Introduction
This U.S. inflation calculator shows how the buying power of the dollar changes over time. Enter any dollar amount, pick a start year and an end year, and the tool will tell you what that money is worth after inflation. It uses official Consumer Price Index (CPI) data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, with records going back to 1913 and estimates reaching as far back as 1800.
Inflation means prices go up over time. A dollar today buys less than a dollar did years ago. For example, something that cost $1 in 1924 would cost much more in 2026 because of rising prices. This calculator shows you exactly how much more.
You can use this tool to compare prices across any two years, check how much your salary has kept up with rising costs, or see how savings lose value over time. The calculator also shows year-by-year charts, a full data table, and a step-by-step breakdown of the math behind every result.
How to Use Our US Inflation Calculator
Enter a dollar amount and two time periods to see how inflation has changed the value of your money. The calculator will show you what your dollars are worth after inflation, the total inflation rate, and a year-by-year breakdown with charts.
Calculation Mode: Pick "Annual" to compare full years, or pick "Month-Level Precision" if you want to choose exact months for your start and end dates.
Dollar Amount: Type the amount of money you want to adjust for inflation. This can be any number, like $1, $100, or $50,000.
Start Year: Choose the year your dollar amount is from. You can also click one of the quick-select buttons below the dropdowns to jump to a common year like 1950 or 2000.
Start Month: If you chose "Month-Level Precision" mode, pick the exact month for your start date. This field is hidden in Annual mode.
End Year: Choose the year you want to compare your money to. The start year and end year must be different.
End Month: If you chose "Month-Level Precision" mode, pick the exact month for your end date. This field is hidden in Annual mode.
Results update as you change any input. You can also press the Calculate button to run the calculation or the Reset button to clear your entries and start over. To save your results, click Export Data (CSV) to download a spreadsheet of the year-by-year inflation data.
What Is Inflation and How Does This Calculator Work?
Inflation is when prices go up over time. A dollar today buys less than a dollar did years ago. For example, a loaf of bread that cost $0.09 in 1930 costs over $4.00 today. The same money just doesn't stretch as far. This steady rise in prices is what economists call inflation.
The U.S. government tracks inflation using something called the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The CPI measures the average price of a "basket" of everyday goods and services, things like food, housing, clothes, gas, and medical care. Each month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) checks thousands of prices across the country and updates the CPI number.2 When the CPI goes up, it means prices have gone up. When it goes down (which is rare), prices have dropped.
This U.S. Inflation Calculator uses CPI data going back to the year 1800 to show you how the value of money has changed. You enter a dollar amount, pick a start year, and pick an end year. The calculator then tells you what that money is worth after inflation. It works by comparing the CPI value from your start year to the CPI value in your end year. The math is simple: divide the end CPI by the start CPI, then multiply by your dollar amount.
You can use this tool to:
- See how much past prices would be in today's dollars
- Find out how much buying power you've lost over time
- Compare wages, salaries, or costs across different years
- Understand the cumulative inflation rate between any two years
- View the average annual inflation rate for any time period
The calculator also shows two charts. The first chart shows how cumulative inflation grew year by year. The second chart shows how the buying power of your money shrank over that same time. Both charts help you see inflation's effect at a glance rather than just as a single number.
Data from 1913 to today comes directly from official BLS records.3 Data before 1913 uses historical price estimates, since the BLS did not exist yet. The calculator notes this difference whenever your date range crosses that boundary, so you always know how reliable the numbers are.
The trailing 12-month rate shown at the top of the calculator compares the latest monthly CPI-U with the same month one year earlier, the same 12-month change BLS reports in each monthly release.1 Understanding how inflation erodes returns is also critical for long-term financial planning.