Then & Now
One item a day. You see what it averaged in U.S. cities in the latest full year; guess what it averaged back then. Five guesses, higher or lower after each, and within 10% wins.
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Every figure is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Average Price Data, the same survey that feeds the Consumer Price Index. Prices are nominal dollars of the time, so the game is as much about how uneven inflation has been (eggs and coffee have their own stories) as about the general drift upward.
Questions
How do you play Then & Now?
A daily price-history game: here is what an everyday item costs now in U.S. cities, guess what it cost years ago. Five guesses, sourced from BLS average price data.
When does Then & Now reset?
A new Then & Now puzzle starts at midnight in your own time zone. Everyone gets the same puzzle on the same date, so you can compare scores with friends.
Can I play yesterday's Then & Now?
Yes. The games archive replays every past Then & Now puzzle. Archive plays are saved apart from today's game and never change your streak.
Where can I find past Then & Now answers?
The answers page lists every Then & Now answer with the figures behind it. Each day goes up two days after it ends, so no puzzle that is still live anywhere gets spoiled.
Where do the Then & Now numbers come from?
Prices are U.S. city averages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics average price series. Every figure is a published number with its source named on the page, and the methodology page lists each source and its licence.
Is Then & Now free?
Yes. There is no account, no download and no paywall. Your results stay in your own browser.
How to play
Each day picks one everyday item, such as a dozen eggs, a pound of ground beef or a pound of coffee, and shows its average price in U.S. cities in the latest full year. Your job is to guess what the same item averaged in an earlier year named on screen.
You get five guesses. After each one the game tells you whether the real price was higher or lower. A guess within 10% of the historical average wins. Your result and streak are saved in your browser, and you can share a spoiler-free grid.
Method and sources
Prices come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Average Price Data series (CPI average prices for U.S. city averages). We use the annual average of the monthly figures for each year, in nominal dollars of the time with no inflation adjustment, so the gap you are guessing is the full change shoppers saw at the register.
Some series start later than others or have gaps; an item only appears for years the BLS actually published. Because these are national city averages, a price in your own town may differ, which is part of what makes the guess interesting.