Where does the inflation data come from?

It uses the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U (Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers) annual averages, series CUUR0000SA0, spanning 1913 to 2024. Each year maps to a published index value the calculator looks up directly.

What is cumulative versus average annual inflation?

Cumulative inflation is the total percentage change in prices across the whole period, while the average annual rate is the steady yearly rate that compounds to that same total. A high cumulative figure over many years can reflect a modest annual rate.

Why must both years be between 1913 and 2024?

The calculator relies on actual published CPI values rather than projections, and that dataset begins in 1913 and currently ends in 2024. Years outside this range have no index value, so the calculation falls back to the original amount.

Can it predict future inflation?

No. This tool measures historical inflation from recorded CPI data. It does not forecast future prices, which depend on monetary policy and economic conditions that cannot be known in advance.

Inflation Calculator

Amount

Start Year2000

End Year2024

Adjusted Amount$181.77

Cumulative Inflation81.77%

Avg. Annual Rate2.52%

Inflation steadily erodes what a dollar can buy, so a sum from one year is not equivalent to the same sum in another. This calculator uses official U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) annual averages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, covering 1913 through 2024, to convert an amount from a start year into its equivalent in an end year. It also reports the cumulative inflation and the average annual rate between the two years.

Formula

Adjusted = amount × (CPI_end / CPI_start); avg rate = (CPI_end/CPI_start)^(1/years) − 1

amount: Dollar amount in the start year
CPI_start: CPI-U annual average for the start year
CPI_end: CPI-U annual average for the end year
years: End year minus start year

How it works

Enter a dollar amount, a starting year, and an ending year. Both years must fall within the CPI dataset (1913-2024).
The calculator looks up the CPI for each year and multiplies your amount by the ratio of end-year CPI to start-year CPI to get the inflation-adjusted equivalent.
It derives cumulative inflation from that same ratio and computes the average annual rate by taking the ratio to the power of one over the number of years.

Worked example

What $1,000 in the year 2000 is worth in 2024, using CPI of 172.2 (2000) and 313.0 (2024).

CPI ratio: 313.0 ÷ 172.2 = 1.81765.
Adjusted amount: 1,000 × 1.81765 ≈ $1,817.65.
Cumulative inflation: (1.81765 − 1) × 100 ≈ 81.77%.
Average annual rate over 24 years: 1.81765^(1/24) − 1 ≈ 2.52%.

$1,000 from 2000 has the buying power of about $1,817.65 in 2024, an 81.77% cumulative rise (about 2.52% per year).

Frequently asked questions

Where does the inflation data come from?: It uses the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U (Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers) annual averages, series CUUR0000SA0, spanning 1913 to 2024. Each year maps to a published index value the calculator looks up directly.
What is cumulative versus average annual inflation?: Cumulative inflation is the total percentage change in prices across the whole period, while the average annual rate is the steady yearly rate that compounds to that same total. A high cumulative figure over many years can reflect a modest annual rate.
Why must both years be between 1913 and 2024?: The calculator relies on actual published CPI values rather than projections, and that dataset begins in 1913 and currently ends in 2024. Years outside this range have no index value, so the calculation falls back to the original amount.
Can it predict future inflation?: No. This tool measures historical inflation from recorded CPI data. It does not forecast future prices, which depend on monetary policy and economic conditions that cannot be known in advance.

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