$100 in 1997 is worth $145 in 2013,
because prices increased 45.1% over that period, an average of
2.36% a year.
$100 in 1997 has
the same buying power as
$145
in 2013
Detailed inflation statistics
Cumulative price change
45.1%
Average inflation rate
2.36% per year
Converted amount ($100 base)
$145
Price difference ($100 base)
$45.14
CPI in 1997
160.5
CPI in 2013
232.957
Inflation in 1997
2.29%
Inflation in 2013
1.46%
$100 in 1997 → 2013
$145
$100 in 2013 → 1997
$68.90
What happened to prices between 1997 and 2013
Between 1997 and 2013, the Consumer Price Index went from 160.5 to 232.957.
Cumulatively, prices increased 45.1%, which works out to an average of
2.36% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 1997 bought what
$0.69 buys in 2013: the 1997 dollar
lost 31.1% of its purchasing power over
these 16 years.
The median household earned about $37,000 in 1997, gas averaged $1.23 a gallon, and a new home
cost roughly $146,000. Inflation ran at 2.3% for the year, its lowest reading since the
mid-1980s, as a strong dollar and falling import prices helped keep costs in check at home even
as trouble built abroad. In July, Thailand devalued the baht, and the currency collapse that
followed spread within months to Indonesia, South Korea, and other Southeast Asian economies,
forcing IMF bailouts and years of recession across the region, though the crisis had little
immediate effect on U.S. prices. At home, Washington had a calmer year: in August, President
Clinton and Congress agreed on the Balanced Budget Act and the Taxpayer Relief Act, which cut
capital gains tax rates, created the Roth IRA, and set the federal budget on a path to its first
surplus in nearly three decades. In September, the federal minimum wage completed a two-step
rise to $5.15 an hour, where it would stay for a decade. Low inflation, a firming budget picture,
and a crisis unfolding an ocean away made 1997 a year the U.S. economy looked stronger than much
of the rest of the world’s.
Every 1997 amount converts to 2013 at the same ratio, 1.45: $1,000 becomes
$1,451, and $10,000 becomes $14,514.
Amount in 1997
Value in 2013
$1.00
$1.45
$5.00
$7.26
$10.00
$14.51
$20.00
$29.03
$50.00
$72.57
$100
$145
$500
$726
$1,000
$1,451
$5,000
$7,257
$10,000
$14,514
$100,000
$145,145
$1,000,000
$1,451,445
Inflation by spending category, 1997–2013
Between 1997 and 2013, energy rose the most, up 119.2%, while apparel fell 4.1%, against 45.1% for all items. The headline number is an average; here is what $100 of 1997
spending costs in 2013, by category:
Category
Avg. yearly inflation
$100 in 1997 →
All items (CPI-U)
2.36%
$145
Energy
5.03%
$219
Medical care
3.79%
$181
Food
2.60%
$151
Transportation
2.59%
$151
Housing
2.35%
$145
Education & communication
2.04%
$138
Core (all items less food & energy)
2.03%
$138
Recreation
0.92%
$116
Apparel
-0.26%
$95.87
Decade by decade: 1997 to 2013
Prices climbed fastest in the 2000s, averaging 2.39% a year, and slowest in the 2010s (2.23% a year). Each step below chains into the full 1997–2013 change:
Years
Avg. yearly inflation
Price change
$100 from 1997, at end
1997–2000
2.37%
7.3%
$107
2000–2010
2.39%
26.6%
$136
2010–2013
2.23%
6.8%
$145
Year by year: CPI and the value of $100 from 1997
$100 from 1997 had already become $122 by
2005, on its way to $145 in 2013; each row shows the CPI, that
year's inflation rate, and the running value.
Within the span, inflation peaked at 3.8% in 2008, and prices fell 0.4% in 2009, the deepest deflation of the period.
In 2013, prices rose 1.5% and $100 from 1997 had the buying
power of $145; the year's average CPI of 232.957 is the level
behind every 2013 figure on this page.
2013 was a low-inflation year with a lot of noise around the Federal Reserve.
Consumer prices rose 1.5%, below the Fed’s 2% target, and gasoline eased to an
average of $3.51 a gallon. Housing was the exception: the median new home sold
for about $268,900, up sharply from $245,200 in 2012, as the market recovered
from its post-crisis bottom.
The Fed dominated the news. Chairman Ben Bernanke’s May comments about slowing
bond purchases pushed long-term interest rates up by roughly a percentage
point that summer, and mortgages became more expensive within weeks. In
December the Fed finally announced a first small cut to its purchases while
promising to keep short-term rates near zero for a long time.
Washington added its own disruption. A 16-day government shutdown in October
delayed data releases and left a hole in that month’s CPI collection. Median
household income was reported at $53,585, the federal minimum wage stayed at
$7.25, and a first-class stamp cost 46 cents. The decade’s pattern was taking
shape: slow price growth, ultra-low interest rates, and a labor market that
improved gradually.
MLA: “Inflation from 1997 to 2013: $100 is worth $145 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1997-to-2013/
APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 1997 to 2013. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1997-to-2013/