U.S. inflation · 2012–2022

Value of $100 in 2012, adjusted to 2022

$100 in 2012 is worth $127 in 2022, because prices increased 27.5% over that period, an average of 2.46% a year.

$100 in 2012 has the same buying power as

$127

in 2022

$100$114$12720122015201720202022$100 · 2012$127 · 2022
Detailed inflation statistics
Cumulative price change27.5%
Average inflation rate2.46% per year
Converted amount ($100 base)$127
Price difference ($100 base)$27.47
CPI in 2012229.594
CPI in 2022292.655
Inflation in 20122.07%
Inflation in 20228.00%
$100 in 2012 → 2022$127
$100 in 2022 → 2012$78.45

What happened to prices between 2012 and 2022

Between 2012 and 2022, the Consumer Price Index went from 229.594 to 292.655. Cumulatively, prices increased 27.5%, which works out to an average of 2.46% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 2012 bought what $0.78 buys in 2022: the 2012 dollar lost 21.5% of its purchasing power over these 10 years.

2012 put a number on what the Federal Reserve was aiming for. In January the Fed announced a 2% inflation target, and consumer prices rose 2.1% for the year, almost exactly on it. Gasoline averaged $3.62 a gallon, another annual high, but the pace of increase cooled from 2011’s 3.2% as food and core prices grew more slowly.

The bigger story was housing and jobs. Home prices began to recover, and the median new home sold for about $245,200, up from $227,200 the year before. Median household income was $51,017. The federal minimum wage held at $7.25, and a first-class stamp rose to 45 cents.

In September the Fed started a third round of asset purchases, this one with no fixed end date, aimed at lowering unemployment. Overseas, the European Central Bank’s July pledge to do “whatever it takes” to save the euro calmed bond markets. A summer drought across the Midwest drove corn and soybean prices to records, a shock that reached grocery shelves only partly, because most of what shoppers pay for food covers processing and transport rather than raw crops.

More about inflation in 2012 →

Common amounts: 2012 dollars in 2022

Every 2012 amount converts to 2022 at the same ratio, 1.27: $1,000 becomes $1,275, and $10,000 becomes $12,747.

Amount in 2012Value in 2022
$1.00$1.27
$5.00$6.37
$10.00$12.75
$20.00$25.49
$50.00$63.73
$100$127
$500$637
$1,000$1,275
$5,000$6,373
$10,000$12,747
$100,000$127,466
$1,000,000$1,274,663

Inflation by spending category, 2012–2022

Between 2012 and 2022, housing rose the most, up 35.1%, while apparel rose the least, up 0.6%, against 27.5% for all items. The headline number is an average; here is what $100 of 2012 spending costs in 2022, by category:

Category Avg. yearly inflation $100 in 2012 →
All items (CPI-U) 2.46% $127
Housing 3.05% $135
Medical care 2.79% $132
Food 2.71% $131
Core (all items less food & energy) 2.51% $128
Transportation 2.05% $123
Energy 1.94% $121
Recreation 1.33% $114
Education & communication 0.72% $107
Apparel 0.06% $101

Decade by decade: 2012 to 2022

Prices climbed fastest in the 2020s, averaging 6.34% a year, and slowest in the 2010s (1.51% a year). Each step below chains into the full 2012–2022 change:

Years Avg. yearly inflation Price change $100 from 2012, at end
2012–2020 1.51% 12.7% $113
2020–2022 6.34% 13.1% $127

Year by year: CPI and the value of $100 from 2012

$100 from 2012 had already become $107 by 2017, on its way to $127 in 2022; each row shows the CPI, that year's inflation rate, and the running value. Within the span, inflation peaked at 8.0% in 2022, and the smallest rise was 0.1% in 2015.

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
2022 292.655 8.0% $127

The destination year: 2022

In 2022, prices rose 8.0% and $100 from 2012 had the buying power of $127; the year's average CPI of 292.655 is the level behind every 2022 figure on this page.

2022 was the year inflation returned. Consumer prices rose 8.0% on average, the worst since 1981, driven by pandemic-era supply chains, stimulus-fueled demand, and an energy shock from the war in Ukraine. Gas briefly topped $5 a gallon nationally for the first time ever, and “inflation” became the top-ranked economic concern in nearly every poll of American households.

More about inflation in 2022 →

Cite this page

MLA: “Inflation from 2012 to 2022: $100 is worth $127 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/2012-to-2022/

APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 2012 to 2022. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/2012-to-2022/

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.