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Inflation loss calculator – United States

Use this inflation loss calculator to estimate how inflation has reduced purchasing power in United States. Enter an amount and a year range to see the equivalent value in USD. Over longer ranges, compounding inflation can make the change easier to see.

Example: $1,000 in 2000 is equivalent to approximately $1,801 in 2025. That’s an estimated inflation shortfall of $801 (44.5%).

CPI index: 73.2 (2000) → 131.8 (2025) • inflation factor 1.801×

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Inflation loss calculator for United States

See how inflation changes purchasing power over time. Compare two years using CPI ratios to estimate the inflation-adjusted equivalent amount, the inflation shortfall, and the cumulative inflation factor.

Inputs
Choose a country, amount, and two years. Results stay in the same currency (no exchange rates).
Nominal amount in USD. Example: $1,000.00
Earlier year (when you had the money).
Later year (comparison purchasing power).
Results
In 2025 terms, your $1,000.00 from 2000 is equivalent to:
Equivalent amount in 2025
$1,800.55
Estimated inflation-adjusted equivalent in the end year.
Inflation shortfall
$800.55 (44.46%)
Extra amount needed in end-year prices to match the start-year purchasing power.
Inflation factor
1.8005×
CPI_end / CPI_start.
Method
A × (CPIend/CPIstart)
Defined in docs/DATA_MODEL.md.
Purchasing power remaining over time
Value expressed in 2000 prices (USD).
2000 → 2025
Purchasing power remaining (2000–2025, in 2000 prices)Shows how much purchasing power the nominal amount retains over time, expressed in 2000 prices (USD), using amount × (CPI[start]/CPI[year]).4006008001,000200020052010201520202025

Each point shows the CPI-adjusted value in 2000 prices. Lower values indicate less purchasing power.

CPI values vary by source and methodology. This site uses locally stored CPI series and the formula in docs/DATA_MODEL.md.

How to interpret inflation loss in United States

The inflation shortfall is not a fee you paid—it’s an estimate of how much more you’d need in the end year to match the start-year purchasing power (same currency). If the CPI index rises, prices are higher on average, so the same nominal amount buys less.

For long periods, even small annual inflation rates compound. That’s why the inflation factor can look large over decades. Use the calculator to compare different ranges and see how the results change.

Country context

Data coverage and source details for the CPI series used on this page.

Currency
USD (dollars)
CPI coverage
2000–2025
Source
OECD CPI (Index, 2015=100)

Popular year ranges

These common ranges generate dedicated pages with prefilled values:

2000–20252010–20252015–20252020–20252022–2025

Popular amounts

These amount pages prefill the calculator for USD.

$1,000$5,000$10,000$25,000$50,000

FAQ

Answers to common questions about CPI-based inflation loss estimates.

How is inflation loss calculated for United States?

We use CPI ratios for the selected years to estimate an inflation-adjusted equivalent amount: equivalentEnd = amount × (CPI_end / CPI_start).

What years can I select?

You can select from years that exist in the country CPI dataset stored under /data/cpi. The dropdowns in the calculator only include valid years.

Does the calculator account for exchange rates?

No. Results are in USD and adjust only for domestic price level changes (inflation), not currency conversion.

Why does the CPI index matter?

CPI is an index of consumer prices. Using the CPI ratio between two years approximates how overall consumer prices changed across that period.