Inflation Calculator

What is an inflation calculator?

An inflation calculator tells you how much a dollar amount from one year is worth in another year’s money. It uses real CPI (Consumer Price Index) data, the same data the US government uses to measure inflation, to show you exactly how purchasing power has changed over time.

Put simply: $100 in 1990 does not buy the same things as $100 today. This tool shows you the difference.

How to use this calculator

1. Choose your calculation mode: Historical (past to present), Future (project forward), or Raise Check (did your salary keep up with inflation?).
2. Enter the dollar amount you want to adjust.
3. Set your start year and end year using the dropdowns or sliders.
4. Your result updates instantly.
5. Read the chart to see how purchasing power changed year by year across your full range.

What is the CPI and how does inflation get measured?

The Consumer Price Index, or CPI, is a monthly survey of prices across a fixed basket of goods and services: groceries, rent, gas, medical care, clothing. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has been tracking it since 1913.

When the CPI goes up, prices have gone up. When prices go up, your dollar buys less. That loss of buying power is inflation.

This calculator uses the CPI-U series, “All Urban Consumers, All Items,” which is the broadest and most cited version. It covers about 93% of the US population.

How the inflation adjustment formula works

The math is straightforward:

Adjusted amount = Original amount x (End year CPI / Start year CPI)

Example: You want to know what $500 in 1985 is worth in 2025.

• CPI in 1985: 107.6
• CPI in 2025: 318.3
• Adjusted amount: $500 x (318.3 / 107.6) = $1,479

That is it. The CPI data does all the work. No guessing, no averages needed.

Why your raise might not be a raise at all

Here is the part most people skip. If you earned $60,000 in 2015 and earn $75,000 in 2025, it feels like a 25% raise. But CPI went from 237.0 in 2015 to 318.3 in 2025, a 34% increase. To truly match your 2015 purchasing power, you would need about $80,430 in 2025. Your real purchasing power has actually fallen.

Use the Raise Check mode to see exactly where you stand.

What the future projection mode assumes

The future mode uses a fixed annual inflation rate that you set. It does not predict the future, but it gives you a realistic planning range.

At 3% per year (close to the US long-run average):

• $10,000 today will have the purchasing power of $7,441 in 10 years
• $10,000 today will have the purchasing power of $5,537 in 20 years

At 2% (the Fed’s target):

• $10,000 today equals $8,203 in purchasing power in 10 years

This is why keeping cash savings idle is a real risk. Inflation does not stop while your money sits still.

What this calculator does not cover

The CPI is a national average. Your personal inflation rate depends on where you live and what you spend money on. If you rent in a high-cost city, your housing inflation is probably higher than the CPI captures. If you spend a lot on medical care, same thing: medical inflation has consistently outpaced the general CPI.

This tool gives you the official benchmark. Your real-life number may differ.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is $1,000 in 1990 worth today?

$1,000 in 1990 is worth approximately $2,428 in 2025, based on CPI data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Prices rose about 142.8% between 1990 and 2025, averaging around 2.5% per year.

What is the average US inflation rate?

The average US inflation rate from 1913 to 2025 is approximately 3.2% per year. The Federal Reserve’s target rate is 2%. From 2021 to 2023, inflation ran at 7 to 9% annually, the highest in 40 years, before declining back toward 3%.

How do I calculate inflation between two years?

Divide the CPI of the end year by the CPI of the start year, then multiply by your dollar amount. For example: $500 in 2000 x (318.3 / 172.2) = $924 in 2025. This calculator does this math automatically using official BLS CPI data.

What does purchasing power mean?

Purchasing power is the amount of goods and services a dollar can actually buy. When inflation goes up, purchasing power goes down. If prices rise 10% and your income stays the same, your purchasing power has fallen by roughly 9%.

How do I know if my raise kept up with inflation?

Use the Raise Check mode. Enter your old salary, the year you earned it, and your current salary. The calculator compares your actual raise to what inflation required. If inflation grew 30% and your salary grew 20%, you have had an effective pay cut of about 10%.

How far back does this calculator go?

This calculator includes CPI data from 1913, which is when the US Bureau of Labor Statistics first began tracking prices consistently. That gives you over 110 years of inflation history to work with.

Is this calculator accurate?

Yes. It uses annual average CPI data from the BLS (CPIAUCSL series), the same data the US government uses to calculate cost-of-living adjustments for Social Security. Results may differ slightly from calculators that use monthly CPI instead of annual averages.

What will $1,000 be worth in 10 years?

At the US long-run average of about 3% annual inflation, $1,000 today will have the buying power of roughly $744 in 10 years. At the Fed’s 2% target, it is worth about $820 in real terms. Use the Future mode in this calculator to run your own number at any rate.

Why did inflation spike so much in 2021 and 2022?

CPI inflation hit 7.0% in 2021 and 8.0% in 2022, highs not seen since the early 1980s. The main causes were pandemic-related supply chain disruptions, large stimulus spending, and a surge in consumer demand that supply could not keep up with. The Federal Reserve raised interest rates aggressively through 2022 and 2023 to bring it back down.

Does this calculator account for housing or medical costs separately?

The base CPI includes housing (about 33% of the index weight) and medical care (about 7%). Both have historically inflated faster than general CPI. This calculator uses the all-items CPI, which blends all categories together. If you rent in an expensive city or have significant medical costs, your personal inflation rate is likely higher than what this tool shows.

About This Tool

Most inflation calculators only do one thing: convert a past dollar amount to today’s money. That is useful, but it misses the bigger picture. This tool adds a future projection mode so you can see what your savings will actually be worth down the road, and a raise checker that tells you whether your salary has kept pace with rising prices or quietly fallen behind.

All three modes use the same official BLS CPI data, the calculation is shown transparently, and nothing is paywalled or gated behind an account. Free to use. Always.

Not financial advice. For official investment decisions, consult a licensed financial advisor.