U.S. inflation · 2018–2021
$100 in 2018 has the same buying power as
$108
in 2021
| Cumulative price change | 7.9% |
|---|---|
| Average inflation rate | 2.57% per year |
| Converted amount ($100 base) | $108 |
| Price difference ($100 base) | $7.91 |
| CPI in 2018 | 251.107 |
| CPI in 2021 | 270.97 |
| Inflation in 2018 | 2.44% |
| Inflation in 2021 | 4.70% |
| $100 in 2018 → 2021 | $108 |
| $100 in 2021 → 2018 | $92.67 |
Between 2018 and 2021, the Consumer Price Index went from 251.107 to 270.97. Cumulatively, prices increased 7.9%, which works out to an average of 2.57% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 2018 bought what $0.93 buys in 2021.
| Amount in 2018 | Value in 2021 |
|---|---|
| $1.00 | $1.08 |
| $5.00 | $5.40 |
| $10.00 | $10.79 |
| $20.00 | $21.58 |
| $50.00 | $53.96 |
| $100 | $108 |
| $500 | $540 |
| $1,000 | $1,079 |
| $5,000 | $5,396 |
| $10,000 | $10,791 |
| $100,000 | $107,910 |
| $1,000,000 | $1,079,102 |
The headline number is an average. Individual categories moved very differently over this period. Here is what $100 of 2018 spending costs in 2021, by category:
| Category | Avg. yearly inflation | $100 in 2018 → |
|---|---|---|
| All items (CPI-U) | 2.57% | $108 |
| Food | 3.08% | $110 |
| Transportation | 3.07% | $109 |
| Housing | 2.79% | $109 |
| Medical care | 2.72% | $108 |
| Energy | 2.71% | $108 |
| Core (all items less food & energy) | 2.49% | $108 |
| Recreation | 1.68% | $105 |
| Education & communication | 1.40% | $104 |
| Apparel | -1.25% | $96.29 |
| Year | CPI | Inflation rate | $100 from 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 251.107 | 2.4% | $100 |
| 2019 | 255.657 | 1.8% | $102 |
| 2020 | 258.811 | 1.2% | $103 |
| 2021 | 270.97 | 4.7% | $108 |
MLA: “Inflation from 2018 to 2021: $100 is worth $108 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/2018-to-2021/
APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 2018 to 2021. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/2018-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.