InflationCalculator.com

U.S. inflation · 1980–2003

Value of $100 in 1980, adjusted to 2003

$100 in 1980 has the same buying power as

$223

in 2003

$100$162$22319801986199219972003$100 · 1980$223 · 2003
Detailed inflation statistics
Cumulative price change123.3%
Average inflation rate3.55% per year
Converted amount ($100 base)$223
Price difference ($100 base)$123
CPI in 198082.4
CPI in 2003184
Inflation in 198013.50%
Inflation in 20032.28%
$100 in 1980 → 2003$223
$100 in 2003 → 1980$44.78

What happened to prices between 1980 and 2003

Between 1980 and 2003, the Consumer Price Index went from 82.4 to 184. Cumulatively, prices increased 123.3%, which works out to an average of 3.55% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 1980 bought what $0.45 buys in 2003.

1980 sat at the very peak of the Great Inflation. Prices rose 13.5% in that single year, mortgage rates were climbing toward 16%, and the Federal Reserve under Paul Volcker was administering the painful interest-rate medicine that would finally break the inflationary spiral, at the cost of the deep 1981–82 recession. No single year looms larger in how Americans think about inflation.

More about inflation in 1980 →

Common amounts: 1980 dollars in 2003

Amount in 1980Value in 2003
$1.00$2.23
$5.00$11.17
$10.00$22.33
$20.00$44.66
$50.00$112
$100$223
$500$1,117
$1,000$2,233
$5,000$11,165
$10,000$22,330
$100,000$223,301
$1,000,000$2,233,010

Inflation by spending category, 1980–2003

The headline number is an average. Individual categories moved very differently over this period. Here is what $100 of 1980 spending costs in 2003, by category:

Category Avg. yearly inflation $100 in 1980 →
All items (CPI-U) 3.55% $223
Medical care 6.17% $397
Core (all items less food & energy) 3.86% $239
Housing 3.65% $228
Food 3.22% $207
Transportation 2.82% $190
Energy 2.03% $159
Apparel 1.25% $133

Not shown because the BLS began these indexes after 1980: recreation (1993–), education & communication (1993–).

Year by year: CPI and the value of $100 from 1980

Year CPI Inflation rate $100 from 1980
1980 82.4 13.5% $100
1981 90.9 10.3% $110
1982 96.5 6.2% $117
1983 99.6 3.2% $121
1984 103.9 4.3% $126
1985 107.6 3.6% $131
1986 109.6 1.9% $133
1987 113.6 3.6% $138
1988 118.3 4.1% $144
1989 124 4.8% $150
1990 130.7 5.4% $159
1991 136.2 4.2% $165
1992 140.3 3.0% $170
1993 144.5 3.0% $175
1994 148.2 2.6% $180
1995 152.4 2.8% $185
1996 156.9 3.0% $190
1997 160.5 2.3% $195
1998 163 1.6% $198
1999 166.6 2.2% $202
2000 172.2 3.4% $209
2001 177.1 2.8% $215
2002 179.9 1.6% $218
2003 184 2.3% $223

Cite this page

MLA: “Inflation from 1980 to 2003: $100 is worth $223 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1980-to-2003/

APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 1980 to 2003. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1980-to-2003/

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U annual averages (series CUUR0000SA0; category indexes listed on the data sources page). See how these numbers are calculated.