How much has the dollar lost
since you were born?
Enter your birth year. See exactly how much purchasing powerpurchasing powerWhat a dollar can actually buy, not what the dollar number says. A 1971 dollar bought a gallon of gas. Today's dollar buys roughly a third of one. Same dollar, much less buying ability.Full definition the dollar has quietly given up in your lifetime, in one number, sourced to the government's own inflationinflationA general increase in prices over time, meaning each dollar buys less than it did before.Full definition data verify×DON'T TRUST, VERIFYClaim: Loss is computed from the BLS annual CPI-U index: 1 − CPI(birth year) / CPI(latest).Verify at: BLS CPI ↗Annual CPI-U, stamped from data/cpi.json at every build..
CPIConsumer Price Index (CPI)The government's measure of how much a typical basket of consumer goods costs over time.Full definition is annual; pre-1971 data is decadal, so early years snap to the nearest data point. Your numbers stay in your browser.
Nothing about your money changed. The number in your account is the same or larger. What changed is what each dollar buys, and that erosion is a policy outcome, not an accident. It is the quiet tax nobody votes on.
What this tool assumes
- Loss is measured by the BLS headline CPI-U, which most people agree understates real cost-of-living increases in housing, healthcare, and education. If anything the true loss is larger.
- Before 1971 the annual series in the snapshot is decadal, so early birth years snap to the nearest available year.
- The Bitcoin figure, shown for birth years from 2011 on, uses that year's average BTCBitcoin (BTC)The ticker symbol for Bitcoin, used on exchanges and in price quotes.Full definition price (CoinMetrics). Past prices are history, not a forecast.
Methodology and questions
How is the loss calculated?
Purchasing power lost = 1 − CPI(your birth year) / CPI(latest). If the price level has tripled, a dollar buys a third of what it did, a two-thirds loss. It is the same CPI-U series behind every chart on what happened to the dollar.
Is 2% inflation really that bad?
Compounded, yes. At 2% a year, prices double about every 35 years; at 3%, every 23. A "stable" currency still halves in a working lifetime. That is why holding decades of savings in cash is a slow, guaranteed loss.
What can I do about it?
Hold long-term savings in assets that at least keep pace, not cash. See real return and everything priced in Bitcoin.
Not financial advice. BLS CPI-U. Your numbers stay in your browser.