It depends on inflation over the same period. Prices rose 3.7% in the 12 months to September 2026 (BLS), so a 3% raise over that year was a small pay cut after inflation.

What is a real raise?

Your raise after adjusting for inflation. It shows whether your pay buys more or less than before.

Which inflation number does the calculator use?

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), U.S. city average, all items, not seasonally adjusted, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (series CUUR0000SA0).

Why might my own inflation be different?

CPI-U is an average basket. If your rent, gas or groceries rose faster than average, your personal inflation was higher.

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Free calculatorMost helpful for Strategists

Did My Raise Beat Inflation? Real Raise Calculator

A raise only grows your buying power if it's bigger than inflation. Enter your old and new pay and this calculator compares them with the BLS Consumer Price Index for the same months.

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Raise vs inflation

Real raise

-0.7%

Your 3.0% raise didn't beat inflation. Prices rose 3.7%, so your real pay fell about 0.7% ($443 a year).

How do you want to enter your pay?

Old pay

New pay

Old pay start month

New pay month

CPI data through Sep 2026 (BLS, released October 14, 2026). BLS did not publish a CPI-U index for October 2025. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U (series CUUR0000SA0).

Verdict

Did not beat inflation

Your 3.0% raise didn't beat inflation. Prices rose 3.7%, so your real pay fell about 0.7% ($443 a year).

Nominal raise: 3.0%
Inflation over the period: 3.7%
Real raise: -0.7%
Real raise in dollars: -$443; In today's dollars
Pay needed to keep up: $62,243

Using CPI-U for Sep 2025 and Sep 2026, published by BLS. In Sep 2025 dollars, your new pay is worth $59,573.

Save your results

The details behind your number

Plan the raise before it disappears

If your raise cleared inflation, plan where the extra goes before spending catches up. The Strategist first fix, Save the Raise plan, helps you plan where the raise goes before it gets spent.

Go deeper

Your next step

Same numbers, different first step

Two people can get this exact result and need totally different first steps. Your Money Type tells you which one is yours.

Find my Money TypeFree, about 2 minutes

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How It Works

01
Enter your old pay and new pay as a yearly salary or hourly wage.
02
Pick the month your old pay started and the month your new pay took effect, using months that match the CPI data.
03
See your nominal raise, inflation over the same months, and your real raise in percent and dollars.

The 4 Money Types

The Math Is the Same. Your First Step Isn't.

Spenders, Savers, Scramblers, and Strategists each need a different first fix. The free quiz tells you which type you are, so you know what to do with this number.

Find My Money Type

Common questions

: Compare your raise with the change in the Consumer Price Index over the same months. If your raise percent is higher, your buying power grew. The calculator does this with BLS CPI-U data.
: It depends on inflation over the same period. Prices rose 3.7% in the 12 months to September 2026 (BLS), so a 3% raise over that year was a small pay cut after inflation.
: Your raise after adjusting for inflation. It shows whether your pay buys more or less than before.
: The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), U.S. city average, all items, not seasonally adjusted, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (series CUUR0000SA0).
: CPI-U is an average basket. If your rent, gas or groceries rose faster than average, your personal inflation was higher.

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