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Salary vs. Inflation

A nominal raise feels good — but did it outpace inflation? Enter your salaries and metro area to see whether your real purchasing power went up, stayed flat, or quietly declined.

Data: BLS CPI-U · Metro inflation: 2025 annual average (M13) · Last updated: April 2026

Enter Your Salaries

Last Year's Salary

$

This Year's Salary

$

Your Metro Area

2025 Inflation by Metro

BLS CPI-U annual average inflation used in this calculator.

🇺🇸 National +2.6%

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell +1.7%

Baltimore-Columbia-Towson +3.1%

Boston-Cambridge-Newton +3.1%

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin +3.1%

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington +1.3%

Denver-Aurora-Lakewood +2.3%

Detroit-Warren-Dearborn +1.7%

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land +1.3%

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim +3.2%

Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach +2.6%

Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington +2.3%

New York-Newark-Jersey City +3.4%

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington +3.2%

Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale +1.2%

San Diego-Carlsbad +3.8%

San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward +2.2%

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue +2.4%

St. Louis +2.4%

Tampa-St Petersburg-Clearwater +2.7%

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria +2.2%

What Is a "Real" Raise?

A nominal raise is the percentage increase in your paycheck. A real raise adjusts for inflation — it tells you whether your actual purchasing power increased. If your salary went up 3% but local inflation ran at 4%, your real raise was -1%. You took home more dollars but could buy less. Metro figures reflect the full-year 2025 BLS annual average.

Salary Analysis by Amount

See a detailed inflation breakdown for specific salary levels.

$40,000 $50,000 $60,000 $70,000 $75,000 $80,000 $90,000 $100,000 $125,000 $150,000 $200,000

Salary Analysis by City

See how a specific salary holds up against local inflation and rent costs in major U.S. cities.

$100k in New York $100k in San Diego $80k in Chicago $80k in Tampa $100k in Seattle $125k in San Francisco $90k in Boston $85k in Denver $75k in Phoenix $75k in Houston $75k in Atlanta