U.S. inflation · 2017–2021
$100 in 2017 has the same buying power as
$111
in 2021
| Cumulative price change | 10.5% |
|---|---|
| Average inflation rate | 2.54% per year |
| Converted amount ($100 base) | $111 |
| Price difference ($100 base) | $10.55 |
| CPI in 2017 | 245.12 |
| CPI in 2021 | 270.97 |
| Inflation in 2017 | 2.13% |
| Inflation in 2021 | 4.70% |
| $100 in 2017 → 2021 | $111 |
| $100 in 2021 → 2017 | $90.46 |
Between 2017 and 2021, the Consumer Price Index went from 245.12 to 270.97. Cumulatively, prices increased 10.5%, which works out to an average of 2.54% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 2017 bought what $0.90 buys in 2021.
| Amount in 2017 | Value in 2021 |
|---|---|
| $1.00 | $1.11 |
| $5.00 | $5.53 |
| $10.00 | $11.05 |
| $20.00 | $22.11 |
| $50.00 | $55.27 |
| $100 | $111 |
| $500 | $553 |
| $1,000 | $1,105 |
| $5,000 | $5,527 |
| $10,000 | $11,055 |
| $100,000 | $110,546 |
| $1,000,000 | $1,105,459 |
The headline number is an average. Individual categories moved very differently over this period. Here is what $100 of 2017 spending costs in 2021, by category:
| Category | Avg. yearly inflation | $100 in 2017 → |
|---|---|---|
| All items (CPI-U) | 2.54% | $111 |
| Energy | 3.90% | $117 |
| Transportation | 3.43% | $114 |
| Housing | 2.81% | $112 |
| Food | 2.66% | $111 |
| Medical care | 2.53% | $111 |
| Core (all items less food & energy) | 2.40% | $110 |
| Recreation | 1.38% | $106 |
| Education & communication | 1.10% | $104 |
| Apparel | -0.93% | $96.32 |
| Year | CPI | Inflation rate | $100 from 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 245.12 | 2.1% | $100 |
| 2018 | 251.107 | 2.4% | $102 |
| 2019 | 255.657 | 1.8% | $104 |
| 2020 | 258.811 | 1.2% | $106 |
| 2021 | 270.97 | 4.7% | $111 |
MLA: “Inflation from 2017 to 2021: $100 is worth $111 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/2017-to-2021/
APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 2017 to 2021. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/2017-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.