$100 in 2012 is worth $145 in 2026,
because prices increased 44.7% over that period, an average of
2.67% a year.
$100 in 2012 has
the same buying power as
$145
in 2026
Detailed inflation statistics
Cumulative price change
44.7%
Average inflation rate
2.67% per year
Converted amount ($100 base)
$145
Price difference ($100 base)
$44.71
CPI in 2012
229.594
CPI in 2026
332.243
Inflation in 2012
2.07%
Inflation in 2026
3.20%
$100 in 2012 → 2026
$145
$100 in 2026 → 2012
$69.10
Uses a partial-year average for the current year; updates with each CPI release.
What happened to prices between 2012 and 2026
Between 2012 and 2026, the Consumer Price Index went from 229.594 to 332.243.
Cumulatively, prices increased 44.7%, which works out to an average of
2.67% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 2012 bought what
$0.69 buys in 2026: the 2012 dollar
lost 30.9% of its purchasing power over
these 14 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.
Every 2012 amount converts to 2026 at the same ratio, 1.45: $1,000 becomes
$1,447, and $10,000 becomes $14,471.
Amount in 2012
Value in 2026
$1.00
$1.45
$5.00
$7.24
$10.00
$14.47
$20.00
$28.94
$50.00
$72.35
$100
$145
$500
$724
$1,000
$1,447
$5,000
$7,235
$10,000
$14,471
$100,000
$144,709
$1,000,000
$1,447,089
Inflation by spending category, 2012–2026
Between 2012 and 2026, housing rose the most, up 60.5%, while apparel rose the least, up 8.1%, against 44.7% for all items. The headline number is an average; here is what $100 of 2012
spending costs in 2026, by category:
Category
Avg. yearly inflation
$100 in 2012 →
All items (CPI-U)
2.67%
$145
Housing
3.44%
$161
Food
2.89%
$149
Core (all items less food & energy)
2.75%
$146
Medical care
2.58%
$143
Transportation
1.99%
$132
Energy
1.85%
$129
Recreation
1.67%
$126
Education & communication
0.71%
$110
Apparel
0.55%
$108
Decade by decade: 2012 to 2026
Prices climbed fastest in the 2020s, averaging 4.25% a year, and slowest in the 2010s (1.51% a year). Each step below chains into the full 2012–2026 change:
Years
Avg. yearly inflation
Price change
$100 from 2012, at end
2012–2020
1.51%
12.7%
$113
2020–2026
4.25%
28.4%
$145
Year by year: CPI and the value of $100 from 2012
$100 from 2012 had already become $111 by
2019, on its way to $145 in 2026; 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.
In 2026, prices rose 3.2% and $100 from 2012 had the buying
power of $145; the year's average CPI of 332.243 is the level
behind every 2026 figure on this page.
Cite this page
MLA: “Inflation from 2012 to 2026: $100 is worth $145 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/2012-to-2026/
APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 2012 to 2026. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/2012-to-2026/