 years — or, put another way, $100 kept in cash will only buy about $74 worth of today's goods. That's why savings and retirement plans aim for returns above inflation, and why raises below the inflation rate are a pay cut in real terms.
Frequently asked questions
Where does the inflation data come from?
From the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. It tracks the prices of a broad basket of goods and services, including food, housing, gas, medical care and more. The calculator uses the annual average for each year and the latest available month for the current year.
How do you calculate the value of a dollar in another year?
Multiply the amount by the CPI of the year you're converting to, then divide by the CPI of the year it's from. For example, $100 in 2000 × 321.943 ÷ 172.2 = $186.96 in 2025 dollars.
What is the average US inflation rate?
From 1913 to 2025, prices rose by about 3.2% a year on average. Since 2000, the average has been about 2.5% a year. The Federal Reserve aims for inflation of 2% a year over the long run.
Why doesn't this match the price of a specific item?
CPI measures average price changes across many goods and services. Individual prices can rise much faster or slower — college tuition and health care have outpaced the CPI for decades, while TVs and computers have become far cheaper.
Why is there no monthly figure for October 2025?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics didn't collect October 2025 price data because of the federal government shutdown, so no CPI was published for that month. The 2025 annual average is the official figure BLS published using the months that were available.
What does the future inflation calculator do?
It assumes prices rise at a steady rate you choose, then shows what something costs in the future and what today's money will be able to buy. Real inflation varies from year to year, so treat it as a planning estimate.
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, not seasonally adjusted.