Inflation Calculator
See what an amount of money from one year is worth in another, using the official Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) from 1913 to 2025.
How it works
The calculator uses the annual average Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The bars below the result show the price change in each year between the two years you chose.
Example: $100 in 2000 buys as much as $186.96 in 2025 – prices rose 87.0% in total, an average of 2.53% a year (CPI 321.943 ÷ 172.2).
What the numbers mean
- Cumulative inflation: how much prices rose overall.
- Average per year: the steady yearly rate that gives the same total.
- Buying power change: how much less a dollar buys.
CPI measures an average basket. Your own costs – rent, tuition, medical care – may have risen faster or slower.
Frequently asked questions
What is the inflation rate?
The yearly change in the CPI. Choose two consecutive years to see it, or a longer span for the average.
Why use annual averages?
They smooth out seasonal swings and are the standard way to compare years.