Free tool · BLS CPI-U data
Convert U.S. dollars between any two years from 1913 to 2026. Compare money’s buying power, measure cumulative inflation, and understand what an older salary or price means in another year’s dollars.
Inflation is the change in the general price level over time. This calculator converts a dollar amount from one year into an estimated equivalent amount in another year and shows cumulative inflation, average annual rate, years elapsed, and buying power lost.
2026 uses the year-to-date CPI-U average through July 2026 (7 months), not a final annual figure.
Enter a dollar amount, choose the year the money starts in, then choose the comparison year. The result answers: “What would this amount need to be in the target year to have similar broad purchasing power?”
The formula is straightforward: target-year CPI divided by start-year CPI, multiplied by the starting dollar amount.
If $100 becomes $253, prices are roughly 2.53 times higher across the broad basket represented by the index. That does not mean every product changed by the same amount; rent, food, medical care, tuition, and assets can move differently.
Use the live clocks on Inflation Money to compare broad CPI with debt, money supply, housing, healthcare, tuition, gold, and Bitcoin context.
Reference data
The calculator holds an annual-average CPI-U value for every year from 1913 to 2026 (1982–84 = 100). Values from 1947 onward are computed from the monthly BLS series (CPIAUCSL via FRED) bundled with the site; earlier years use the BLS annual-average table. The table shows selected years; every year is available in the menus. The latest year is a year-to-date average through July 2026 and updates with each data refresh.
| Year | Index | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1913 | 9.9 | Earliest CPI-U year |
| 1920 | 20.0 | Post-WWI peak |
| 1930 | 16.7 | Depression deflation begins |
| 1950 | 24.1 | Post-war price level |
| 1970 | 38.8 | Before the 1970s inflation |
| 1980 | 82.4 | High-inflation decade |
| 1990 | 130.7 | Default start-year example |
| 2000 | 172.2 | Millennium benchmark |
| 2010 | 218.1 | Post-crisis benchmark |
| 2020 | 258.9 | Pre-surge benchmark |
| 2024 | 313.7 | Latest full annual average |
| 2025 | 322.0 | Average of available 2025 months |
| 2026 | 330.9 | Year-to-date average through July 2026 |
The math behind the result
Let A be your starting dollar amount, S the starting-year price index, and T the target-year index. The ratio T ÷ S tells you how much the price level changed. These formulas use the same ratio in different ways:
The annualized formula applies when the years differ. It describes a constant compounded rate with the same total change; it is not the arithmetic average of individual annual inflation rates. It also differs from a monthly CPI report’s year-over-year rate.
Suppose a basket rises from $100 to $125. Prices increased 25%, but an unchanged $100 now buys only 80% of that basket: a 20% loss of purchasing power. The percentages differ because their starting points differ. Reversing a dollar conversion means reversing the index ratio, not simply subtracting the inflation percentage.
For more background, read how purchasing power works or the BLS explanation of constant dollars.
Historical dollar comparisons
These examples use the annual-average index values bundled in this calculator for completed years. They show the target-year amount needed to match the starting amount’s broad purchasing power. They are price-level comparisons, not investment returns.
| Starting amount | Starting year | Target year | Equivalent dollars | Cumulative inflation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $100 | 1950 | 2024 | $1,303.65 | +1203.7% |
| $100 | 1980 | 2024 | $380.78 | +280.8% |
| $100 | 2000 | 2024 | $182.18 | +82.2% |
| $1,000 | 2010 | 2024 | $1,438.48 | +43.8% |
| $100 | 2020 | 2024 | $121.19 | +21.2% |
Using 172.2 for 2000 and 313.7 for 2024, the calculation is $100 × (313.7 ÷ 172.2) = $182.18. The cumulative price increase is about 82.2%. To convert in the opposite direction, $100 in 2024 corresponds to about $54.89 in 2000 dollars.
