Inflation Calculator
Convert dollars between any two years from 1913 to 2025 with official BLS CPI-U data, or project future prices and purchasing power at any inflation rate.
The interactive tool loads here when JavaScript runs.
About this toolWhat is the Inflation Calculator?
The Inflation Calculator has two modes. US CPI history converts a dollar amount from one year to another using the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, covering every year from 1913 to 2025. Assumed inflation rate projects what something costs in the future, or what a future sum is worth in present-day money, at a constant rate you choose, in any currency.
Each result shows the converted amount, the cumulative price change, the average yearly inflation rate implied by the two values and the arithmetic behind it. A chart traces the equivalent amount through every year in between, so you can see the jumps of the late 1970s or 2021 to 2022 instead of only the end points.
The CPI table is built into the page, so the calculation runs in your browser without sending anything anywhere.
- Official BLS CPI-U annual averages for every year from 1913 to 2025
- Forward and backward conversion between any two years
- Constant-rate projection of future prices and purchasing power
- Cumulative change and average yearly inflation shown with the formula
- Year-by-year line chart of the equivalent amount
- Works offline after loading, with copy and share links
How to use the Inflation Calculator
- Choose US CPI history to compare two past years, or Assumed inflation rate to project forward or back.
- In CPI mode, enter the amount and pick the year it belongs to and the year you want it expressed in. Either year can be earlier.
- In rate mode, pick the direction, enter the amount, the yearly inflation rate and the number of years, and choose a currency symbol if you like.
- Read the converted amount, the cumulative change and the average yearly rate. The chart shows the path year by year.
- Use Copy for a text summary that includes the CPI values, or Share for a link to the same comparison.
Worked examples
What 100 dollars from 2000 is worth now
Input
CPI mode, 100, from 2000 to 2025
Output
186.96 dollars; prices up 86.96%; 2.53% a year on average
CPI-U rose from 172.2 to 321.943. More than 40% of that rise came in the five years after 2020, which the chart shows as the steepest stretch of the line.
A 2025 salary in 1990 dollars
Input
CPI mode, 50,000, from 2025 to 1990
Output
20,298.62 in 1990 dollars
Going backwards divides instead of multiplying. A 50,000 salary in 2025 buys what about 20,300 bought in 1990, because prices were 59.4% lower then.
Future cost of living expenses
Input
Rate mode, forward, 60,000 a year, 3.5%, 20 years
Output
119,387.33
At 3.5% prices roughly double in 20 years. This is the figure a retirement plan needs for spending that costs 60,000 today.
Purchasing power of a future lump sum
Input
Rate mode, back, 1,000,000 in 30 years, 3%
Output
411,986.76 in present-day money
A million dollars three decades from now buys about what 412,000 buys today if inflation averages 3%. The purchasing power left is 41.2% of each dollar.
Background and insight
The CPI-U measures the average change in prices paid by urban consumers for a fixed basket of goods and services. BLS publishes it monthly with a reference base of 1982-84 = 100, and also publishes an annual average for each year. This tool uses those annual averages, series CUUR0000SA0 (all items, US city average, not seasonally adjusted), taken from the official BLS LABSTAT data file. The latest complete year is 2025; BLS marks the October 2025 monthly index as unavailable, so its 2025 annual average is computed from the other eleven months.
Converting between years is a ratio: value in year B = amount × CPI(B) ÷ CPI(A). In 2000 the annual CPI-U was 172.2 and in 2025 it was 321.943, so 100 dollars of 2000 spending power equals about 186.96 dollars in 2025. The average annual rate between two years is the compound rate that links them, (CPI(B) ÷ CPI(A))^(1/years) − 1, which for 2000 to 2025 is 2.53% a year.
For the future there is no index yet, so the second mode compounds an assumed rate: future cost = amount × (1 + r)^t, and today's value of a future amount = amount ÷ (1 + r)^t. The US Federal Reserve targets 2% a year measured by a different index (PCE), so 2% to 3% is a common planning range for US dollars. Other countries publish their own consumer price indexes, and their long-run rates differ.
Common use cases
Comparing historical prices and wages
Put an old salary, house price or ticket price into current dollars before comparing it with today's figure.
Checking whether a raise kept up
Convert last year's pay to this year's dollars to see whether a raise beat inflation or was a real cut.
Retirement and long-term goals
Inflate today's spending or a goal amount to the year you need it, then plan savings against the bigger number.
Contracts and escalation clauses
Estimate what a CPI-linked rent, alimony or contract payment would be after several years of indexing.
Tips and limitations
- Annual averages smooth out monthly moves. If you need month-to-month precision, use the monthly CPI-U index from BLS; results can differ by a few tenths of a percent from calculators that use monthly data.
- CPI-U is a US index. For other currencies use rate mode with your national statistics office's published inflation rate.
- The CPI measures an average basket. Your own inflation can be higher or lower depending on what you spend on, such as rent, healthcare or tuition, which have risen faster than the average.
- Average inflation hides volatility: 1970 to 2025 averaged 3.92% a year, but individual years ranged from about -0.4% (2009) to above 13% (1980).
- For rate mode, the result assumes the same rate every year. Run a low and a high case, such as 2% and 4%, for planning.
Frequently asked questions
How much is 100 dollars from 2000 worth today?
Using BLS CPI-U annual averages, 100 dollars in 2000 has the same buying power as about 186.96 dollars in 2025. The index rose from 172.2 to 321.943, an 86.96% increase or 2.53% a year on average.
Where does the CPI data come from?
From the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, series CUUR0000SA0: CPI for All Urban Consumers, all items, US city average, not seasonally adjusted, annual averages, 1982-84 = 100. It covers 1913 to 2025 and was taken from the official BLS data file in October 2026.
Why does this give a slightly different answer from the BLS CPI Inflation Calculator?
The BLS calculator compares specific months, while this tool uses annual averages for whole years. Comparing January 2000 with September 2025 is not the same as comparing the average of 2000 with the average of 2025, so small differences are expected.
How do I calculate inflation between two years by hand?
Divide the later CPI by the earlier CPI and multiply by the amount. The cumulative inflation is that ratio minus 1. The average yearly rate is the ratio raised to the power of 1 divided by the number of years, minus 1.
What inflation rate should I use for future planning?
There is no single correct number. Long-run US CPI inflation from 1970 to 2025 averaged about 3.9% a year, the period from 2000 to 2025 averaged about 2.5%, and the Federal Reserve targets 2%. Plan with a central case and test a higher one.
How does inflation reduce purchasing power?
Each year of inflation means the same money buys less. At 3% a year, one dollar buys 97 cents of goods after a year and about 41 cents of today's goods after 30 years, because 1 ÷ 1.03^30 is 0.412.
Can I use this inflation calculator for currencies other than the US dollar?
Use the Assumed inflation rate mode with your country's inflation rate and pick the currency symbol. The US CPI history mode only applies to US dollars.
Is there an in-depth guide to the Inflation Calculator?
Yes. “Saving for a Goal When Prices Keep Rising” covers the background, how it works, common pitfalls and worked examples. Read the full guide.
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