Inflation CalculatorU.S. dollar value and buying power calculator, 1913 to 2026, using official CPI data
See what any amount of money from 1913 to today is worth now, how much prices will rise in the future, and whether your raise actually kept up with inflation. Every number is calculated from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index.
Built and fact-checked by Manzoor AhmadUpdated October 2026 with August 2026 CPI
Value of a dollar
What was money worth in another year?
The shrinking dollar
Same dollar, less to buy.
How the value changed, year by year
Year-by-year table
Smart insights
What is an inflation calculator?
An inflation calculator shows how much money from one year is worth in another by comparing the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for both years. The formula is simple: amount × (CPI in the later year ÷ CPI in the earlier year). For example, $100 in 1980 is worth about $406.53 in 2026, because U.S. prices rose 306.5% over that time. Put the other way, a dollar today buys what about 25 cents bought in 1980.
This U.S. inflation calculator uses the official CPI-U series from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the same data behind cost-of-living adjustments, tax brackets and most news reports about inflation. It covers every year from 1913 to 2026 and does three jobs: converts past dollars to today’s value (or today’s to the past), projects future costs, and checks whether a pay raise kept pace with prices.
On this page
How to use this inflation calculator
- Past ↔ Today: enter an amount, the year it is from and the year you want to compare it with. Tap a decade chip for a quick start or the swap button to flip the years. You can go backward too: put 2026 first to see what today’s money would have been worth in 1990.
- Future cost: enter today’s price, how many years ahead, and an inflation rate. Pick 2% (the Federal Reserve’s target), 2.5% (the average since 2000), 3.2% (the long-run average since 1913) or the latest 12-month rate.
- Raise check: enter an earlier salary and year, and your current salary and year. You will see the salary you would need just to keep up with prices, and whether your real pay went up or down.
- Read the results: the banknote card shows the answer, the tiles show total and yearly inflation, the shrinking dollar shows lost buying power, and the chart and table show every year in between. Download the table as a CSV for a spreadsheet.
How inflation is calculated
Value in another year amount × (CPI end year ÷ CPI start year)
Total inflation (CPI end ÷ CPI start − 1) × 100
Average yearly rate (CPI end ÷ CPI start)^(1 ÷ years) − 1
Future price price today × (1 + rate)^years
Future buying power amount ÷ (1 + rate)^years
Worked example: the CPI averaged 82.4 in 1980 and stood at 334.980 in August 2026. So $100 × (334.980 ÷ 82.4) = $406.53. Total inflation is 306.5%, and spread across 46 years that is an average of 3.10% a year.
Rule of 72: divide 72 by the inflation rate to see how many years it takes prices to double. At 3%, prices double in about 24 years. At the Fed’s 2% target, it takes about 36 years.
What is $100 from the past worth today?
Here is what $100 from each year is worth in 2026 dollars, with total inflation, the average yearly rate and what one dollar from that year now buys.
| $100 in | Worth in 2026 | Total inflation | Avg. per year | $1 today buys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1913 | $3,383.64 | 3,283.6% | 3.17% | 3.0¢ of 1913 goods |
| 1920 | $1,674.90 | 1,574.9% | 2.69% | 6.0¢ |
| 1930 | $2,005.87 | 1,905.9% | 3.17% | 5.0¢ |
| 1940 | $2,392.71 | 2,292.7% | 3.76% | 4.2¢ |
| 1950 | $1,389.96 | 1,290.0% | 3.52% | 7.2¢ |
| 1960 | $1,131.69 | 1,031.7% | 3.74% | 8.8¢ |
| 1970 | $863.35 | 763.4% | 3.92% | 11.6¢ |
| 1975 | $622.64 | 522.6% | 3.65% | 16.1¢ |
| 1980 | $406.53 | 306.5% | 3.10% | 24.6¢ |
| 1985 | $311.32 | 211.3% | 2.81% | 32.1¢ |
| 1990 | $256.30 | 156.3% | 2.65% | 39.0¢ |
| 1995 | $219.80 | 119.8% | 2.57% | 45.5¢ |
| 2000 | $194.53 | 94.5% | 2.59% | 51.4¢ |
| 2005 | $171.52 | 71.5% | 2.60% | 58.3¢ |
| 2010 | $153.59 | 53.6% | 2.72% | 65.1¢ |
| 2015 | $141.34 | 41.3% | 3.20% | 70.8¢ |
| 2020 | $129.44 | 29.4% | 4.39% | 77.3¢ |
A few quick answers people search for: $1 in 1950 is worth about $13.90 today, $20 in 1970 is worth about $172.67, $1,000 in 2000 is worth about $1,945.30, and a $50,000 salary in 1990 equals about $128,148 today.
