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Inflation in USA: 1947 – 2026

Since 20201 Year5 Years10 Years15 Years20 YearsAll
Start
End
Latest month of data:June 2026
Cumulative Inflation for 79 Years 6 Months
+1448.3%
Average Inflation Rate
3.5%
Price Multiplier
15.48x
Loss of Buying Power
-93.5%
inflationcompare.com

Report for: January 1947 — June 2026

Moderate (creeping) inflation was recorded with an average annual rate of 3.5%. This is the standard operating mode for most economies, stimulating consumption. However, over time, this rate leads to a logical erosion of capital: the total cost of living increased by 15.48 times, reducing the real value of USD to 6%.

Inflation Rate by Year

Inflation Adjusted Prices

Equivalent Value
What cost 100 USD in 1947, would cost 1548 USD today. To maintain the same standard of living, income over 79 years should have grown by 15.48 times.
1947100 USD
+1448.3%
20261548 USD

Value Adjusted for Inflation

Loss of Buying Power

Real Value
Since 1947, the purchasing power of 100 USD has decreased to 6 USD. The chart shows how USD lost a total of 93.5% of its value over 79 years.
1947100 USD
-93.5%
20266 USD
-94%
Total Loss

Purchasing Power Over Time

Cumulative Inflation (%)

Historical Inflation Table

YearInflation (%)
20262.01%
20252.65%
20242.87%
20233.32%
20226.40%
20217.17%
20201.32%
20192.32%
20182.00%
20172.13%
20162.05%
20150.64%
20140.65%
20131.51%
20121.76%
20113.06%
20101.44%
20092.81%
2008-0.02%
20074.11%
20062.52%
20053.34%
20043.34%
20032.04%
20022.48%
20011.60%
20003.44%
19992.68%
19981.61%
19971.70%
19963.38%
19952.53%
19942.60%
19932.81%
19922.97%
19912.98%
19906.25%
19894.64%
19884.41%
19874.33%
19861.19%
19853.79%
19844.04%
19833.79%
19823.83%
19818.91%
198012.35%
197913.25%
19788.99%
19776.68%
19765.04%
19757.13%
197412.10%
19738.94%
19723.41%
19713.27%
19705.57%
19695.90%
19684.71%
19673.28%
19663.36%
19651.92%
19641.20%
19631.65%
19621.23%
19610.67%
19601.36%
19591.52%
19581.76%
19573.04%
19562.83%
19550.37%
1954-0.37%
19530.60%
19520.91%
19515.96%
19505.80%
1949-1.83%
19482.73%
19478.99%

Related Countries

Euro Area
Euro Area
China
China
Germany
Germany

Calculation Methodology

Calculations are based on CPI BLS. It is a consumer price index that measures the average change in prices for goods and services purchased by the population.

Price Multiplier

Price Multiplier shows how many times prices have increased. In macroeconomics, this baseline metric is known as the Price Index Ratio. It is derived directly from official CPI data and serves as the mathematical foundation for all other calculations on this page.

Formula:
Price Multiplier(K)=CPI2026CPI1947\text{Price Multiplier} (K) = \frac{\text{CPI}_{2026}}{\text{CPI}_{1947}}
Calculation:
332.56821.480=15.4827\frac{332.568}{21.480} = 15.4827
Cumulative Inflation

To calculate the cumulative inflation since 1947, we use the following formula:

Formula:
(K−1)×100=Cumulative(%)(K - 1) \times 100 = \text{Cumulative} (\%)
Calculation:
(15.4827−1)×100=1448.3%(15.4827 - 1) \times 100 = 1448.3\%
Average Inflation Rate

Shows the average annual price growth rate including compound interest (where each year's inflation is added to already increased prices). To calculate the average annual inflation for 79 years since 1947, we use the following formula:

Formula:
K1n−1=Average Inflation RateK^{\frac{1}{n}} - 1 = \text{Average Inflation Rate}
n — number of years (79)
Calculation:
(15.48271/79−1)×100=3.5%(15.4827^{1/79} - 1) \times 100 = 3.5\%
Loss of Buying Power

To find out what share of its real value savings in USD have lost since 1947, we calculate the percentage drop in purchasing power. Loss of buying power is calculated as an inverse proportion to price growth:

Formula:
(1−1K)×100=Loss of Buying Power(%)\left( 1 - \frac{1}{K} \right) \times 100 = \text{Loss of Buying Power} (\%)
Calculation:
(1−115.4827)×100=93.5%\left( 1 - \frac{1}{15.4827} \right) \times 100 = 93.5\%
Equivalent Value

To calculate the equivalent value in terms of purchasing power in 2026, we multiply the initial value from 1947 by the price growth factor:

Formula:
Original Amount×K=Equivalent\text{Original Amount} \times K = \text{Equivalent}
Calculation:
100×15.4827=1,548 USD100 \times 15.4827 = 1,548 \text{ USD}

Citation & Data Usage

You can use the data in your articles. Link to the source:

"Inflation in USA (1947–2026)", InflationCompare, . Accessed 18 July 2026. Data source: CPI BLS.
Inflation in USA (1947–2026)