Purchasing power decreased by 0.12% in 2015 compared to the previous year, 2014. On average, you would have to spend 0.12% more money in 2015 than in 2014 for the same item.
In other words, $1 in 2014 is equivalent in purchasing power to $1.00 in 2015.
The 2014 inflation rate was 1.62%. The inflation rate in 2015 was 0.12%. The 2015 inflation rate is lower compared to the average inflation rate of 1.52% per year between 2015 and 2019.
Inflation rate is calculated by change in the consumer price index (CPI). The CPI in 2015 was 237.017. It was 236.736 in the previous year, 2014. The difference in CPI between the years is used by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to officially determine inflation.
| Average inflation rate | 0.12% |
| Converted amount ($1 base) | $1.00 |
| Price difference ($1 base) | $0.00 |
| CPI in 2014 | 236.736 |
| CPI in 2015 | 237.017 |
| Inflation in 2014 | 1.62% |
| Inflation in 2015 | 0.12% |
Inflation can vary widely by city, even within the United States. Here's how some cities fared in 2014 to 2015 (figures shown are purchasing power equivalents of $1):
San Diego, California experienced the highest rate of inflation during the 1 years between 2014 and 2015 (3.92%).
Detroit, Michigan experienced the lowest rate of inflation during the 1 years between 2014 and 2015 (-1.32%).
Note that some locations showing 0% inflation may have not yet reported latest data.
Inflation can also vary widely by country. For comparison, in the UK £1.00 in 2014 would be equivalent to £1.01 in 2015, an absolute change of £0.01 and a cumulative change of 0.99%.
In Canada, CA$1.00 in 2014 would be equivalent to CA$1.02 in 2015, an absolute change of CA$0.02 and a cumulative change of 1.61%.
Compare these numbers to the US's overall absolute change of $0.00 and total percent change of 0.12%.
CPI is the weighted combination of many categories of spending that are tracked by the government. This chart shows the average rate of inflation for select CPI categories between 2014 and 2015.
Compare these values to the overall average of 0.12% per year:
| Category | Avg Inflation (%) | Total Inflation (%) | $1 in 2014 → 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food | 1.86 | 1.86 | 1.02 |
| Shelter | 3.06 | 3.06 | 1.03 |
| Energy | -16.72 | -16.72 | 0.83 |
| Apparel | -1.26 | -1.26 | 0.99 |
| New vehicles | 0.59 | 0.59 | 1.01 |
| Used cars and trucks | -1.32 | -1.32 | 0.99 |
| Transportation services | 2.02 | 2.02 | 1.02 |
| Medical care services | 2.45 | 2.45 | 1.02 |
| Medical care commodities | 3.26 | 3.26 | 1.03 |
It's important to note that not all categories may be tracked since 2014. This table and visualization use the earliest available data for each category.
This inflation calculator uses the following inflation rate formula:
Then plug in historical CPI values. The U.S. CPI was 236.736 in the year 2014 and 237.017 in 2015:
$1 in 2014 has the same "purchasing power" or "buying power" as $1.00 in 2015.
To get the total inflation rate for the 1 years between 2014 and 2015, we use the following formula:
Plugging in the values to this equation, we get:
The above data describe the CPI for all items. Also of note is the Core CPI, which measures inflation for all items except for the more volatile categories of food and energy. Core inflation averaged 1.83% per year between 2014 and 2015 (vs all-CPI inflation of 0.12%), for an inflation total of 1.83%.
When using the core inflation measurement, $1 in 2014 is equivalent in buying power to $1.02 in 2015, a difference of $0.02. Recall that for All Items, the converted amount is $1.00 with a difference of $0.00.
In 2014, core inflation was 1.75%.
Chained CPI is an alternative measurement that takes into account how consumers adjust spending for similar items. Chained inflation averaged -0.12% per year between 2014 and 2015, a total inflation amount of 1.83%.
According to the Chained CPI measurement, $1 in 2014 is equal in buying power to $1.00 in 2015, a difference of $0.00 (versus a converted amount of $1.00/change of $0.00 for All Items).
In 2014, chained inflation was 1.45%.
To help put this inflation into perspective, if we had invested $1 in the S&P 500 index in 2014, our investment would be nominally worth approximately $1.10 in 2015. This is a return on investment of 9.54%, with an absolute return of $0.10.
These numbers are not inflation adjusted, so they are considered nominal. In order to evaluate the real return on our investment, we must calculate the return with inflation taken into account.
The compounding effect of inflation would account for 0.12% of returns ($0.00) during this period. This means the inflation-adjusted real return of our $1 investment is $0.10.
| Original Amount | Final Amount | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominal | $1 | $1.10 | 9.54% |
| Real Inflation Adjusted |
$1 | $0.10 | 9.52% |
Politics and news often influence economic performance. Here's what was happening at the time:
Raw data for these calculations comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index (CPI), established in 1913. Inflation data from 1665 to 1912 is sourced from a historical study conducted by political science professor Robert Sahr at Oregon State University.
You may use the following MLA citation for this page: “Inflation Rate in 2015 | Inflation Calculator.” U.S. Official Inflation Data, Alioth Finance, 21 Feb. 2019, https://www.officialdata.org/inflation-rate-in-2015.
in2013dollars.com is a reference website maintained by the Official Data Foundation.