How much has inflation gone up since 2020?
Prices are up about 29.4% since 2020 and 31.0% since 2019, the last full year before the pandemic. The sharpest jump came in 2022, when consumer prices rose 8.0% on an annual average basis, the most since 1981.
| Since | Cumulative inflation to 2026 | $100 then is worth |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 31.0% | $131.01 |
| 2020 | 29.4% | $129.44 |
| 2021 | 23.6% | $123.61 |
| 2022 | 14.4% | $114.44 |
| 2023 | 9.9% | $109.94 |
| 2024 | 6.8% | $106.78 |
| 2025 | 4.1% | $104.06 |
U.S. inflation rate by year
Annual average change in the CPI-U, as published by the BLS:
| Year | Inflation rate | Year | Inflation rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 3.2% | 2019 | 1.8% |
| 2012 | 2.1% | 2020 | 1.2% |
| 2013 | 1.5% | 2021 | 4.7% |
| 2014 | 1.6% | 2022 | 8.0% |
| 2015 | 0.1% | 2023 | 4.1% |
| 2016 | 1.3% | 2024 | 2.9% |
| 2017 | 2.1% | 2025 | 2.6% |
| 2018 | 2.4% | 2026 (Aug, 12-mo) | 3.4% |
The highest annual rates in the CPI’s history were 17.8% in 1917 and 17.3% in 1918, during World War I. The postwar peak was 14.4% in 1947, and the 1970s energy crises pushed it to 13.5% in 1980. The deepest deflation came in the Great Depression, with prices falling 10.3% in 1932. The most recent year of falling prices was 2009 (−0.4%).
What the Consumer Price Index measures
The CPI tracks the average change in prices that urban consumers pay for a fixed basket of goods and services: housing, food, energy, transportation, medical care, clothing, education and more. The BLS collects tens of thousands of prices every month across the country. The index uses 1982 to 1984 as its base, set to 100, so a CPI of 334.98 means prices are about 3.35 times their 1982 to 1984 level.
Two things are worth knowing. First, CPI is an average: your personal inflation rate can be higher or lower depending on what you buy. In August 2026, energy prices were up 16.3% over the year while core prices (excluding food and energy) rose 2.4%, so a long commute felt very different from a short one. Second, this calculator uses annual averages for 1913 to 2025, which smooth out month-to-month swings; the BLS’s own CPI calculator uses monthly data, so its answers can differ slightly.
Future inflation: what your money will be worth
Looking forward, inflation works like compound interest in reverse. At 3% a year, something that costs $1,000 today will cost about $1,343.92 in 10 years, and $1,000 in cash will buy only what $744.09 buys today. At the Fed’s 2% target, the same item costs about $1,218.99 in 10 years.
That is why cash kept in a low-interest account quietly loses value. The national average savings rate was just 0.37% in September 2026, far below inflation, while competitive high-yield accounts paid several times more. Even your emergency fund should sit somewhere that earns close to inflation; our emergency fund calculator includes the interest your cushion can earn.
Inflation-adjusted salary: did your raise keep up?
