Inflation Since 1982: Prices Have Risen 246.03%

"Inflation Rate Since a Given Year" Calculator

How much has inflation been since

?

How much has inflation been since 1982?

Answer

Prices have risen 246.03% since 1982 — 44 years at an average of 2.86% a year

(That is 44 years at an average of 2.86% a year. One 1982 dollar buys what $3.46 buys today)

Inflation since 1982, both directions

Total price growth: 246.03%
Average per year over 44 years: 2.86%
One 1982 dollar today: $3.46
One dollar today, in 1982 money: $0.29

What the average does and does not say

2.86% is the constant rate that compounds to 246.03% over 44 years. It is not what happened in any particular year: the span contains years well above the average and years where prices fell.

Source: CPI-U, series CUUR0000SA0, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — 1982 annual average 96.5, July 2026 333.918.

See Also

  • Inflation Calculator - Convert dollars from any past year into today's money, using the official CPI-U series

About "Inflation Rate Since a Given Year" Calculator

Pick a year and this page tells you how far prices have moved since — the total rise, the average yearly rate, and what a single dollar from that year is worth in today's money.

Enter a year: anything from 1913 to 2025.

Read the result: cumulative inflation since that year, the average annual rate behind it, and the value of one of that year's dollars today.

Since 1982, prices have risen 246.03% — that is 44 years at an average of 2.86% a year. One 1982 dollar buys what $3.46 buys today; put the other way round, a dollar today would have been worth about $0.29 back then.

The source is the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Each past year is the annual average BLS publishes for it, and today is the latest published month, July 2026. The answer moves when BLS publishes, not when the clock does.

Averages hide a lot. An average of 2.86% across 44 years does not mean prices rose by that much in any particular year: the span contains years well above it and years where prices fell.

For example, it can help you find out how much has inflation been since 1982? (The answer is: 246.03%).

"Inflation Rate Since a Given Year" Calculator

How much has inflation been since

?

What 1982 Dollars Are Worth Today

Amount in 1982Equivalent todayIncrease
$1$3.46$2.46
$5$17.30$12.30
$10$34.60$24.60
$20$69.21$49.21
$50$173.01$123.01
$100$346.03$246.03
$200$692.06$492.06
$300$1,038.09$738.09
$500$1,730.15$1,230.15
$1,000$3,460.29$2,460.29
$2,000$6,920.58$4,920.58
$3,000$10,380.87$7,380.87
$5,000$17,301.45$12,301.45
$10,000$34,602.90$24,602.90

FAQ

How much has inflation been since 1982?

Prices have risen 246.03% since 1982 — 44 years at an average of 2.86% a year

What is the average inflation rate since 1982?

2.86% a year. That is the constant rate that compounds to the same total over 44 years — individual years within the span were higher and lower and years where prices fell.

What is one 1982 dollar worth today?

$3.46. Turned around, one dollar today has the buying power that about $0.29 had in 1982.

Where do these numbers come from?

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 1982's published annual average is 96.5; today is the latest published month, July 2026, at 333.918.