U.S. inflation · 2012–2020
$100 in 2012 has the same buying power as
$113
in 2020
| Cumulative price change | 12.7% |
|---|---|
| Average inflation rate | 1.51% per year |
| Converted amount ($100 base) | $113 |
| Price difference ($100 base) | $12.73 |
| CPI in 2012 | 229.594 |
| CPI in 2020 | 258.811 |
| Inflation in 2012 | 2.07% |
| Inflation in 2020 | 1.23% |
| $100 in 2012 → 2020 | $113 |
| $100 in 2020 → 2012 | $88.71 |
Between 2012 and 2020, the Consumer Price Index went from 229.594 to 258.811. Cumulatively, prices increased 12.7%, which works out to an average of 1.51% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 2012 bought what $0.89 buys in 2020.
| Amount in 2012 | Value in 2020 |
|---|---|
| $1.00 | $1.13 |
| $5.00 | $5.64 |
| $10.00 | $11.27 |
| $20.00 | $22.55 |
| $50.00 | $56.36 |
| $100 | $113 |
| $500 | $564 |
| $1,000 | $1,127 |
| $5,000 | $5,636 |
| $10,000 | $11,273 |
| $100,000 | $112,726 |
| $1,000,000 | $1,127,255 |
The headline number is an average. Individual categories moved very differently over this period. Here is what $100 of 2012 spending costs in 2020, by category:
| Category | Avg. yearly inflation | $100 in 2012 → |
|---|---|---|
| All items (CPI-U) | 1.51% | $113 |
| Medical care | 2.83% | $125 |
| Housing | 2.52% | $122 |
| Core (all items less food & energy) | 1.93% | $117 |
| Food | 1.69% | $114 |
| Recreation | 0.80% | $107 |
| Education & communication | 0.59% | $105 |
| Apparel | -0.83% | $93.52 |
| Transportation | -0.95% | $92.64 |
| Energy | -2.75% | $80.03 |
| Year | CPI | Inflation rate | $100 from 2012 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 229.594 | 2.1% | $100 |
| 2013 | 232.957 | 1.5% | $101 |
| 2014 | 236.736 | 1.6% | $103 |
| 2015 | 237.017 | 0.1% | $103 |
| 2016 | 240.007 | 1.3% | $105 |
| 2017 | 245.12 | 2.1% | $107 |
| 2018 | 251.107 | 2.4% | $109 |
| 2019 | 255.657 | 1.8% | $111 |
| 2020 | 258.811 | 1.2% | $113 |
MLA: “Inflation from 2012 to 2020: $100 is worth $113 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/2012-to-2020/
APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 2012 to 2020. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/2012-to-2020/
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U annual averages (series CUUR0000SA0; category indexes listed on the data sources page). See how these numbers are calculated.