How to work out what a dollar was worth
This calculator answers two different questions. US CPI history tells you what a sum from one year would cost in another year, using the official price index. Future value and Past value use an inflation rate you type, which suits planning and other countries.
How to use it
- Pick a mode: US CPI history for real past prices, or Future value or Past value for a fixed rate.
- Type the Amount in dollars.
- In CPI mode, choose the From year and To year. Choosing an earlier To year works too, and Swap the two years flips them.
- In the rate modes, enter the Number of years and the Annual inflation rate, or tap a preset of 2%, 3%, 5% or 7%.
The formulas
Value = amount x CPI(to year) / CPI(from year)
Average per year = (CPI(later) / CPI(earlier))1 / years - 1
Fixed rate: value = amount x (1 + rate)years
The index is the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U, US city average, all items) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, using each year's annual average, 1913 to 2025.
Worked example
With the starting numbers, $1,000 in 2000 is compared with 2025. The annual average CPI-U was 172.2 in 2000 and 321.943 in 2025, a ratio of 1.8696. You would need $1,869.59 in 2025 to buy what $1,000 bought in 2000. Prices rose +86.96% in total, an average of +2.53% a year, and the buying power of a 2000 dollar changed by -46.51%.
Limits and edge cases
- The data ends with the 2025 annual average. CPI-U was 3.4% higher in August 2026 than in August 2025, so add roughly that much to reach today's dollars.
- BLS did not publish October 2025 prices because of the federal shutdown, so its 2025 average uses the other 11 months.
- CPI-U measures a typical urban household. Your own costs, especially housing, health care or tuition, may have risen faster or slower.
- For a savings plan, pair the result with the compound interest calculator or the investment return calculator to see growth after inflation. To test a retirement budget, try the 401(k) calculator.
Frequently asked questions
What is $1,000 from 2000 worth today?
Using annual average CPI-U, $1,000 in 2000 has the buying power of about $1,869.59 in 2025, a rise of 86.96%. Prices kept climbing in 2026, so today's figure is a few percent higher.
Why is my answer different from the BLS inflation calculator?
The BLS calculator works with monthly index values, while this tool compares annual averages. The two can differ by a fraction of a percent, because a yearly average cannot tell whether your money moved in January or December.
What inflation rate should I use for long-term planning?
Many planners test 2% and 3%. The Federal Reserve targets 2% inflation measured by the PCE price index, and US CPI-U averaged 3.16% a year from 1913 to 2025. Run both in Future value and plan for the higher one.
How do I calculate inflation between two years by hand?
Divide the later year's CPI by the earlier year's CPI and subtract 1. For 2000 to 2025, 321.943 divided by 172.2 is 1.8696, so prices rose 86.96%.
Sources: BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI-U, series CUUR0000SA0); FRED CPIAUCNS monthly data; Federal Reserve, why 2% inflation.
Related reading: What Is Inflation and How Does It Affect Your Money?