United States Inflation Calculator
Historical purchasing power from 1800 to 2026 — 226 years of data
The US dollar has been the backbone of the world economy for nearly a century, but its purchasing power has eroded dramatically since 1800. What cost $1 at the founding of the Republic would cost over $30 today. This calculator shows you not just the numbers, but what they meant in human terms — months of salary, loaves of bread, weeks of rent.
Calculate United States inflation
Enter any amount and year — see what it's worth today, plus the human context
1800–2025
up to 2026
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Browse historical purchasing power for different amounts across key years in United States's monetary history.
History of United States's currency
The US dollar was officially established by the Coinage Act of 1792, initially backed by gold and silver. The Civil War (1861–1865) forced America to print paper 'greenbacks,' causing the first significant peacetime inflation. The Federal Reserve was created in 1913, and the dollar finally abandoned the gold standard in 1971 under President Nixon. Since then, it has lost over 85% of its purchasing power — though remained the world's reserve currency.
What the United States CPI data actually shows
The CPI data tells a story that surprises most people: for the entire 19th century, the US dollar actually gained purchasing power. Prices fell on average between 1820 and 1900, because industrial productivity grew faster than the money supply. Somebody who saved $100 in 1870 could buy more with it in 1900. That world ended in 1913 with the founding of the Federal Reserve and the beginning of a long, slow inflation. Then came two bursts of real money destruction: World War I (1917–1920, about 50% cumulative), and the 1970s stagflation (prices roughly doubled between 1970 and 1980). The post-2021 inflation shock was the sharpest since the early 1980s, and the first time in forty years that most Americans felt the real meaning of losing purchasing power.
United States's currency today
Today the US dollar is still the world's reserve currency, used in roughly 60% of global foreign-exchange reserves. Annual CPI inflation has been cooling since the 2022 peak of 9.1%. The Federal Reserve's target remains 2% per year — which sounds small until you multiply it across a lifetime. At 2% annual inflation, money loses roughly half its purchasing power every 35 years.
Key monetary events
Fascinating United States money facts
💡 A dollar in 1800 had the purchasing power of approximately $30 today
💡 During the Civil War, Confederate dollars became worthless by 1865 — a total currency collapse
💡 The cost of a Big Mac in 1970 was 45 cents. Today it's over $5.50 — roughly matching CPI inflation
💡 Andrew Carnegie's peak annual income ($23M in 1900) equals roughly $800M today
How rich would you be in United States's past?
The Rich-O-Meter takes any salary and shows where it would have ranked in United States's income distribution at any year back to 1800. A modest modern income often placed a person remarkably high in historical terms — sometimes in the top 5% of earners, sometimes lower than expected. See where you would have stood.
Check your historical rankWhere you're rich right now
History aside, a United States salary looks very different depending on which country you compare it to. Our WealthMap shows how your current income stacks up against median earnings in around 90 countries today — often a more dramatic contrast than the historical one.
Open the WealthMapCompare with other countries
All calculations based on United States's Consumer Price Index (CPI) data. Learn about our methodology and view our data sources.