U.S. inflation · 2012–2021
$100 in 2012 has the same buying power as
$118
in 2021
| Cumulative price change | 18.0% |
|---|---|
| Average inflation rate | 1.86% per year |
| Converted amount ($100 base) | $118 |
| Price difference ($100 base) | $18.02 |
| CPI in 2012 | 229.594 |
| CPI in 2021 | 270.97 |
| Inflation in 2012 | 2.07% |
| Inflation in 2021 | 4.70% |
| $100 in 2012 → 2021 | $118 |
| $100 in 2021 → 2012 | $84.73 |
Between 2012 and 2021, the Consumer Price Index went from 229.594 to 270.97. Cumulatively, prices increased 18.0%, which works out to an average of 1.86% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 2012 bought what $0.85 buys in 2021.
| Amount in 2012 | Value in 2021 |
|---|---|
| $1.00 | $1.18 |
| $5.00 | $5.90 |
| $10.00 | $11.80 |
| $20.00 | $23.60 |
| $50.00 | $59.01 |
| $100 | $118 |
| $500 | $590 |
| $1,000 | $1,180 |
| $5,000 | $5,901 |
| $10,000 | $11,802 |
| $100,000 | $118,021 |
| $1,000,000 | $1,180,214 |
The headline number is an average. Individual categories moved very differently over this period. Here is what $100 of 2012 spending costs in 2021, by category:
| Category | Avg. yearly inflation | $100 in 2012 → |
|---|---|---|
| All items (CPI-U) | 1.86% | $118 |
| Medical care | 2.65% | $127 |
| Housing | 2.61% | $126 |
| Core (all items less food & energy) | 2.11% | $121 |
| Food | 1.93% | $119 |
| Recreation | 0.98% | $109 |
| Education & communication | 0.71% | $107 |
| Transportation | 0.66% | $106 |
| Energy | -0.36% | $96.85 |
| Apparel | -0.47% | $95.82 |
| 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 |
| 2021 | 270.97 | 4.7% | $118 |
MLA: “Inflation from 2012 to 2021: $100 is worth $118 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/2012-to-2021/
APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 2012 to 2021. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/2012-to-2021/
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.