Inflation Calculator: What's a Dollar Worth Today?
Multiply the amount by the ratio of the two years' Consumer Price Index values. $100 in 2000 had the same buying power as about $182 in 2024, because the CPI rose from 172.2 to 313.7, an average of 2.53% a year.
Any year from 1913 to 2026. 2026 uses the latest index, from August 2026.
$100.00 in 2000 has the same buying power as
$194.53
in 2026
Total inflation
+94.53%
Average per year
2.59%
CPI 2000
172.2
CPI 2026
334.98
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U, U.S. city average, all items.
Show the math
- 1
Look up the Consumer Price Index
CPI 2000 average = 172.2 · CPI August 2026 = 334.98
The CPI tracks the price of a typical basket of goods and services bought by US households.
Read the steps as text
- Look up the Consumer Price Index. CPI 2000 average = 172.2 · CPI August 2026 = 334.98 The CPI tracks the price of a typical basket of goods and services bought by US households.
- Divide to get the price change. 334.98 ÷ 172.2 = 1.9453 Prices in 2026 were 1.945 times their 2000 level.
- Scale the amount. $100.00 × 1.9453 = $194.53
- Total and average yearly inflation. Total: 94.53% · Per year: 1.9453^(1 ÷ 26) − 1 = 2.59% The yearly figure is a compound average: the steady rate that would give the same total change.
How inflation is calculated
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which tracks the cost of a typical basket of goods and services: food, housing, transport, medical care and so on. To adjust an amount between two years, divide the later year's CPI by the earlier year's and multiply. If the index has doubled, you need twice as many dollars to buy the same things.
This calculator uses the CPI-U (all urban consumers, U.S. city average, all items), the standard measure behind most US inflation figures. Each year uses its annual average index, except the current year, which uses the most recent month published.
Total versus yearly inflation
The total shows how much prices rose over the whole period: from 1970 to 2024, the CPI rose about 708%, so $100 in 1970 is worth about $808 in 2024 money. The average per year is the steady compound rate that would produce the same total, 3.94% a year for that period.
Inflation isn't steady in practice. The US saw double-digit rates in the late 1970s and early 1980s, near zero in 2009 and 2015, and a spike to 8% in 2022. The CPI also averages across all households, so your personal inflation rate depends on what you actually buy.
Frequently asked questions
- How much is $100 from 1990 worth today?
- About $240 in 2024 dollars. The CPI rose from 130.7 in 1990 to 313.7 in 2024, an increase of 140%.
- Where does the data come from?
- The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), U.S. city average, all items, which goes back to 1913.
- Why is the current year different?
- A year's average isn't known until December's figure is published, so the current year uses the latest monthly index instead.
- Can I go backwards in time?
- Yes. Put the later year first to see what today's money would have been worth in an earlier year. $100 in 2024 equals about $55 in 2000 dollars.