$100 in 2021 has the buying power of $124.35 in September 2026. Prices are 24.3% higher, an average of 4.27% a year, by the official Consumer Price Index (CPI-U): 2021's average index was 270.970 and September 2026's is 336.940. Put the other way, $100 in September 2026 buys what $80.42 did in 2021.
Inflation in 2021 was 4.7% (the change in the year's average CPI from 2020; December to December, 7.0%), the 28th highest of the 112 years since 1914.
| Year | Average CPI-U | Inflation | $100 then is worth today |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 240.007 | +1.3% | $140.39 |
| 2017 | 245.120 | +2.1% | $137.46 |
| 2018 | 251.107 | +2.4% | $134.18 |
| 2019 | 255.657 | +1.8% | $131.79 |
| 2020 | 258.811 | +1.2% | $130.19 |
| 2021 | 270.970 | +4.7% | $124.35 |
| 2022 | 292.655 | +8.0% | $115.13 |
| 2023 | 304.702 | +4.1% | $110.58 |
| 2024 | 313.689 | +2.9% | $107.41 |
| 2025 | 321.943 | +2.6% | $104.66 |
| Item | 2021 average | Latest | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| dozen large grade-A eggs | $1.67 | $2.27 (September 2026) | +35.7% |
| pound of ground coffee | $4.71 | $9.33 (September 2026) | +98.3% |
| pound of ground beef | $4.33 | $6.79 (September 2026) | +56.9% |
| kilowatt-hour of electricity | $0.141 | $0.196 (September 2026) | +39.0% |
| gallon of whole milk | $3.54 | $4.11 (September 2026) | +15.9% |
| pound of white bread | $1.52 | $1.83 (September 2026) | +20.1% |
| pound of sliced bacon | $6.64 | $6.76 (September 2026) | +1.8% |
| pound of whole chicken | $1.53 | $2.06 (September 2026) | +35.2% |
| pound of butter | $3.59 | $3.96 (September 2026) | +10.4% |
| pound of cheddar cheese | $5.44 | $6.13 (September 2026) | +12.7% |
| pound of all-purpose flour | $0.404 | $0.545 (September 2026) | +34.9% |
| pound of long-grain white rice | $0.794 | $1.12 (September 2026) | +40.8% |
| pound of white potatoes | $0.780 | $0.989 (September 2026) | +26.8% |
| pound of field-grown tomatoes | $1.85 | $1.99 (September 2026) | +7.7% |
| pound of bananas | $0.600 | $0.656 (September 2026) | +9.3% |
| pound of navel oranges | $1.36 | $1.72 (September 2026) | +26.5% |
| pound of chocolate chip cookies | $3.96 | $5.15 (September 2026) | +30.2% |
BLS average prices, U.S. city average; a year's figure is the average of its monthly prices.
4.27% a year, compounded from the middle of 2021 to September 2026: prices are 24.3% higher in all, so a dollar from 2021 is worth $1.24 today.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), all items, U.S. city average, not seasonally adjusted, which runs back to January 1913. A year's figure is the average of its monthly indexes, as BLS computes annual averages; today's figure is the latest month, September 2026, so the answer moves each month when BLS publishes a new CPI.
2020 · Inflation calculator, any month since 1913 · 2022
Source: BLS CPI-U, all items, U.S. city average, not seasonally adjusted (FRED CPIAUCNS); through 2006, BLS's official annual averages. The answer moves each month, when BLS publishes a new CPI.