Official CPI-U data · 1913–2026
Inflation Calculator
See what a U.S. dollar amount from any year since 1913 is worth in today's money. Every result uses the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the same index behind the official inflation rate, and updates with each monthly CPI release.
$100 in 1990 has the same buying power as
$253
in 2026
| Cumulative price change | 153.0% |
|---|---|
| Average inflation rate | 2.61% per year |
| Converted amount ($100 base) | $253 |
| Price difference ($100 base) | $153 |
| CPI in 1990 | 130.7 |
| CPI in 2026 | 330.724 |
| Inflation in 1990 | 5.40% |
| Inflation in 2026 | 2.73% |
| $100 in 1990 → 2026 | $253 |
| $100 in 2026 → 1990 | $39.52 |
Uses a partial-year average for the current year; updates with each CPI release.
How this calculator works
Every result is the official CPI ratio applied to your amount:
value = amount × ( CPI in target year ÷ CPI in starting year )
For example, $100 in 1990 has the buying power of $253 in 2026: 100 × (330.724 ÷ 130.7). The data is the CPI-U annual-average series (all items, U.S. city average), the longest-running official measure of U.S. consumer prices. Read the full methodology, which covers how the current year is handled and where the CPI falls short, or start with the guide to how inflation is calculated.
U.S. inflation rate by year
The current inflation rate is 3.5% for the 12 months ending June 2026. In 2025, the most recent complete year, prices rose 2.6%. Recent years:
| Year | Inflation rate | $100 then, in 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2.6% | $103 |
| 2024 | 2.9% | $105 |
| 2023 | 4.1% | $109 |
| 2022 | 8.0% | $113 |
| 2021 | 4.7% | $122 |
| 2020 | 1.2% | $128 |
| 2019 | 1.8% | $129 |
| 2018 | 2.4% | $132 |
| 2017 | 2.1% | $135 |
| 2016 | 1.3% | $138 |
Popular conversions
Years in review
Understand inflation
- The Great Inflation: America's 1965–1982 Price Spiral
1970s inflation ran from 1965 to 1982: Vietnam-era spending, Nixon's wage controls, two oil shocks, and Volcker's rate hikes that broke it.
- US Inflation Rate by Year, 1913–2025
Every US annual inflation rate from 1913 to 2025, straight from BLS CPI-U data, year by year with the index value behind each rate.
- Inflation by Decade: The Full American Story
How U.S. inflation moved decade by decade since 1913: wartime spikes, Depression deflation, the 1970s surge, and the 2020s rebound, in real CPI numbers.
- Why Inflation Was So High in 2022: The 2021-2023 Surge
Inflation hit a 40-year high in 2022, then cooled through 2023 and 2024. What drove the pandemic-era surge, and why it faded without a recession.
- How the Social Security COLA Is Calculated
Social Security's annual raise isn't set by Congress. It's a formula tied to CPI-W, and it has been zero three times since automatic COLAs began.
Frequently asked questions
How does the inflation calculator work?
It multiplies your amount by the ratio of the two years' Consumer Price Index values: value = amount × (CPI in target year ÷ CPI in starting year). For example, $100 in 1990 × (330.724 ÷ 130.7) = $253 in 2026.
What data does this calculator use?
Annual averages of the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U, all items, U.S. city average; BLS series CUUR0000SA0), published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The dataset is refreshed after each monthly CPI release.
What is the current U.S. inflation rate?
The U.S. inflation rate is 3.5% for the 12 months ending June 2026, measured as the year-over-year change in the CPI-U. For full calendar years, the rate in 2025 was 2.6%. Both figures update with each monthly BLS release.
Why does the calculator start in 1913?
1913 is the first year of the official CPI series. The Bureau of Labor Statistics began collecting consistent consumer price data in 1913, so earlier comparisons would rely on unofficial reconstructions.
Is CPI the only way to measure inflation?
No. The PCE price index (the Federal Reserve's preferred gauge), the GDP deflator, and variants like CPI-W and Chained CPI all measure price change with different baskets and formulas. CPI-U is used here because it is the headline number behind most "inflation rate" references and the longest consistent series.
More detail: methodology · data sources & update log · all guides