A raise only increases your standard of living if it beats inflation. A $55,000 salary in 2020 equals about $71,190 in 2026 dollars. Someone earning $65,000 in 2026 got an 18.2% raise on paper, but in real terms their pay fell by about 8.7%, because prices rose 29.4% over the same period.
Use the “Raise check” tab before your next review to see the raise you need just to stand still. If you are paid by the hour, the hourly to salary converter turns your wage into an annual figure, and you can then rebuild your monthly plan with the 50 30 20 calculator using today’s prices.
How to protect your money from inflation
- Earn more than inflation on cash. Keep short-term savings in FDIC-insured high-yield accounts, money market funds or Treasury bills rather than a near-zero checking account.
- Invest long-term money. Diversified stock funds have historically outpaced inflation over long periods, though with ups and downs. See how growth compounds with the compound interest calculator.
- Consider inflation-protected bonds. Series I savings bonds and TIPS are U.S. Treasury securities whose returns adjust with the CPI.
- Negotiate raises with data. Bring the inflation-adjusted salary from this calculator to your review.
- Lock in fixed-rate debt and pay down variable-rate debt. Inflation erodes the real cost of fixed payments, while variable rates usually rise with it.
- Re-budget once a year. Update your spending plan so rising costs do not silently squeeze your savings.
Related budgeting calculators
Inflation touches every money decision. These tools from the Budgeting and Daily Finance cluster help you act on what you found.
Inflation calculator FAQs
Divide the CPI of the later year by the CPI of the earlier year, subtract 1 and multiply by 100. From 1980 (CPI 82.4) to August 2026 (334.980), that is (334.980 ÷ 82.4 − 1) × 100 = 306.5% total inflation.
About $406.53 in 2026 dollars. Prices have risen 306.5% since 1980, an average of 3.10% a year.
About $13.90. Put another way, a dollar today buys what roughly 7 cents bought in 1950.
Prices are up about 29.4% from the 2020 average to August 2026, so $100 from 2020 is worth about $129.44 today.
Consumer prices rose 3.4% in the 12 months to August 2026, according to the BLS. Core inflation, excluding food and energy, was 2.4%.
About 3.2% a year from 1913 to 2025, and about 2.5% a year since 2000. The Federal Reserve targets 2% over the long run.
1917, at 17.8%. In modern times, the peak was 13.5% in 1980. The highest recent year was 2022 at 8.0%.
Multiply today’s price by (1 + inflation rate) raised to the number of years. At 3% for 10 years, $1,000 becomes $1,000 × 1.03^10 = $1,343.92.
It is an old salary restated in today’s dollars. $55,000 in 2020 equals about $71,190 in 2026, so you need at least that much to have the same buying power.
Purchasing power is how much a unit of money can buy. When prices rise, each dollar buys less. A dollar in 2026 buys what about 25 cents bought in 1980.
The CPI is a price index level; inflation is the percentage change in that level over time. If the CPI rises from 313.7 to 321.9, inflation is 2.6%.
Yes. It uses official BLS CPI-U annual averages for 1913 to 2025 and the latest monthly index for 2026. Results can differ slightly from month-based calculators because annual averages smooth monthly swings.
Manzoor Ahmad
Founder of DexoCalc, 13+ years of web development and SEO experience
Manzoor designs, codes and tests every DexoCalc calculator himself. For this tool he built in the full CPI-U history from 1913, cross-checked it against Federal Reserve and BLS publications, and verified every table on this page against the same engine the calculator runs. Read more about Manzoor.
Sources and references
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index and CPI news release, August 2026.
- Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, FRED, CPI for All Urban Consumers (CPIAUCNS).
- Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, Consumer Price Index, 1913 to present.
- Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Why does the Federal Reserve aim for inflation of 2 percent over the longer run?
- U.S. Department of the Treasury, Series I savings bonds.
This inflation calculator provides estimates for education and planning, based on U.S. CPI-U data. Historical results use annual averages; 2026 uses the latest monthly index and will be updated as new data is released. Future projections assume a constant rate and are not forecasts. It is not financial advice.