U.S. inflation · 2015–2021
$100 in 2015 has the same buying power as
$114
in 2021
| Cumulative price change | 14.3% |
|---|---|
| Average inflation rate | 2.26% per year |
| Converted amount ($100 base) | $114 |
| Price difference ($100 base) | $14.33 |
| CPI in 2015 | 237.017 |
| CPI in 2021 | 270.97 |
| Inflation in 2015 | 0.12% |
| Inflation in 2021 | 4.70% |
| $100 in 2015 → 2021 | $114 |
| $100 in 2021 → 2015 | $87.47 |
Between 2015 and 2021, the Consumer Price Index went from 237.017 to 270.97. Cumulatively, prices increased 14.3%, which works out to an average of 2.26% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 2015 bought what $0.87 buys in 2021.
| Amount in 2015 | Value in 2021 |
|---|---|
| $1.00 | $1.14 |
| $5.00 | $5.72 |
| $10.00 | $11.43 |
| $20.00 | $22.87 |
| $50.00 | $57.16 |
| $100 | $114 |
| $500 | $572 |
| $1,000 | $1,143 |
| $5,000 | $5,716 |
| $10,000 | $11,433 |
| $100,000 | $114,325 |
| $1,000,000 | $1,143,251 |
The headline number is an average. Individual categories moved very differently over this period. Here is what $100 of 2015 spending costs in 2021, by category:
| Category | Avg. yearly inflation | $100 in 2015 → |
|---|---|---|
| All items (CPI-U) | 2.26% | $114 |
| Housing | 2.79% | $118 |
| Medical care | 2.74% | $118 |
| Energy | 2.72% | $117 |
| Transportation | 2.49% | $116 |
| Core (all items less food & energy) | 2.28% | $114 |
| Food | 1.96% | $112 |
| Recreation | 1.29% | $108 |
| Education & communication | 0.52% | $103 |
| Apparel | -0.66% | $96.10 |
| Year | CPI | Inflation rate | $100 from 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 237.017 | 0.1% | $100 |
| 2016 | 240.007 | 1.3% | $101 |
| 2017 | 245.12 | 2.1% | $103 |
| 2018 | 251.107 | 2.4% | $106 |
| 2019 | 255.657 | 1.8% | $108 |
| 2020 | 258.811 | 1.2% | $109 |
| 2021 | 270.97 | 4.7% | $114 |
MLA: “Inflation from 2015 to 2021: $100 is worth $114 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/2015-to-2021/
APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 2015 to 2021. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/2015-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.