INFLATION CALCULATOR

What was a dollar really worth?

See how prices have changed since 1913, overall and by category, using the government's own Consumer Price Index. New to this? Read how inflation works first.

Real data, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Every figure here is BLS's published Consumer Price Index (CPI-U, U.S. city average, annual averages) — the same index behind the government's official inflation numbers, last updated through . Not every category was tracked this whole time; where BLS hadn't started publishing a category yet, we say so instead of guessing.

Value Calculator

What would that be worth today?

Pick a category and two years; we'll convert using that category's own real price history.

Which prices rose fastest?

Cumulative price change in each category, all measured from the same starting year through the most recent complete year. The category picked above is highlighted here too — click any legend entry to show or hide that line.

Since Earlier start years mean fewer categories have data — BLS introduced some of these groups later than others.

Where this comes from

BLS Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), U.S. city average, not seasonally adjusted, annual averages — the "All items" index plus BLS's 8 standard major expenditure groups (Food & beverages, Housing, Apparel, Transportation, Medical care, Recreation, Education & communication, Other goods & services). Pulled via the BLS Public Data API.

Different categories use different BLS base periods (mostly 1982–84=100, but Recreation and Education & communication use December 1997=100) — so a raw index number only means something compared against that same category's own index at another year, which is exactly what this page does. This page is educational and general information, not financial or investment advice.