How the calculator works
- Pick an amount and two years. The years run from 1913 to September 2026.
- The change in prices: the price index in the second year divided by the index in the first. Each year uses its yearly average, and the latest year its most recent figure.
- The result: your amount multiplied by that change, with the average yearly rate that compounds to the same rise.
You can also go backwards, to see what today’s money would have bought in an earlier year.
What $100 is worth today
| $100 in | Worth in September 2026 | Prices rose | A year, on average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | $1,398 | 1,298.1% | 3.5% |
| 1960 | $1,138 | 1,038.3% | 3.8% |
| 1970 | $868.40 | 768.4% | 3.9% |
| 1980 | $408.91 | 308.9% | 3.1% |
| 1990 | $257.80 | 157.8% | 2.7% |
| 2000 | $195.67 | 95.7% | 2.6% |
| 2010 | $154.52 | 54.5% | 2.8% |
| 2020 | $130.19 | 30.2% | 4.5% |
Inflation by year
The rise in the yearly average of the CPI-U from one year to the next:
| Year | Inflation |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 2.6% |
| 2024 | 2.9% |
| 2023 | 4.1% |
| 2022 | 8.0% |
| 2021 | 4.7% |
| 2020 | 1.2% |
| 2019 | 1.8% |
| 2018 | 2.4% |
| 2017 | 2.1% |
| 2016 | 1.3% |
Prices rose fastest in 2022, by 8.0%, and the rise has slowed each year since.
Your own inflation rate
The CPI-U tracks the average basket of what urban households buy, and housing costs are its biggest part. If you rent in a fast-growing city, drive a lot or have big medical bills, your own costs can rise faster than the index; if you own your home outright, they may rise more slowly. Check your own budget with the budget calculator.
What inflation means for your money
- Savings: money earning less than inflation buys less each year. Compare rates with the savings interest calculator.
- Pay: a raise smaller than inflation buys less than last year’s pay did.
- Retirement: plan with prices rising every year. Social Security benefits get a cost-of-living adjustment each year; see the Social Security calculator.
- Debt: a fixed-rate loan gets easier to repay as prices and pay rise around it.
Keeping up with inflation
- High-yield savings and CDs keep up when their rate after tax beats inflation.
- I bonds and TIPS are US Treasury savings bonds and securities linked to inflation.
- Investing for the long term: over long periods, stocks have grown faster than prices, but their value can fall along the way. See investing basics.
Learn more
See our compound interest calculator and our guide to inflation and interest rates.