Data Sources
CPI-U
Data is from https://www.bls.gov/cpi/
- Go to https://www.bls.gov/cpi/
- Click “CPI Data” and select “Databases”
- Click “Data Finder” in “All Urban Consumers (Current Series)” row
- Select checkbox next to “All items in U.S. city average, all urban consumers, not seasonally adjusted”
- Click “View Data” button at bottom of page
- Select a time period
- Under “Net Monthly Changes” select “12-Month Net Change”
- Click “Update” button
Note: We are using the January 1st CPI-U values for each year.
Inflation
Values are computed based on CPI-U values.
Adjustment Factors
Adjustment factors are computed by dividing a) the CPI-U for the year that you are adjusting to, by b) the CPI-U for the year you are adjusting from.
Here’s an example:
- An item cost $10 in 2011. How much would it cost in 2026 dollars?
- 2011 is the “adjust-from” year, 2026 is the “adjust-to” year.
- If we divide 325.252 by 220.223 the result is 1.477. This is our adjustment factor.
- If we want to adjust the 2011 $10 cost to its 2026 cost, we multiply $10 by 1.477, and find that this item would probably have cost around $14.77 in 2026.
- Of course, other factors besides inflation affect costs. These adjustments only show the impact of inflation.