Inflation Calculator
What was $1,000 in 2000 worth in today's dollars? This calculator uses the U.S. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to translate amounts between any two years and reveal exactly how much purchasing power inflation has stripped out — or how much you'd need to earn today to match a salary from two decades ago.
How is this calculated?
The calculator uses CPI-U: present value = past amount × (CPI today ÷ CPI past). For forward-looking projections it applies a constant assumed annual inflation rate using FV = PV × (1 + i)^n. The Federal Reserve targets 2% inflation over the long run as measured by Core PCE, a related but slightly different index. BLS publishes monthly CPI-U updates on bls.gov, and for retirement planning many practitioners use a 2.5%–3% long-run assumption.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between CPI-U and PCE?
CPI-U is the Bureau of Labor Statistics index used for adjusting Social Security benefits, federal tax brackets, and most government uprating. Core PCE (Personal Consumption Expenditures, excluding food and energy) is what the Federal Reserve targets at 2%. PCE typically reads slightly lower than CPI due to methodology differences in how spending substitution is handled.
Why does my personal inflation feel higher than CPI?
CPI is a basket weighted by average national spending. If your household spends more on categories rising faster than average — health care, housing, college tuition, child care — your lived inflation will outpace the headline. Households heavy on falling-price categories like consumer electronics see the opposite.
How does inflation affect my savings?
Cash savings lose real value when their interest rate is below inflation. With CPI-U around 2%–3% in 2026 and high-yield savings paying 4%–5% APY, real returns are positive. When inflation spiked above 9% in 2022, almost every cash saver was losing purchasing power even on the best-paying accounts.
What was $100 in 2000 worth in 2026?
Roughly $185, based on cumulative CPI-U. Put another way, $100 today buys about what $54 bought in 2000. Over the same period U.S. median household income has roughly doubled in nominal terms but only marginally outpaced prices in real terms, which is why housing and education feel so much more expensive.
Last updated: May 2026 · Rates sourced from IRS