InflationCalculator.com

U.S. inflation · 1980–2006

Value of $100 in 1980, adjusted to 2006

$100 in 1980 has the same buying power as

$245

in 2006

$100$172$24519801987199320002006$100 · 1980$245 · 2006
Detailed inflation statistics
Cumulative price change144.7%
Average inflation rate3.50% per year
Converted amount ($100 base)$245
Price difference ($100 base)$145
CPI in 198082.4
CPI in 2006201.6
Inflation in 198013.50%
Inflation in 20063.23%
$100 in 1980 → 2006$245
$100 in 2006 → 1980$40.87

What happened to prices between 1980 and 2006

Between 1980 and 2006, the Consumer Price Index went from 82.4 to 201.6. Cumulatively, prices increased 144.7%, which works out to an average of 3.50% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 1980 bought what $0.41 buys in 2006.

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 2006

Amount in 1980Value in 2006
$1.00$2.45
$5.00$12.23
$10.00$24.47
$20.00$48.93
$50.00$122
$100$245
$500$1,223
$1,000$2,447
$5,000$12,233
$10,000$24,466
$100,000$244,660
$1,000,000$2,446,602

Inflation by spending category, 1980–2006

The headline number is an average. Individual categories moved very differently over this period. Here is what $100 of 1980 spending costs in 2006, by category:

Category Avg. yearly inflation $100 in 1980 →
All items (CPI-U) 3.50% $245
Medical care 5.95% $449
Core (all items less food & energy) 3.66% $255
Housing 3.60% $251
Energy 3.24% $229
Food 3.17% $225
Transportation 3.04% $218
Apparel 1.06% $131

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
2004 188.9 2.7% $229
2005 195.3 3.4% $237
2006 201.6 3.2% $245

Cite this page

MLA: “Inflation from 1980 to 2006: $100 is worth $245 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1980-to-2006/

APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 1980 to 2006. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1980-to-2006/

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.