U.S. Inflation Calculator
What is a dollar amount from one year worth in another? Computed from the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U), the official U.S. inflation measure, back to 1913.
Buying power over time
How this is calculated
The calculator uses the annual average of the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U, not seasonally adjusted), published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and retrieved via FRED. The formula is the standard one:
value in year B = amount × (CPIB ÷ CPIA)
Each year's CPI is the average of its available monthly readings, so the current year reflects data published so far. CPI measures a basket of consumer prices; it is one lens on the dollar's value. For a different lens — how much the supply of dollars itself has grown — see the money supply calculator.