Choose the original year and the latest available comparison year above. Read the reference-data note before treating the answer as “today’s dollars”: the latest year can represent a partial-year observation or estimate rather than a completed annual average. This measures the buying power of the face amount; it does not appraise collectible coins or banknotes.
Put the conversion to work
Enter an earlier salary as the dollar amount and choose its year and the comparison year. The result is the later salary that would match its broad buying power. For example, $50,000 in 2010 corresponds to about $71,924 in 2024 using this calculator’s indexes. Comparing that benchmark with an actual salary helps separate a nominal pay increase from an increase in purchasing power.
For a hypothetical one-year example, a 4% raise with 5% inflation changes real pay by (1.04 ÷ 1.05 − 1) × 100, or about −0.95%. Taxes, benefits, working hours, and changes in household purchases are separate considerations.
This tool compares a U.S. price index across time. It does not calculate the cost of moving between cities or the budget of a particular household. Keep the comparison specific: a change in your monthly spending can reflect higher prices, more purchases, or both. Record quantities alongside prices when comparing your own expenses.
Nominal values are measured in the dollars of their time; real values adjust for a price index. In a hypothetical year with a 6% return and 3% inflation, the real return is (1.06 ÷ 1.03 − 1) × 100, or about 2.91%, before taxes and fees. The calculator itself does not include interest or investment growth. Use the market returns comparison to explore that separate question.
This page converts dollars between years. To see how much buying power a cash balance loses per day, per month, and per year at today’s inflation rate, and what it will be worth in 10 or 30 years, use the inflation loss calculator.
Sources and interpretation
The official BLS inflation calculator uses CPI-U, all items, U.S. city average, not seasonally adjusted. Our tool uses annual-average CPI-U values for every year from 1913 to 2026; see the reference table for the data basis. The latest year is a year-to-date average until the year completes.
Results can differ across calculators when they use different months, annual averages, partial years, index series, or rounding. Compare the underlying periods before comparing the answers. See our source methodology and guide to reading CPI.
A broad dollar conversion does not tell you how an individual expense changed. Explore grocery inflation, rent inflation, medical care inflation, and tuition and childcare inflation for more specific price-index histories.
New to the topic? Start with what inflation means and why prices stay high when inflation falls.
Explanations updated by Inflation Money. Data periods are labeled separately in the reference table. Editorial policy · Report a correction.
Inflation calculator FAQ
It multiplies your dollar amount by the target-year index divided by the starting-year index. Select an amount and two available years to see equivalent purchasing power, cumulative inflation, and the annualized change.
Yes. You can use the calculator without paying or creating an account. The explanations, reference table, and historical examples are also freely available.
Yes. Enter a past salary to estimate the comparison-year salary with equivalent broad purchasing power. It does not account for taxes, benefits, hours worked, or a household-specific budget.
Yes. Every year from 1913 to 2026 is selectable, using the CPI-U annual average for each year. The latest year is a year-to-date average until the year completes.
Do not assume it is. Check the reference-data note for the latest year’s coverage. A partial-year average or estimate is not a final annual observation, and a year-to-year dollar conversion is not the latest monthly inflation report.
Yes. Choose the later year as the starting year and the earlier year as the target, or use the swap button. The result expresses the amount in the earlier price level, and the last statistic switches to “buying power gained” because a dollar bought more in the earlier year.
Cumulative inflation measures the total price change between endpoints. The average annual rate is the constant compounded rate that produces that change over the elapsed years. Dividing cumulative inflation by the number of years ignores compounding.
A lower positive inflation rate means prices are rising more slowly. Falling prices require a negative rate over the measured period. Earlier increases remain part of the price level even after inflation slows.
No. The year selectors compare available historical or current-period values. A future purchasing-power projection would require an explicit assumed inflation rate; it would be a scenario, not a known future price.
No. This calculator compares the purchasing power of U.S. dollars over time. A currency exchange rate compares one currency with another. It also does not measure the collectible value of old currency.