Comparing USCF to FIDE ratings

Are USCf and FIDE ratings similar, or are USCF rating a bit more inflated? I feel this way because FIDE is a international rating system while USCF pertains to just one country. But lots of peoples' USCF and FIDE ratings aren't far off.

I would say that the formulas used to derive a rating are fair enough in and of themselves that they are most likely really accurate and close in comparison.

Inflated isn't the right word, but from what I've heard generally your FIDE will be a bit lower than your USCF. 

I've been told they're closer now than in the past, about a 50 points difference.  Maybe someone else can verify.

I always thought fide was about 80 - 100 less than uscf

Yes, "inflated" isn't really an accurate term because we're talking about two different rating pools. USCF ratings seem to track slightly higher. I took the FIDE and USCF rating for a small number of active GMs, juniors, and a few  "Senior" GMs, and the correlation ration of thie USCF and FIDE ratings was 0.9995

At one time, USCF had an official procedure for estimating a USCF rating from an FIDE rating. I think the purpose was to aid pairings in a tournament where a participant only had an FIDE rating. I don't know if USCF is still doing this.