June 12, 2025

Comparing I Bonds to Inflation

If you hold I bonds for five years or more, you'll receive the full interest when you redeem them. As of June 1, 2025, there are 262 I bonds that are older than five years, purchased between September 1998 and June 2020. Out of these, 201 will provide a real return if redeemed in June, meaning their values have increased beyond their inflation-adjusted purchase prices. The remaining 61 have not kept up with inflation, primarily due to the time lag in the inflation adjustment reflecting in the I bond rates. The I bond purchased in May 2000 boasts the highest return at 148.10%, while the February 2015 purchase shows the lowest return at -2.50%.

The chart below illustrates the number of I bonds older than five years in relation to their inflation-adjusted purchase prices from January 2020 to June 2025. For instance, in January 2020, there were 196 I bonds over five years old, with 193 surpassing their inflation-adjusted purchase prices and only three falling below that threshold.

In contrast, by June 2025, out of 262 I bonds older than five years, 201 (77%) exceeded their inflation-adjusted purchase prices, while 61 were below.

Click on a legend to toggle a dataset.