Given the high inflation rate of the past few years, I wondered what my \*real\* salary looked like for a job I started in Oct of 2019. So I adjusted it on a monthly basis using CPI data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Many months during 2021 and 2022, my salary was actually \*less\* than when I started, despite quite sizable yearly raises. I now make $111k yearly but this is equivalent to only $90k in 2019. Â I am a chemical engineer with a PhD. Male/36
I thought this would be useful for visualizing how inflation can make you feel like you’re falling behind. It sure did for me.
Edit: I can provide the formulas/spreadsheet used to make adjustments if anyone is interested.
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Data Source: My monthly salary + CPIAUCSL Inflation Data from FRED (https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CPIAUCSL)
Tools: Microsoft Excel
Given the high inflation rate of the past few years, I wondered what my \*real\* salary looked like for a job I started in Oct of 2019. So I adjusted it on a monthly basis using CPI data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Many months during 2021 and 2022, my salary was actually \*less\* than when I started, despite quite sizable yearly raises. I now make $111k yearly but this is equivalent to only $90k in 2019. Â I am a chemical engineer with a PhD. Male/36
I thought this would be useful for visualizing how inflation can make you feel like you’re falling behind. It sure did for me.
Edit: I can provide the formulas/spreadsheet used to make adjustments if anyone is interested.