Inflation Calculator
See how the purchasing power of any dollar amount has changed between any two years using official CPI data.
Calculation Details
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Inflation by Decade
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This tool is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional financial, medical, legal, or engineering advice. See Terms of Service.
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Request a ToolHow to Use the Inflation Calculator
This calculator shows how the purchasing power of any dollar amount has changed between any two years, using the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index (CPI-U). Here is how to use it:
- Enter a dollar amount. This is the amount you want to adjust for inflation. For example, $100.
- Enter the "from" year. This is the year the dollar amount is in. Data is available from 1913 to 2025.
- Enter the "to" year. This is the year you want to adjust to. To see what a past amount is worth today, set the "to" year to the current year.
- Read the result. The adjusted amount shows what the original dollar amount is equivalent to in the target year, accounting for inflation. The calculator also shows cumulative inflation and the average annual rate.
You can also go backwards in time. Enter a current amount and an earlier "to" year to see what today's dollars were worth in the past.
About the Inflation Calculator
Inflation measures the rate at which prices rise over time, reducing the purchasing power of money. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is the most widely used measure of inflation in the United States, tracking the cost of a representative basket of goods and services purchased by urban consumers.
Why This Matters
Consumer prices have risen roughly 23% since January 2020, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI. Food and shelter costs have increased faster than the overall average. Understanding inflation is essential for salary negotiations (has your raise kept up?), retirement planning (will $1 million be enough?), and evaluating historical comparisons (what would a $25,000 salary in 1980 be worth today?). This calculator uses official CPI-U annual averages from 1913 to 2025.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the current inflation rate?
The annual CPI inflation rate has varied in recent years: 1.2% in 2020, 4.7% in 2021, 8.0% in 2022, 4.1% in 2023, and approximately 2.9% in 2024. Rates are calculated from annual average CPI values published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Federal Reserve targets a 2% long-run inflation rate.
How much has inflation risen since 2020?
From 2020 to 2025, cumulative CPI inflation has been approximately 23%. This means $100 in 2020 has the same purchasing power as roughly $123 in 2025. Food prices have risen even faster (about 27%), and shelter costs have increased 30%+ in many metro areas. These figures are based on the BLS CPI-U index.
What was $1 worth in 1950?
$1 in 1950 has approximately the same purchasing power as $13.20 in 2025. Put another way, $1 today has the purchasing power of about $0.08 in 1950 dollars. The CPI has risen from 24.1 in 1950 to 318.2 in 2025, representing a cumulative inflation of about 1,220%.
What data does this calculator use?
This calculator uses the CPI-U (Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers) annual averages published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, series CUUR0000SA0. The base period is 1982-84 = 100. Data is available from 1913 to the most recently completed year. The CPI tracks the cost of a market basket of goods and services including food, housing, apparel, transportation, medical care, recreation, education, and communication.