Savings, CDs and tax
Inflation Calculator
What a dollar amount from any year since 1913 is worth today, from the government's Consumer Price Index through August 2026, and whether your savings rate is beating inflation.
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This page's latest CPI is August 2026; a newer month has probably been published since.
What $100 from past years is worth in August 2026
| $100 in | Worth in August 2026 | Prices since then |
|---|---|---|
| 1920 | $1,671.39 | +1571% |
| 1930 | $2,005.87 | +1906% |
| 1940 | $2,391.35 | +2291% |
| 1950 | $1,391.86 | +1292% |
| 1960 | $1,132.65 | +1033% |
| 1970 | $862.79 | +763% |
| 1980 | $406.49 | +306% |
| 1990 | $256.38 | +156% |
| 2000 | $194.53 | +95% |
| 2010 | $153.62 | +54% |
| 2020 | $129.43 | +29% |
Inflation by year (change in the yearly average CPI)
| Year | Inflation | $100 then, in August 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2.7% | $103.98 |
| 2024 | 2.9% | $106.79 |
| 2023 | 4.1% | $109.94 |
| 2022 | 8.0% | $114.46 |
| 2021 | 4.7% | $123.62 |
| 2020 | 1.2% | $129.43 |
| 2019 | 1.8% | $131.03 |
| 2018 | 2.4% | $133.40 |
| 2017 | 2.1% | $136.66 |
| 2016 | 1.3% | $139.57 |
| 2015 | 0.1% | $141.33 |
| 2014 | 1.6% | $141.50 |
| 2013 | 1.5% | $143.79 |
| 2012 | 2.1% | $145.90 |
| 2011 | 3.2% | $148.92 |
How this calculator works
The calculator scales an amount by the ratio of the Consumer Price Index in the two years: value = amount × CPI(later) ÷ CPI(earlier). It uses CPI-U, the index for all urban consumers, all items, US city average, as published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Each year's figure is its yearly average; the current year uses the latest month, August 2026.
Average yearly inflation is the compound rate that turns one index into the other over the years between them.
Whether savings beat inflation compares your APY with the price change over the last 12 months: real return = (1 + APY) ÷ (1 + inflation) − 1.
Questions people ask
What is $100 in 1970 worth today?
$862.79 in August 2026: prices are 8.6 times what they were in 1970.
What was the inflation rate in 2025?
2.7%, measured as the change in the yearly average CPI-U from 2024. In 2024 it was 2.9%.
What is the inflation rate right now?
Prices rose 3.4% over the 12 months to August 2026, by CPI-U before seasonal adjustment. The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes a new month's figure around the middle of the next month.
Is my savings account beating inflation?
Only if its APY is above inflation. With prices up 3.4% in a year, a 4% APY gains about 0.58% in buying power a year before tax, and a 0.5% APY loses about 2.80%.
How is inflation measured?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics prices a basket of goods and services each month across US cities and publishes the Consumer Price Index. The change in the index over a period is the inflation rate for that period.
Why is October 2025 missing from CPI data?
The federal government shutdown in October and November 2025 stopped BLS price collection, so no October 2025 index was published. This calculator estimates it from September and November and says so.
Terms explained
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Sources
Updated by the RateHerald team. The maths is tested against worked examples; report a problem.