Purchasing Power API

GET

Adjust any dollar amount for inflation back to 1947.

Purchasing Power calculates the inflation-adjusted value of money between any two time periods. Find out what $100 from 1990 is worth today, or calculate real returns on investments accounting for inflation.

Try it — live request, no key required

Request

GETapi.apiverve.com/v1/purchasingpower?amount=100&from=1990

Query parameters

amountnumber

fromstring

Verification

Format

No key required to try it. Get a key to use it in your app.

Example

{
  "status": "ok",
  "error": null,
  "data": {
    "originalAmount": 100,
    "originalPeriod": "1990-01",
    "adjustedAmount": 242.31,
    "adjustedPeriod": "2024-01",
    "cumulativeInflation": 142.31,
    "multiplier": 2.423,
    "explanation": "$100 in 1990-01 has the same purchasing power as $242.31 in 2024-01",
    "fromCPI": 127.4,
    "toCPI": 308.417
  }
}

About the Purchasing Power API

Purchasing Power uses official CPI data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to calculate accurate inflation adjustments. Historical data is available back to 1947, enabling long-term purchasing power comparisons.

What people use it for

Salary Comparison: Compare salaries across different years in real purchasing power terms
Investment Returns: Calculate real (inflation-adjusted) returns on investments
Historical Analysis: Understand the true value of historical prices and costs
Contract Adjustments: Calculate inflation adjustments for long-term contracts

Ways to call it

One endpoint, many ways in — REST with JSON, XML, YAML and CSV, plus GraphQL and an MCP interface for AI agents.

JSON: Default REST response
XML: Markup format
YAML: Human-readable
CSV: Tabular export
GraphQL: Query language
MCP: For AI agents

View all integrations →

Other ways to use Purchasing Power

Same data, same APIVerve account, same credit balance — one key works on all of them.

Give it to an AI agentConnect over MCP and your agent calls it as a native tool — Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT.on VerveKit Google Sheets or ExcelA =VERVE() formula fills a column — no script, no export, recalculates in place.on VerveSheets Ground an agent on itA cited, machine-checkable fact your model can't produce on its own.on VerveContext

Questions.

Common questions about the Purchasing Power API.

Read the docs →

How far back can I adjust dollar amounts?

Historical data is available from 1947 up to the current period. You can enter any starting year from 1947 onward and compare against any later year, or omit the end year to adjust against current prices.

Where do the purchasing power figures come from?

Purchasing Power uses official Consumer Price Index data published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The dataset updates monthly as new official government figures are released.

Are cumulative inflation percentages and CPI values included on the Free plan?

No. The Free plan provides the adjusted dollar amount, periods, and a summary explanation. Cumulative inflation, the price multiplier, and the underlying CPI values for both periods are premium fields unlocked on any paid plan.

Is it cheap enough to calculate inflation adjustments for every user request?

Yes. Each lookup costs 2 credits, which works out to about $0.0003 per request on the Starter plan, or $0.30 per 1,000 calls. The Free plan lets you run 100 lookups each month, while Starter covers up to 100,000.

What happens if I omit the ending year?

If you do not pass an ending year, the calculation automatically defaults to the present period. You only need to provide an ending year when comparing between two specific historical dates.

Can I display these inflation metrics inside a commercial product?

Yes, provided you are on a paid plan. Commercial use requires a paid subscription, which allows you to store and show inflation calculations to your customers. You may not resell or redistribute the underlying raw data.

Request parameters — GET /v1/purchasingpower

Sent in the query string. Premium parameters are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them. Anything not listed here is dropped rather than passed through.

Required

Parameter	Type	Example	Description
`amount`Required	number	`100`	The dollar amount to convert range 0-inf
`from`Required	string	`1990`	Starting year (YYYY format, data available from 1947) length 4-4 · year

Optional

Parameter	Type	Example	Description
`to`Optional	string	`2024`	Ending year (YYYY format). Omit for current. length 4-4 · year

Example request

1
2

curl "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/purchasingpower?amount=100&from=1990&to=2024" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Authentication

Send your key in the x-api-key header. That is the only auth step — no token exchange, and no per-endpoint scope to configure.

