Inflation
Inflation calculator
What any amount of money is worth in any other year, using official CPI data back to 1947. For example, $100 in 1970 has the buying power of $852 in 2026.
How this works#
The calculation uses the annual average of the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, not seasonally adjusted (CPI-U, NSA) — the same series the Bureau of Labor Statistics uses in its own calculator, so results match. Each year's figure is the mean of its twelve monthly index values; the current year averages only the months published so far and is labelled as partial. CPI measures a fixed basket of household goods and services nationally, so it will not match your personal experience: rent in your city, your health plan and your grocery habits all diverge from the average basket. It is also not a wage or investment comparison — it says what things cost, not what you could have earned.
Related: Current inflation rate · Mortgage rates
FAQ
- How is the inflation calculation done?
- It multiplies your amount by the ratio of the two years' average Consumer Price Index values. If the index doubled between the two years, a dollar buys half as much, so the amount doubles.
- How far back does the data go?
- To 1947, the start of the modern CPI-U series published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Why doesn't this match what I remember things costing?
- CPI tracks a national average basket. Individual categories move very differently — college tuition and medical care have risen far faster than the average, while televisions and clothing have fallen in real terms. Your own inflation rate depends on what you actually buy and where you live.