U.S. inflation · 2019–2021
$100 in 2019 has the same buying power as
$106
in 2021
| Cumulative price change | 6.0% |
|---|---|
| Average inflation rate | 2.95% per year |
| Converted amount ($100 base) | $106 |
| Price difference ($100 base) | $5.99 |
| CPI in 2019 | 255.657 |
| CPI in 2021 | 270.97 |
| Inflation in 2019 | 1.81% |
| Inflation in 2021 | 4.70% |
| $100 in 2019 → 2021 | $106 |
| $100 in 2021 → 2019 | $94.35 |
Between 2019 and 2021, the Consumer Price Index went from 255.657 to 270.97. Cumulatively, prices increased 6.0%, which works out to an average of 2.95% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 2019 bought what $0.94 buys in 2021.
| Amount in 2019 | Value in 2021 |
|---|---|
| $1.00 | $1.06 |
| $5.00 | $5.30 |
| $10.00 | $10.60 |
| $20.00 | $21.20 |
| $50.00 | $52.99 |
| $100 | $106 |
| $500 | $530 |
| $1,000 | $1,060 |
| $5,000 | $5,299 |
| $10,000 | $10,599 |
| $100,000 | $105,990 |
| $1,000,000 | $1,059,897 |
The headline number is an average. Individual categories moved very differently over this period. Here is what $100 of 2019 spending costs in 2021, by category:
| Category | Avg. yearly inflation | $100 in 2019 → |
|---|---|---|
| All items (CPI-U) | 2.95% | $106 |
| Energy | 5.21% | $111 |
| Transportation | 4.79% | $110 |
| Food | 3.69% | $108 |
| Housing | 2.74% | $106 |
| Medical care | 2.66% | $105 |
| Core (all items less food & energy) | 2.63% | $105 |
| Recreation | 1.87% | $104 |
| Education & communication | 1.73% | $103 |
| Apparel | -1.24% | $97.53 |
| Year | CPI | Inflation rate | $100 from 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 255.657 | 1.8% | $100 |
| 2020 | 258.811 | 1.2% | $101 |
| 2021 | 270.97 | 4.7% | $106 |
MLA: “Inflation from 2019 to 2021: $100 is worth $106 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/2019-to-2021/
APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 2019 to 2021. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/2019-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.