Inflation Calculator
Convert dollars between years with the real BLS CPI-U history (1980–2025), or project with your own inflation rate.
BLS CPI-U annual averages 1980–2025 last updated · reference source
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Currency: Amounts are calculated in the currency you select; this site does not convert between currencies and does not use live exchange rates.
Dated static reference; no live data is fetched. Verify current source values and assumptions before relying on results.
What this tool does
Answers the two classic money-and-time questions: what a past amount is worth in today's dollars, and what today's amount was worth back then. Historical mode uses the Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U annual averages from 1980 to 2025 — the same index behind inflation headlines. Custom mode compounds any rate you enter, for planning scenarios.
How to use the Inflation Calculator
- Enter your figures in the fields above.
- Check the filing status, state and pay-frequency selections — they change the tables used.
- Read the headline result first, then the breakdown: it shows exactly which tax or amount produced each line.
- Change any input to compare scenarios; the result updates with the same dated tables shown on this page.
Formula
value in to-year = amount × CPI(to) ÷ CPI(from); custom mode: amount × (1 + rate)^(to − from)
- CPI
- CPI-U annual average, all items, U.S. city average (1982-84 = 100)
Worked example
$100 in 2000 has the buying power of about $186.96 in 2025 (CPI-U 172.2 → 321.943) — prices rose about 87%, roughly 2.5% a year.
Inputs
- Calculation modeHistorical — BLS CPI-U by year
- Amount100
- From year2000
- To year2025
- Annual inflation rate (%) — custom mode3
Result
- $100 in 2000 = this amount in 2025$186.96
- Cumulative price change86.96%
- Average annual inflation over the period2.53%
- CPI-U 2000 → 2025172.2 → 321.943
CPI-U annual averages (selected years)
| Year | CPI-U | Year | CPI-U |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 82.4 | 2010 | 218.056 |
| 1990 | 130.7 | 2015 | 237.017 |
| 2000 | 172.2 | 2020 | 258.811 |
| 2005 | 195.3 | 2022 | 292.655 |
| 2008 | 215.303 | 2025 | 321.943 |
Results explained
- Cumulative price change
- Total percentage change in the price level between the two years.
- Average annual inflation over the period
- The constant yearly rate that produces the same total change.
Frequently asked questions
The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers — the BLS measure of price changes for a basket of goods and services covering about 93% of the U.S. population. Annual averages smooth the monthly readings.
About $186.96 in 2025 dollars by CPI-U (172.2 in 2000, 321.943 in 2025). Equivalently, $100 today buys what roughly $53.49 bought in 2000.
It uses completed annual averages. The 2026 annual average exists only once the year ends; monthly CPI readings are not annual averages and are not mixed in.
It is the standard for general purchasing power. Personal inflation differs — housing, tuition and healthcare have their own indexes that can run hotter or cooler than CPI-U.
CPI-U has averaged roughly 3% a year over long spans (about 2.5% since 2000). Custom mode lets you test 2%, 3% or a stressed 5% path.