Compare a dollar amount across years
Grandpa's $5,000 salary, a 1990s price tag, an old contract amount — CPI-U annual averages translate between years so the numbers are comparable.
Tools used in this guide
The job
Prices rise, so the same dollar figure means different purchasing power in different years. CPI-U — the US consumer price index — is the standard yardstick for translating between them.
How to do it
Enter the amount and pick the from and to years. The tool multiplies by the ratio of the two years' CPI-U annual averages and shows the converted amount plus the percentage change.
- Coverage runs 1913–2024, the BLS series CUUR0000SA0.
- Works both directions: 1970 → 2024 inflates, 2024 → 1970 deflates.
Worked example
$100 in 1990 lands around $240+ in 2024 dollars — the result is a purchasing-power estimate, which is why a 1990 salary and a 2024 salary can be compared on the same scale.
Limits
Annual averages only — no monthly granularity. US CPI-U reflects urban consumer prices; it is not investment return, not wage growth, and not a cost-of-living index for another country.