Is CPI the right inflation measure?

For broad consumer price changes, yes. For specific things (housing, healthcare, college tuition) prices have grown much faster than CPI. Always question which basket you care about.

What about deflation periods?

Rare in modern US history. The Great Depression saw deflation; brief periods in 2009 and 2015. The calculator handles negative inflation correctly if you pick years that span one.

Inflation Calculator

Purchasing power of a dollar amount between any two years (US CPI).

Result

$1,000 in 2000 =

$1,869.92 in 2025

Total inflation87.0%
Average annual rate2.54%
Years25 years
— Reverse —
$1,000 in 2025≈ $534.78 in 2000

How to use this calculator

Enter the dollar amount.
Set the "from" year (when the amount applied).
Set the "to" year (when you want to know the equivalent value).
See total + annualized inflation between the two dates.

About this tool

How much purchasing power has your money lost (or gained) between two points in time? This calculator uses US CPI-U (Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, the standard measure published by the BLS) to convert dollar amounts between years from 1975 to 2025. Useful for retirement planning ("what will today's $50k feel like in 30 years?"), historical context ("how rich was a $5k salary in 1980?"), and salary negotiations ("am I keeping up with inflation?"). Note: CPI averages out across many goods and services — your personal inflation depends on what you buy.

Frequently asked

2021-2023 saw unusually high US inflation (~8% peak in 2022) due to pandemic supply chains, stimulus, and energy prices. Long-term US average is closer to 3% per year.