American Inflation Calculator
Use this calculator to understand the purchasing power of money over time, adjusted for inflation in the United States. See what a certain amount of money from a past year is worth today, or what today's money was worth in the past.
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// Simplified historical CPI data for demonstration purposes.
// Real-world applications would use more precise and up-to-date data from sources like the BLS.
var cpiData = {
1913: 9.9, 1914: 10.0, 1915: 10.1, 1916: 10.9, 1917: 12.8, 1918: 15.1, 1919: 17.3, 1920: 20.0,
1921: 17.9, 1922: 16.8, 1923: 17.1, 1924: 17.1, 1925: 17.5, 1926: 17.7, 1927: 17.4, 1928: 17.2,
1929: 17.1, 1930: 16.7, 1931: 15.2, 1932: 13.7, 1933: 13.0, 1934: 13.4, 1935: 13.7, 1936: 13.9,
1937: 14.4, 1938: 14.1, 1939: 13.9, 1940: 14.0, 1941: 14.7, 1942: 16.3, 1943: 17.3, 1944: 17.6,
1945: 18.0, 1946: 19.5, 1947: 22.3, 1948: 24.1, 1949: 24.1, 1950: 24.1, 1951: 26.0, 1952: 26.5,
1953: 26.7, 1954: 26.9, 1955: 26.8, 1956: 27.2, 1957: 28.1, 1958: 28.9, 1959: 29.1, 1960: 29.6,
1961: 29.9, 1962: 30.2, 1963: 30.6, 1964: 31.0, 1965: 31.5, 1966: 32.4, 1967: 33.4, 1968: 34.8,
1969: 36.7, 1970: 38.8, 1971: 40.5, 1972: 41.8, 1973: 44.4, 1974: 49.3, 1975: 53.8, 1976: 56.9,
1977: 60.6, 1978: 65.2, 1979: 72.6, 1980: 82.4, 1981: 90.9, 1982: 96.5, 1983: 99.6, 1984: 103.9,
1985: 107.6, 1986: 109.6, 1987: 113.6, 1988: 118.3, 1989: 124.0, 1990: 130.7, 1991: 136.2, 1992: 140.3,
1993: 144.5, 1994: 148.2, 1995: 152.4, 1996: 156.9, 1997: 160.5, 1998: 163.0, 1999: 166.6, 2000: 172.2,
2001: 177.1, 2002: 179.9, 2003: 184.0, 2004: 188.9, 2005: 195.3, 2006: 201.6, 2007: 207.3, 2008: 215.3,
2009: 214.5, 2010: 218.1, 2011: 224.9, 2012: 229.6, 2013: 233.0, 2014: 236.7, 2015: 237.0, 2016: 240.0,
2017: 245.1, 2018: 251.1, 2019: 255.7, 2020: 258.8, 2021: 271.4, 2022: 292.7, 2023: 304.7, 2024: 314.0 // Estimated for 2024
};
function calculateInflation() {
var startingAmount = parseFloat(document.getElementById("startingAmount").value);
var startingYear = parseInt(document.getElementById("startingYear").value);
var endingYear = parseInt(document.getElementById("endingYear").value);
var resultDiv = document.getElementById("inflationResult");
// Input validation
if (isNaN(startingAmount) || startingAmount < 0) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = "
Please enter a valid starting amount (a non-negative number).
";
return;
}
if (isNaN(startingYear) || startingYear 2024) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = "
Please enter a valid starting year between 1913 and 2024.
";
return;
}
if (isNaN(endingYear) || endingYear 2024) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = "
Please enter a valid ending year between 1913 and 2024.
";
return;
}
if (startingYear === endingYear) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = "The value of $" + startingAmount.toFixed(2) + " in " + startingYear + " is still $" + startingAmount.toFixed(2) + " in " + endingYear + ". No inflation adjustment needed for the same year.";
return;
}
var cpiStart = cpiData[startingYear];
var cpiEnd = cpiData[endingYear];
if (!cpiStart) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = "
CPI data not available for the starting year " + startingYear + ".
";
return;
}
if (!cpiEnd) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = "
CPI data not available for the ending year " + endingYear + ".
";
return;
}
var adjustedAmount = startingAmount * (cpiEnd / cpiStart);
var percentageChange = ((adjustedAmount – startingAmount) / startingAmount) * 100;
var resultText = "";
if (endingYear > startingYear) {
resultText = "The purchasing power of
$" + startingAmount.toFixed(2) + " in
" + startingYear + " is equivalent to approximately
$" + adjustedAmount.toFixed(2) + " in
" + endingYear + ".";
resultText += "This represents an inflation of
" + percentageChange.toFixed(2) + "% over this period.";
} else { // endingYear < startingYear
resultText = "The purchasing power of
$" + startingAmount.toFixed(2) + " in
" + startingYear + " was equivalent to approximately
$" + adjustedAmount.toFixed(2) + " in
" + endingYear + ".";
resultText += "This represents a deflation/inflation adjustment of
" + percentageChange.toFixed(2) + "% over this period.";
}
resultDiv.innerHTML = resultText;
}
Understanding American Inflation
Inflation is a fundamental economic concept that refers to the rate at which the general level of prices for goods and services is rising, and subsequently, the purchasing power of currency is falling. In the United States, inflation is typically measured using the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which tracks the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services.
How Inflation Affects Your Money
When inflation occurs, each dollar you own buys fewer goods and services than it could before. This erosion of purchasing power means that money saved today will be worth less in the future. For example, if you had $100 in 1990, it could buy a certain amount of groceries. Due to inflation, that same $100 today would buy significantly less.
The Role of the CPI
The CPI is calculated and published monthly by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). It covers various categories of spending, including food, housing, apparel, transportation, medical care, recreation, education, and communication. By comparing the CPI from different periods, economists and consumers can gauge the rate of inflation and understand how prices have changed over time.
How This Calculator Works
Our American Inflation Calculator uses historical CPI data to adjust a given amount of money from a starting year to an equivalent value in an ending year. The calculation is based on the ratio of the CPI values between the two years:
Adjusted Amount = Starting Amount × (CPI in Ending Year / CPI in Starting Year)
This formula allows you to see what a past amount of money is worth in today's dollars, or conversely, what today's money was worth in a historical context. The CPI data used in this calculator is a simplified representation of historical trends for demonstration purposes. For official and precise figures, always refer to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Examples of Inflation's Impact:
- Example 1: What $1,000 in 1980 is worth today?
If you input $1,000 as the Starting Amount, 1980 as the Starting Year, and 2023 as the Ending Year, the calculator would show that $1,000 in 1980 had the purchasing power of approximately $3,700 in 2023. This illustrates the significant increase in prices over four decades.
- Example 2: What $50,000 today was worth in 2000?
If you input $50,000 as the Starting Amount, 2023 as the Starting Year, and 2000 as the Ending Year, the calculator would reveal that $50,000 in 2023 had the purchasing power of roughly $27,000 in 2000. This shows how much more goods and services $27,000 could buy back then compared to $50,000 now.
Understanding inflation is crucial for financial planning, investing, and making informed economic decisions. It helps individuals and businesses account for the changing value of money over time.