Real U.S. CPI History (BLS Annual Averages, 2015–2025): How to Calculate Inflation Yourself
📑 In this guide
Try Our Free Calculators
Put the real numbers to work:
- Monthly Budget Calculator 2026 — Free Planner — Monthly Budget Calculator 2026 — Free Planner
- Savings Goal Calculator — Savings Goal Calculator
- Emergency Fund Calculator — Emergency Fund Calculator
The real CPI-U annual averages (2015–2025)
Every value below is a BLS-published annual average of the CPI-U (indexed to 2013 = 100, source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). These are not estimates or projections — they are the official yearly means the BLS reports.
| Year | CPI-U annual avg (2013=100) | Year-over-year inflation |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 101.743 | — |
| 2016 | 103.027 | +1.26% |
| 2017 | 105.221 | +2.13% |
| 2018 | 107.791 | +2.44% |
| 2019 | 109.745 | +1.81% |
| 2020 | 111.098 | +1.23% |
| 2021 | 116.318 | +4.70% |
| 2022 | 125.626 | +8.00% |
| 2023 | 130.797 | +4.12% |
| 2024 | 134.655 | +2.95% |
| 2025 | 138.289 | +2.70% |
The year-over-year column is computed directly from the table using the inflation formula below, so the percentages are internally consistent with the official index values.
The inflation formula (exact)
Inflation rate (Year B vs Year A) = (CPI_B ÷ CPI_A − 1) × 100%
The CPI is an index, not a dollar amount, so you always compare two points on the same index. The base year (here 2013 = 100) sets the scale but does not change any percentage result.
Worked examples from the real table:
- 2020 → 2025 (cumulative): (138.289 ÷ 111.098 − 1) × 100 ≈ +24.5%. The same basket of goods cost about a quarter more at the end of 2025 than in 2020.
- 2019 → 2025 (cumulative): (138.289 ÷ 109.745 − 1) × 100 ≈ +26.0%.
- 2015 → 2025 (cumulative): (138.289 ÷ 101.743 − 1) × 100 ≈ +35.9% over the full decade.
- 2021 → 2022 (the spike): (125.626 ÷ 116.318 − 1) × 100 ≈ +8.0%, the post-pandemic peak year.
How the BLS actually builds the CPI
The CPI is not one price. The BLS samples prices for thousands of items across U.S. urban areas each month — food, housing, energy, medical care, transportation, and more — weighted by how much urban consumers actually spend. The published index is that weighted average rebased to the reference period. Two practical facts worth knowing:
- The index level is arbitrary; the change is what matters. A CPI of “138.289” only means “138.289% of the 2013 average.” You never read the level as a price — you read the ratio between two periods.
- “Headline CPI” includes food and energy, which are volatile. BLS also publishes “core CPI” (excluding food and energy) to show underlying trend. For household budgeting, headline CPI is the more honest measure of what your money actually buys.
How to check your own budget against real inflation
- Pick the window that matches your question. Comparing this year to last year → use the single-year YoY (e.g., +2.70% for 2025). Comparing a multi-year stretch → use the cumulative formula above.
- Apply it per category, not as one blunt multiplier. Groceries, insurance, and childcare have at times outpaced headline CPI, while electronics and apparel have risen slower or fallen. BLS publishes category-level indices if you need that detail.
- Reality-check your own spending. Pull last year’s bank totals for a category, multiply by (1 + that category’s real inflation), and compare to this year’s actuals. If your real spend rose far more than the CPI implies, the gap is a behavior change, not just inflation.
- Don’t forecast. Use the historical table to understand the past and size a buffer. Do not assume next year will repeat 2022’s +8.0% or 2025’s +2.70%.
Input checks the calculator enforces (real validation)
When you run an inflation or budget calculator, these are the real guards against garbage output:
- Rate must be a sane number. An inflation rate below −100% (prices can’t fall by more than 100%) or an obviously mistyped value (e.g., entering “270” instead of “2.70”) is rejected or flagged.
- Spending and income must be zero or positive. Negative expenses are not valid inputs.
- Two different CPI series can’t be mixed. You must divide values from the same BLS series and base period; mixing a 1982–84=100 figure with a 2013=100 figure produces a wrong percentage.
- Years must be ordered and valid. The “later” year must come after the “earlier” year, and both must exist in the dataset.
Sources & authoritative references
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — CPI homepage: https://www.bls.gov/cpi/
- BLS — Annual Average CPI-U data (2013=100), Supplemental Poverty Measure chart: https://www.bls.gov/pir/spm/spm_chart_2025data.htm
- FRED (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis) — CPIAUCSL, monthly CPI-U: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CPIAUCSL
- BLS — Consumer Expenditure Survey (category spending weights): https://www.bls.gov/cex/
Disclaimer: This article is educational only and is not financial, investment, or economic advice, and is not a forecast of future inflation. All CPI values are historical figures published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and are subject to BLS revision methodology; verify the latest figures at BLS.gov before relying on them for a decision.
The bottom line
Real inflation is knowable: the BLS publishes the actual CPI-U every year, and the table above is the official 2015–2025 record. Use the formula (CPI_later ÷ CPI_earlier − 1) to compute any window yourself — for instance, about +24.5% cumulative from 2020 to 2025 — then adjust your plan with the monthly budget planner using real, per-category rates rather than a guess.