Header	When	Value
`x-api-key`Required	Every request	Your API key. Header names are case-insensitive, so `X-API-Key` is the same header.
`Authorization`Alternate	Instead of the above	`Bearer <key>` — for clients that only expose bearer auth. Resolves to the same account and the same billing.

401 is the only auth verdict

A 401 means the key is missing, invalid or expired. A 403 means the key is valid but not permitted here — blocked by a key restriction or an IP allow-list. Running out of credits is a 429.

Response — GET /v1/purchasingpower

Every APIVerve endpoint returns the same three top-level keys, so one response handler covers your whole integration: status, error and data. Only data changes shape.

Sample response

{
  "status": "ok",
  "error": null,
  "data": {
    "originalAmount": 100,
    "originalPeriod": "1990-01",
    "adjustedAmount": 242.31,
    "adjustedPeriod": "2024-01",
    "cumulativeInflation": 142.31,
    "multiplier": 2.423,
    "explanation": "$100 in 1990-01 has the same purchasing power as $242.31 in 2024-01",
    "fromCPI": 127.4,
    "toCPI": 308.417
  }
}

Response fields

Paths are relative to data. Premium fields are absent rather than zeroed on plans that do not include them, so check for presence instead of comparing to 0.

Field	Type	Example	Description
`originalAmount`	number	`100`	The dollar amount you provided, before any inflation adjustment
`originalPeriod`	string	`"1990-01"`	The starting period the original amount is valued in, normalized to YYYY-MM
`adjustedAmount`	number	`242.31`	The dollar amount with the same purchasing power as the original amount, expressed in the ending period
`adjustedPeriod`	string	`"2024-01"`	The ending period the adjusted amount is valued in, normalized to YYYY-MM
`cumulativeInflation`Premium	number	`142.31`	The total percentage change in prices between the starting and ending periods
`multiplier`Premium	number	`2.423`	The factor by which prices changed between the two periods; multiplying the original amount by this yields the adjusted amount
`explanation`	string	`"$100 in 1990-01 has the same purchasing power as $242.31 in 2024-01"`	A human-readable sentence summarizing the conversion
`fromCPI`Premium	number	`127.4`	The Consumer Price Index value for the starting period
`toCPI`Premium	number	`308.417`	The Consumer Price Index value for the ending period

Response headers

Every response carries your balance, so your own code always knows where it stands without polling anything. All four are exposed to browsers through CORS.

Header	What it carries
`x-api-remaining-credits`	Credits left in the current cycle
`x-api-credits-used`	Credits spent in the current cycle
`x-api-max-credits`	The allowance for the cycle
`x-api-version`	Version of the endpoint that answered

Errors

Read the HTTP status first, then error for the specific reason. The body names the parameter that has to change.

Status	Meaning	What to do
`400`	Input was rejected	Read `error`; it names the parameter that has to change.
`401`	Key missing or invalid	Check the header name and the key value.
`403`	Key valid, but not permitted here	A key restriction or an IP allow-list — never a bad key.
`429`	Rate limited, or out of credits	Read `error` to tell them apart, then back off or top up.

What a call costs — 2 credits per call

Credits are shared across every APIVerve API — one balance, one key, one bill. Failed requests never count against it, so a rejected input costs nothing.

Plan	Per month	Credits	Purchasing Power calls	Per 1,000 calls
Free	Free	200	100	Free
Starter	$29.99	200,000	100,000	$0.30
Pro	$99.99	1,000,000	500,000	$0.20
Mega	$299.99	4,000,000	2,000,000	$0.15

Calls are what the credits buy at this API's rate — spend them here, on any of the other APIs, or across both. Nothing is reserved per endpoint.

Compare all pricing tiers →

Call it from cURL — GET /v1/purchasingpower

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/purchasingpower with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.

cURL

1
2

curl "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/purchasingpower" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Resources

GitHubapiverve/purchasingpower-apiSource, issues and the examples this page is built from.ReferencePurchasing Power API docsEvery parameter, every response field, and the errors.ParametersWhat this call acceptsRequired and optional inputs, with example values.

