Completed years
VisionBoard normally averages the published monthly CPIAUCNS observations for each calendar year. The table documents the official 2025 eleven-index exception.
Free calculator · BLS purchasing-power method
U.S. CPI inflation calculator and rates by year.
Compare U.S. dollar purchasing power between calendar years with the all-items Consumer Price Index. The arithmetic is transparent, the source is named, and the result is not presented as anyone’s personal cost of living.
Official series usedBLS CPI-U, all itemsCPIAUCNS · U.S. city average · not seasonally adjusted
Data statusLoading CPI history…Retrieving the cached public series through VisionBoard.
Buying-power equivalent
CPI inflation calculator formula
Equivalent dollars = starting dollars × (target-year CPI ÷ starting-year CPI)
Current year
The latest available monthly index is used because the full-year average does not yet exist.
Your experience
CPI is a broad urban-consumer index. Your location, housing, food, health-care, transport, and other spending weights can differ.
Annual history · 1913–2026
U.S. inflation rate and CPI by year
Completed years normally use the average of all 12 monthly CPI-U indexes. The percentage column compares each annual average with the prior annual average; it is not a December-to-December rate. BLS specifies that the 2025 annual average uses the 11 published indexes because October data were unavailable during the federal funding lapse. For 2026, the CPI level is the latest monthly observation (July 2026), so its annual-average change remains blank until the year is complete.
| Year | CPI-U level | Annual-average change | $100 then in 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 333.918 latest monthly | — | $100.00 |
| 2025 | 321.943 11 published indexes | +2.6% | $103.72 |
| 2024 | 313.689 | +2.9% | $106.45 |
| 2023 | 304.702 | +4.1% | $109.59 |
| 2022 | 292.655 | +8.0% | $114.10 |
| 2021 | 270.970 | +4.7% | $123.23 |
| 2020 | 258.811 | +1.2% | $129.02 |
| 2019 | 255.657 | +1.8% | $130.61 |
| 2018 | 251.107 | +2.4% | $132.98 |
| 2017 | 245.120 | +2.1% | $136.23 |
| 2016 | 240.007 | +1.3% | $139.13 |
| 2015 | 237.017 | +0.1% | $140.88 |
| 2014 | 236.736 | +1.6% | $141.05 |
| 2013 | 232.957 | +1.5% | $143.34 |
| 2012 | 229.594 | +2.1% | $145.44 |
| 2011 | 224.939 | +3.2% | $148.45 |
| 2010 | 218.056 | +1.6% | $153.13 |
| 2009 | 214.537 | -0.4% | $155.65 |
| 2008 | 215.303 | +3.8% | $155.09 |
| 2007 | 207.342 | +2.9% | $161.05 |
| 2006 | 201.592 | +3.2% | $165.64 |
| 2005 | 195.292 | +3.4% | $170.98 |
| 2004 | 188.883 | +2.7% | $176.79 |
| 2003 | 183.958 | +2.3% | $181.52 |
| 2002 | 179.875 | +1.6% | $185.64 |
| 2001 | 177.067 | +2.8% | $188.58 |
| 2000 | 172.200 | +3.4% | $193.91 |
| 1999 | 166.575 | +2.2% | $200.46 |
| 1998 | 163.008 | +1.6% | $204.85 |
| 1997 | 160.517 | +2.3% | $208.03 |
| 1996 | 156.850 | +2.9% | $212.89 |
| 1995 | 152.383 | +2.8% | $219.13 |
| 1994 | 148.225 | +2.6% | $225.28 |
| 1993 | 144.458 | +3.0% | $231.15 |
| 1992 | 140.317 | +3.0% | $237.97 |
| 1991 | 136.192 | +4.2% | $245.18 |
| 1990 | 130.658 | +5.4% | $255.57 |
| 1989 | 123.967 | +4.8% | $269.36 |
| 1988 | 118.258 | +4.1% | $282.36 |
| 1987 | 113.625 | +3.7% | $293.88 |
| 1986 | 109.608 | +1.9% | $304.65 |
| 1985 | 107.567 | +3.5% | $310.43 |
| 1984 | 103.883 | +4.3% | $321.44 |
| 1983 | 99.600 | +3.2% | $335.26 |
| 1982 | 96.500 | +6.1% | $346.03 |
| 1981 | 90.925 | +10.3% | $367.25 |
| 1980 | 82.408 | +13.5% | $405.20 |
| 1979 | 72.575 | +11.3% | $460.10 |
