Inflation calculator
Last revised: November 6, 2026 · By the FintechZoom Markets Desk, reviewed under our editorial policy
US consumer prices rose 3.7% in the 12 months to September 2026, according to the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) that the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) published on October 14, 2026 (BLS CPI Table 1). This inflation calculator uses the same BLS series to show what a dollar amount from one year or month is worth in another, from 1913 to September 2026. A second tab projects future costs at an inflation rate you choose. It covers the United States only.
US inflation calculator (CPI-U)
Data as of the BLS release of October 14, 2026: annual averages 1913 to 2025, monthly index January 2015 to September 2026. Next BLS release: November 10, 2026. October 2025 was not collected by BLS.
Value over time
Show the chart data as a table
How this calculator works
The calculator divides the price index for the end period by the index for the start period and multiplies your amount by that ratio. A ratio above 1 means prices rose between the two dates, so the same goods cost more dollars.
Equivalent value = amount × CPIend ÷ CPIstart
Cumulative change = (CPIend ÷ CPIstart) − 1
Average yearly rate = (CPIend ÷ CPIstart)1/years − 1
Future cost = amount × (1 + rate)years; purchasing power = amount ÷ (1 + rate)years
It uses the CPI-U for the U.S. city average, all items, not seasonally adjusted, with 1982 to 1984 set at 100. That is the series the BLS CPI inflation calculator uses. Year mode uses annual averages from 1913 to 2025. Month mode uses monthly index values from January 2015 to September 2026. In year mode, 2026 uses the September 2026 monthly index, because BLS publishes the 2026 annual average in January 2027.
The average yearly rate is the constant rate that would turn the start index into the end index over the number of years between them. The results are national US figures; the calculator has no state, city or other-country data.
Worked example
Take $100 in 2000 and convert it to 2025 in year mode. The 2000 annual average CPI-U is 172.200 and the 2025 annual average is 321.943.
$100 × 321.943 ÷ 172.200 = $186.96. Prices rose 86.96% over those 25 years, which works out to (321.943 ÷ 172.200)1/25 − 1 = 2.53% a year on average. Press “Swap from and to” and $100 in 2025 had the buying power of $53.49 in 2000.
For a projection, $1,000 at an assumed 3.74% for 10 years becomes $1,000 × 1.037410 = $1,443.65. Put the other way, $1,000 held for those 10 years buys what $692.69 buys at the start, a 30.73% loss of purchasing power.
What each input means
Amount is the sum of money in the start period. You can type commas; the field accepts amounts from $0 up to one quadrillion dollars.
Compare by sets the data used. Year compares annual average prices, which smooths out seasonal swings. Month compares single months and is available from January 2015.
From and To are the two periods. Pick a To date earlier than the From date to go backwards, or press “Swap from and to”.
On the projection tab, Starting amount is the price or sum you want to project, Years ahead runs from 0 to 100, and Assumed annual inflation rate is your own estimate. The field starts blank. Two reference figures sit under it: the 3.74% CPI-U change from September 2025 to September 2026, and the Federal Reserve 2% longer-run goal, which the Fed measures with the PCE price index (Federal Reserve).
Limits of the results
CPI-U tracks prices paid by urban consumers across the United States as a group. Your household costs depend on where you live and what you buy, so your own inflation rate can differ from the national figure.
The data is not seasonally adjusted. Comparisons between two months in different seasons can show some movement that comes from the calendar.
BLS did not collect CPI data for October 2025 because of the 2025 lapse in appropriations (BLS). The calculator does not offer that month and does not estimate it. Month comparisons that span the gap use the published September and November 2025 values.
Annual averages before 2008 are published to one decimal place, so conversions from the early 1900s carry small rounding differences compared with tools that use other tables.
The projection tab applies one flat rate to every year. Actual inflation varies from year to year, so treat the result as a scenario, not a forecast.
Inflation calculator FAQs
What data does this inflation calculator use?
It uses the BLS Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), U.S. city average, all items, not seasonally adjusted, series CUUR0000SA0. The figures come from the BLS release of October 14, 2026, which covers data through September 2026.
What was the latest 12-month inflation rate?
CPI-U rose 3.7% from September 2025 to September 2026 on an unadjusted basis, per the BLS release of October 14, 2026. The exact index change is 324.800 to 336.940, or 3.74%. BLS is scheduled to publish October 2026 data on November 10, 2026.
Why is October 2025 missing from the month list?
BLS did not collect CPI data for October 2025 because of the 2025 lapse in appropriations, and the BLS calculator does not compute with that month either. Choose September or November 2025 instead.
How much is $100 from 1990 worth in 2026?
Using the 1990 annual average CPI-U of 130.7 and the September 2026 index of 336.940, $100 from 1990 has the buying power of $257.80 in September 2026. Prices rose 157.80% over the period, about 2.67% a year.
Why does my answer differ slightly from other calculators?
Other tools may use annual averages rounded to one decimal, a different month, a projected figure for the current year, or a different index such as CPI-W or PCE. This calculator uses published CPI-U values, with no estimates, and shows the two index values it used under each result.
Is the projection a forecast?
No. The projection applies the single rate you enter to every year. It shows what prices would be if inflation held at that rate, which it rarely does from year to year.
What is the difference between CPI and the Fed 2% goal?
The Federal Reserve sets its 2% longer-run inflation goal using the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. CPI-U is a separate index from BLS. The two measure prices in different ways and usually give different rates.
Can I use this for wages or salary comparisons?
Yes. Enter the salary as the amount and pick the two years. The result is the salary needed in the end year to match the start year buying power at national average prices. Local housing and other costs can make your personal figure higher or lower.
How we check this calculator
We checked every monthly index value from January 2015 to September 2026 against the St. Louis Fed copy of the BLS series (last updated October 14, 2026) and against BLS Table 1 for September 2025, August 2026 and September 2026. The monthly averages for 2015 to 2025 match the BLS annual averages to three decimals. Annual values from 1913 to 2007 were compared across two published tables.
On November 6, 2026 we ran eight reference cases on this page, including $100 from 2000 to 2025 ($186.96) and $100 from September 2025 to September 2026 ($103.74), plus tests for empty, negative and oversized amounts, equal start and end dates, a zero projection rate and the missing October 2025 month. The data is updated after each monthly BLS CPI release (BLS release schedule).
Revision history: November 6, 2026, this URL now holds a CPI-U inflation calculator with year and month modes, a projection tab, a chart and data table; previous edition September 21, 2026, which showed a house affordability tool under the inflation title. That tool is still available as our mortgage affordability calculator.
Related: compound interest calculator, future value calculator, Social Security calculator, pension calculator, Treasury bond rates today, gold price today, all calculators.
Sources: BLS Consumer Price Index, BLS CPI news release Table 1, September 2026, BLS CPI inflation calculator, BLS CPI release schedule, Federal Reserve on the 2 percent goal.
This calculator is for education. Its results are estimates based on national BLS price data and the figures you enter, and they are not financial, tax or investment advice. Read our full disclaimer.
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