Also published for

@apiverve/purchasingpowernpm APIVerve.API.PurchasingPowerNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from Node.js — GET /v1/purchasingpower

Install the Node.js SDK, then call the Purchasing Power API with your key. The client wraps the same HTTPS request, so anything it returns is what the endpoint returns.

Install — npm

npm install @apiverve/purchasingpower

Node.js

const res = await fetch("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/purchasingpower", {
  headers: { "x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY" },
});
const { data } = await res.json();
console.log(data);

Resources

npm@apiverve/purchasingpowerThe published Node.js client, versioned and signed.GitHubapiverve/purchasingpower-apiSource, issues and the examples this page is built from.ReferencePurchasing Power API docsEvery parameter, every response field, and the errors.ParametersWhat this call acceptsRequired and optional inputs, with example values.

Also published for

APIVerve.API.PurchasingPowerNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from Python — GET /v1/purchasingpower

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/purchasingpower with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.

Python

import requests

res = requests.get(
    "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/purchasingpower",
    headers={"x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
)
print(res.json()["data"])

Resources

Also published for

@apiverve/purchasingpowernpm APIVerve.API.PurchasingPowerNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from C# / .NET — GET /v1/purchasingpower

Install the C# / .NET SDK, then call the Purchasing Power API with your key. The client wraps the same HTTPS request, so anything it returns is what the endpoint returns.

Install — NuGet

dotnet add package APIVerve.API.PurchasingPower

C# / .NET

using var client = new HttpClient();
client.DefaultRequestHeaders.Add("x-api-key", "YOUR_API_KEY");

var json = await client.GetStringAsync("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/purchasingpower");
Console.WriteLine(json);

Resources

NuGetAPIVerve.API.PurchasingPowerThe published C# / .NET client, versioned and signed.GitHubapiverve/purchasingpower-apiSource, issues and the examples this page is built from.ReferencePurchasing Power API docsEvery parameter, every response field, and the errors.ParametersWhat this call acceptsRequired and optional inputs, with example values.

Also published for

@apiverve/purchasingpowernpm

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from Go — GET /v1/purchasingpower

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/purchasingpower with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.

req, _ := http.NewRequest("GET", "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/purchasingpower", nil)
req.Header.Set("x-api-key", "YOUR_API_KEY")

res, _ := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
defer res.Body.Close()
body, _ := io.ReadAll(res.Body)
fmt.Println(string(body))

Resources

Also published for

@apiverve/purchasingpowernpm APIVerve.API.PurchasingPowerNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from PHP — GET /v1/purchasingpower

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/purchasingpower with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.

PHP

$ch = curl_init("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/purchasingpower");
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, ["x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"]);

$response = curl_exec($ch);
echo $response;

Resources

Also published for

@apiverve/purchasingpowernpm APIVerve.API.PurchasingPowerNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from Ruby — GET /v1/purchasingpower

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/purchasingpower with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.

Ruby

require "net/http"

uri = URI("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/purchasingpower")
req = Net::HTTP::Get.new(uri)
req["x-api-key"] = "YOUR_API_KEY"

res = Net::HTTP.start(uri.hostname, uri.port, use_ssl: true) { |h| h.request(req) }
puts res.body

Resources

Also published for

@apiverve/purchasingpowernpm APIVerve.API.PurchasingPowerNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

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Purchasing Power API

Try it — live request, no key required

About the Purchasing Power API

What people use it for

Ways to call it

Other ways to use Purchasing Power

Questions.

Request parameters — GET /v1/purchasingpower

Required

Optional

Authentication

Response — GET /v1/purchasingpower

Response fields

Response headers

Errors

What a call costs — 2 credits per call

Call it from cURL — GET /v1/purchasingpower

Resources

Also published for

Call it from Node.js — GET /v1/purchasingpower

Resources

Also published for

Call it from Python — GET /v1/purchasingpower

Resources

Also published for

Call it from C# / .NET — GET /v1/purchasingpower

Resources

Also published for

Call it from Go — GET /v1/purchasingpower

Resources

Also published for

Call it from PHP — GET /v1/purchasingpower

Resources

Also published for

Call it from Ruby — GET /v1/purchasingpower

Resources

Also published for

Zero-code embed — one snippet, no backend

Changelog — Purchasing Power API

Finance

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