| 1978 | 65.233 | +7.6% | $511.88 |
| 1977 | 60.608 | +6.5% | $550.94 |
| 1976 | 56.908 | +5.7% | $586.76 |
| 1975 | 53.817 | +9.1% | $620.47 |
| 1974 | 49.308 | +11.1% | $677.20 |
| 1973 | 44.400 | +6.2% | $752.07 |
| 1972 | 41.817 | +3.3% | $798.53 |
| 1971 | 40.492 | +4.3% | $824.66 |
| 1970 | 38.825 | +5.8% | $860.06 |
| 1969 | 36.683 | +5.5% | $910.27 |
| 1968 | 34.783 | +4.3% | $959.99 |
| 1967 | 33.358 | +2.8% | $1001 |
| 1966 | 32.458 | +3.0% | $1029 |
| 1965 | 31.508 | +1.6% | $1060 |
| 1964 | 31.017 | +1.3% | $1077 |
| 1963 | 30.625 | +1.2% | $1090 |
| 1962 | 30.250 | +1.2% | $1104 |
| 1961 | 29.892 | +1.1% | $1117 |
| 1960 | 29.575 | +1.5% | $1129 |
| 1959 | 29.150 | +1.0% | $1146 |
| 1958 | 28.858 | +2.7% | $1157 |
| 1957 | 28.092 | +3.3% | $1189 |
| 1956 | 27.183 | +1.5% | $1228 |
| 1955 | 26.775 | -0.3% | $1247 |
| 1954 | 26.850 | +0.3% | $1244 |
| 1953 | 26.767 | +0.8% | $1248 |
| 1952 | 26.550 | +2.3% | $1258 |
| 1951 | 25.958 | +7.9% | $1286 |
| 1950 | 24.067 | +1.1% | $1387 |
| 1949 | 23.808 | -1.0% | $1403 |
| 1948 | 24.042 | +7.7% | $1389 |
| 1947 | 22.325 | +14.4% | $1496 |
| 1946 | 19.517 | +8.5% | $1711 |
| 1945 | 17.992 | +2.3% | $1856 |
| 1944 | 17.592 | +1.6% | $1898 |
| 1943 | 17.308 | +6.0% | $1929 |
| 1942 | 16.333 | +10.9% | $2044 |
| 1941 | 14.725 | +5.1% | $2268 |
| 1940 | 14.008 | +0.7% | $2384 |
| 1939 | 13.908 | -1.3% | $2401 |
| 1938 | 14.092 | -2.0% | $2370 |
| 1937 | 14.383 | +3.7% | $2322 |
| 1936 | 13.867 | +1.0% | $2408 |
| 1935 | 13.725 | +2.6% | $2433 |
| 1934 | 13.383 | +3.5% | $2495 |
| 1933 | 12.933 | -5.2% | $2582 |
| 1932 | 13.642 | -10.3% | $2448 |
| 1931 | 15.208 | -8.9% | $2196 |
| 1930 | 16.700 | -2.7% | $2000 |
| 1929 | 17.158 | +0.0% | $1946 |
| 1928 | 17.158 | -1.2% | $1946 |
| 1927 | 17.358 | -1.9% | $1924 |
| 1926 | 17.700 | +0.9% | $1887 |
| 1925 | 17.542 | +2.4% | $1904 |
| 1924 | 17.125 | +0.4% | $1950 |
| 1923 | 17.050 | +1.8% | $1958 |
| 1922 | 16.750 | -6.2% | $1994 |
| 1921 | 17.850 | -10.9% | $1871 |
| 1920 | 20.042 | +15.6% | $1666 |
| 1919 | 17.333 | +15.2% | $1926 |
| 1918 | 15.042 | +17.3% | $2220 |
| 1917 | 12.825 | +17.8% | $2604 |
| 1916 | 10.883 | +7.7% | $3068 |
| 1915 | 10.108 | +0.9% | $3303 |
| 1914 | 10.017 | +1.3% | $3334 |
| 1913 | 9.883 | — | $3379 |
Source: BLS CPI-U all items, U.S. city average, not seasonally adjusted, retrieved as FRED series CPIAUCNS. Latest observation: 2026-07-01.
Official sources and limits
BLS explains that its inflation calculator uses the average Consumer Price Index for a calendar year and the latest monthly index for the current year. BLS’s CPI math guide explains index ratios and percent changes. VisionBoard retrieves FRED’s CPIAUCNS series, whose source is BLS, and performs the ratio locally in your browser.
This is a national historical price-index comparison, not a forecast, investment return, wage adjustment, tax calculation, or individualized cost-of-living estimate.
CPI calculator questions
How is the inflation-adjusted amount calculated?
The starting amount is multiplied by the target-year CPI and divided by the starting-year CPI. Reversing the years reverses the comparison.
Why use a not-seasonally-adjusted CPI series?
The calculator compares calendar-year levels rather than month-to-month momentum. CPIAUCNS is the all-items U.S. city-average index without seasonal adjustment.
Does a higher equivalent amount mean every price rose that much?
No. It describes the change in the broad CPI market basket. Individual categories and household budgets can move differently.