Inflation Calculator

Calculate equivalent purchasing power of the USD in different years (choose from 1913 to present) based on the consumer price index (CPI).

This calculator provides information about the value of money in different years in the US economy based on historical CPI (consumer price index) data found at https://fred.stlouisfed.org.

Also computes the Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) the inflation generated. This is the annual percentage return needed just for the original balance to maintain the same level of purchasing power. If you are interested in how CAGR works, see our Rate of Return calculator.

For more about inflation see our article Inflation - Why Prices Usually Go Up.

DISCLAIMER: This calculator is provided for educational purposes and should not be considered financial or investment advice. We have checked the equations and code used and we think they are right. However, we offer you no guarantee of accuracy. If you find a bug please let us know so we can fix it for you!