Original research

Data studies

Longer, dataset-driven pieces built on the same CPI data as the rest of this site, each with its own sourced history, computed conversions, and a chart. Free to cite; the "cite this page" block on each study has a ready-made attribution.

• Why Inflation Calculators Disagree, and Which Number Is Right

  The same $100 conversion computed under CPI-U annual averages, single-month CPI-U, CPI-W, and chained CPI-U: four official answers, and when each one is the right tool.

• The U.S. Minimum Wage in Today's Dollars, 1938–2026

  Every federal minimum wage rate since 1938, converted into current dollars: the real-terms peak in 1968, the longest freezes, and how today’s wage compares.