How the inflation calculator works
The Consumer Price Index tracks the price of a typical basket of goods and services: food, housing, transport, healthcare and more. When the index rises from 100 to 150, the same basket costs 50% more. The calculator applies that same change to your amount:
Value in the later year = amount × (CPI of later year ÷ CPI of earlier year)
The average yearly rate is the steady annual increase that would produce the same cumulative change, the same way an interest rate compounds. It is useful for comparing periods of different lengths.
US inflation rate by year
Change in the annual average CPI-U from the previous year. Since 1913, the highest annual rate was 17.8% in 1917 and the lowest was -10.9% in 1921, during deflation.
| Year | Inflation rate | Average CPI-U |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2.6% | 321.9 |
| 2024 | 2.9% | 313.7 |
| 2023 | 4.1% | 304.7 |
| 2022 | 8.0% | 292.7 |
| 2021 | 4.7% | 271.0 |
| 2020 | 1.2% | 258.8 |
| 2019 | 1.8% | 255.7 |
| 2018 | 2.4% | 251.1 |
| 2017 | 2.1% | 245.1 |
| 2016 | 1.3% | 240.0 |
| 2015 | 0.1% | 237.0 |
| 2014 | 1.6% | 236.7 |
| 2013 | 1.5% | 233.0 |
| 2012 | 2.1% | 229.6 |
| 2011 | 3.2% | 224.9 |
| 2010 | 1.6% | 218.1 |
| 2009 | -0.4% | 214.5 |
| 2008 | 3.8% | 215.3 |
| 2007 | 2.9% | 207.3 |
| 2006 | 3.2% | 201.6 |
| 2005 | 3.4% | 195.3 |
| 2004 | 2.7% | 188.9 |
| 2003 | 2.3% | 184.0 |
| 2002 | 1.6% | 179.9 |
| 2001 | 2.8% | 177.1 |
| 2000 | 3.4% | 172.2 |
| 1999 | 2.2% | 166.6 |
| 1998 | 1.6% | 163.0 |
| 1997 | 2.3% | 160.5 |
| 1996 | 2.9% | 156.8 |
Annual-average changes can differ slightly from the December-to-December figures often quoted in the news. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U, not seasonally adjusted, 1982–84 = 100.
Value of a dollar by year
For a full breakdown of any single year, including what common amounts are worth today and how that year compares with nearby years, see the value of a dollar by year. Recent years:2025202420232022202120202019201820172016
What inflation does to savings
Cash that earns no interest loses buying power every year prices rise. At 3% inflation, prices double in about 24 years, so $10,000 kept in cash would buy only half as much. To keep up, savings need to earn at least the inflation rate after tax.