$100 in 2001 is worth $136 in 2016,
because prices increased 35.5% over that period, an average of
2.05% a year.
$100 in 2001 has
the same buying power as
$136
in 2016
Detailed inflation statistics
Cumulative price change
35.5%
Average inflation rate
2.05% per year
Converted amount ($100 base)
$136
Price difference ($100 base)
$35.52
CPI in 2001
177.1
CPI in 2016
240.007
Inflation in 2001
2.85%
Inflation in 2016
1.26%
$100 in 2001 → 2016
$136
$100 in 2016 → 2001
$73.79
What happened to prices between 2001 and 2016
Between 2001 and 2016, the Consumer Price Index went from 177.1 to 240.007.
Cumulatively, prices increased 35.5%, which works out to an average of
2.05% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 2001 bought what
$0.74 buys in 2016: the 2001 dollar
lost 26.2% of its purchasing power over
these 15 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 2016 at the same ratio, 1.36: $1,000 becomes
$1,355, and $10,000 becomes $13,552.
Amount in 2001
Value in 2016
$1.00
$1.36
$5.00
$6.78
$10.00
$13.55
$20.00
$27.10
$50.00
$67.76
$100
$136
$500
$678
$1,000
$1,355
$5,000
$6,776
$10,000
$13,552
$100,000
$135,521
$1,000,000
$1,355,206
Inflation by spending category, 2001–2016
Between 2001 and 2016, medical care rose the most, up 70.0%, while apparel fell 1.0%, against 35.5% for all items. The headline number is an average; here is what $100 of 2001
spending costs in 2016, by category:
Category
Avg. yearly inflation
$100 in 2001 →
All items (CPI-U)
2.05%
$136
Medical care
3.60%
$170
Energy
2.58%
$147
Food
2.42%
$143
Housing
2.19%
$138
Core (all items less food & energy)
1.92%
$133
Education & communication
1.88%
$132
Transportation
1.57%
$126
Recreation
0.73%
$112
Apparel
-0.07%
$99.01
Decade by decade: 2001 to 2016
Prices climbed fastest in the 2000s, averaging 2.34% a year, and slowest in the 2010s (1.61% a year). Each step below chains into the full 2001–2016 change:
Years
Avg. yearly inflation
Price change
$100 from 2001, at end
2001–2010
2.34%
23.1%
$123
2010–2016
1.61%
10.1%
$136
Year by year: CPI and the value of $100 from 2001
$100 from 2001 had already become $122 by
2008, on its way to $136 in 2016; 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 2016, prices rose 1.3% and $100 from 2001 had the buying
power of $136; the year's average CPI of 240.007 is the level
behind every 2016 figure on this page.
2016 opened with the cheapest oil in more than a decade and closed with a
change in political direction. Crude fell to about $26 a barrel in February,
and gasoline averaged $2.14 a gallon for the year, its lowest annual
average since 2004. Headline inflation was 1.3%, a modest rebound from 2015’s
0.1%, though prices excluding food and energy rose faster, driven by rents and
health care.
Median household income rose to $59,039, the second large gain in a row, and
the median new home sold for about $307,800. The federal minimum wage held at
$7.25, and a first-class stamp fell to 47 cents after a January rate cut, a
rare decrease.
Two votes changed the outlook. Britain’s June decision to leave the European
Union unsettled currency markets, and the U.S. election in November raised
expectations of tax cuts, deficits, and faster growth, sending long-term
interest rates higher. OPEC’s November output cut ended the oil slump, and the
Federal Reserve made its second rate increase in December, to 0.50–0.75%.
MLA: “Inflation from 2001 to 2016: $100 is worth $136 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/2001-to-2016/
APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 2001 to 2016. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/2001-to-2016/