$100 in 2001 is worth $134 in 2015,
because prices increased 33.8% over that period, an average of
2.10% a year.
$100 in 2001 has
the same buying power as
$134
in 2015
Detailed inflation statistics
Cumulative price change
33.8%
Average inflation rate
2.10% per year
Converted amount ($100 base)
$134
Price difference ($100 base)
$33.83
CPI in 2001
177.1
CPI in 2015
237.017
Inflation in 2001
2.85%
Inflation in 2015
0.12%
$100 in 2001 → 2015
$134
$100 in 2015 → 2001
$74.72
What happened to prices between 2001 and 2015
Between 2001 and 2015, the Consumer Price Index went from 177.1 to 237.017.
Cumulatively, prices increased 33.8%, which works out to an average of
2.10% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 2001 bought what
$0.75 buys in 2015: the 2001 dollar
lost 25.3% of its purchasing power over
these 14 years.
Inflation fell to 2.8% in 2001 from 3.4% the year before, as a recession that began in March
cut demand and gasoline slid to an average of $1.46 a gallon. The median household earned about
$42,200, roughly flat from 2000, and a new home cost about $175,200. The Federal Reserve cut its
policy rate 11 times over the year, from 6.5% to 1.75%, the lowest since 1961. After the
September 11 attacks, U.S. stock markets closed for four trading days, and air travel dropped
sharply until the following year. Congress had already passed a $1.35 trillion tax cut in June,
which included rebate checks of up to $600. The National Bureau of Economic Research dates the
recession’s end at November, but unemployment kept rising into 2003. A first-class stamp went to
34 cents in January, and the federal minimum wage stayed at $5.15. The Fed’s cuts were the
first step in a long period of very cheap borrowing that would fuel the housing boom.
Every 2001 amount converts to 2015 at the same ratio, 1.34: $1,000 becomes
$1,338, and $10,000 becomes $13,383.
Amount in 2001
Value in 2015
$1.00
$1.34
$5.00
$6.69
$10.00
$13.38
$20.00
$26.77
$50.00
$66.92
$100
$134
$500
$669
$1,000
$1,338
$5,000
$6,692
$10,000
$13,383
$100,000
$133,832
$1,000,000
$1,338,323
Inflation by spending category, 2001–2015
Between 2001 and 2015, medical care rose the most, up 63.8%, while apparel fell 1.1%, against 33.8% for all items. The headline number is an average; here is what $100 of 2001
spending costs in 2015, by category:
Category
Avg. yearly inflation
$100 in 2001 →
All items (CPI-U)
2.10%
$134
Medical care
3.59%
$164
Energy
3.27%
$157
Food
2.58%
$143
Housing
2.16%
$135
Education & communication
1.97%
$131
Core (all items less food & energy)
1.90%
$130
Transportation
1.84%
$129
Recreation
0.72%
$111
Apparel
-0.08%
$98.90
Decade by decade: 2001 to 2015
Prices climbed fastest in the 2000s, averaging 2.34% a year, and slowest in the 2010s (1.68% a year). Each step below chains into the full 2001–2015 change:
Years
Avg. yearly inflation
Price change
$100 from 2001, at end
2001–2010
2.34%
23.1%
$123
2010–2015
1.68%
8.7%
$134
Year by year: CPI and the value of $100 from 2001
$100 from 2001 had already become $122 by
2008, on its way to $134 in 2015; 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 2015, prices rose 0.1% and $100 from 2001 had the buying
power of $134; the year's average CPI of 237.017 is the level
behind every 2015 figure on this page.
2015 was almost a year with no inflation at all. Consumer prices rose 0.1%,
the smallest increase since the 2009 decline, because energy prices kept
falling. Gasoline averaged $2.45 a gallon, down from $3.37 in 2014, and a
strong dollar made imported goods cheaper. The picture was different outside
food and energy: core prices rose about 1.8% as rents and medical costs
climbed.
Incomes finally showed real progress. Median household income reached $56,516,
a large jump from $53,657, and the median new home sold for about $296,400. The
federal minimum wage stayed at $7.25, and a first-class stamp stayed at 49
cents.
The Federal Reserve chose December to end its zero-rate policy, raising the
target range to 0.25–0.50% for the first time since 2006. It moved even
though headline inflation was far under 2%, arguing that the drag from
energy was temporary. Earlier, a currency shift in China in August had shaken
global markets and pushed oil below $40 a barrel. Prices in 2015 ended
the year barely above their 2014 level.
MLA: “Inflation from 2001 to 2015: $100 is worth $134 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/2001-to-2015/
APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 2001 to 2015. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/2001-to-2015/