$100 in 2002 is worth $121 in 2010,
because prices increased 21.2% over that period, an average of
2.43% a year.
$100 in 2002 has
the same buying power as
$121
in 2010
Detailed inflation statistics
Cumulative price change
21.2%
Average inflation rate
2.43% per year
Converted amount ($100 base)
$121
Price difference ($100 base)
$21.21
CPI in 2002
179.9
CPI in 2010
218.056
Inflation in 2002
1.58%
Inflation in 2010
1.64%
$100 in 2002 → 2010
$121
$100 in 2010 → 2002
$82.50
What happened to prices between 2002 and 2010
Between 2002 and 2010, the Consumer Price Index went from 179.9 to 218.056.
Cumulatively, prices increased 21.2%, which works out to an average of
2.43% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 2002 bought what
$0.83 buys in 2010: the 2002 dollar
lost 17.5% of its purchasing power over
these 8 years.
The CPI rose 1.6% in 2002, the lowest annual rate of the decade so far, with gasoline down to an
average of $1.36 a gallon and slack in the labor market keeping wage pressure low. The median
household earned about $42,400, and a new home cost roughly $187,600, an increase of about 7%
from the year before as low mortgage rates began to lift housing. The Federal Reserve cut its
policy rate to 1.25% in November. Stocks were moving the other way: after the Enron and WorldCom
scandals, the S&P 500 hit its bear-market low on October 9, about 49% below its March 2000
peak, and Congress passed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in July to tighten corporate accounting rules.
On January 1, euro banknotes and coins replaced national currencies in 12 European countries. A
first-class stamp rose to 37 cents in June, and the federal minimum wage stayed at $5.15.
Every 2002 amount converts to 2010 at the same ratio, 1.21: $1,000 becomes
$1,212, and $10,000 becomes $12,121.
Amount in 2002
Value in 2010
$1.00
$1.21
$5.00
$6.06
$10.00
$12.12
$20.00
$24.24
$50.00
$60.60
$100
$121
$500
$606
$1,000
$1,212
$5,000
$6,060
$10,000
$12,121
$100,000
$121,210
$1,000,000
$1,212,096
Inflation by spending category, 2002–2010
Between 2002 and 2010, energy rose the most, up 73.7%, while apparel fell 3.6%, against 21.2% for all items. The headline number is an average; here is what $100 of 2002
spending costs in 2010, by category:
Category
Avg. yearly inflation
$100 in 2002 →
All items (CPI-U)
2.43%
$121
Energy
7.15%
$174
Medical care
3.92%
$136
Transportation
2.98%
$126
Food
2.79%
$125
Education & communication
2.35%
$120
Housing
2.30%
$120
Core (all items less food & energy)
1.89%
$116
Recreation
0.81%
$107
Apparel
-0.46%
$96.37
Year by year: CPI and the value of $100 from 2002
$100 from 2002 had already become $112 by
2006, on its way to $121 in 2010; 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 2010, prices rose 1.6% and $100 from 2002 had the buying
power of $121; the year's average CPI of 218.056 is the level
behind every 2010 figure on this page.
2010 was a year of recovery without much price pressure. The CPI rose 1.6%, a
return to growth after 2009’s deflation, with gasoline averaging $2.78 a
gallon as energy prices climbed back from their recession lows. Housing costs
barely moved: millions of foreclosed and vacant homes kept rents soft, and the
median new home sold for about $221,800. The federal minimum wage stayed at
$7.25, the level set in July 2009, and a first-class stamp cost 44 cents.
The Federal Reserve was more worried about too little inflation than too
much. Its policy rate sat at 0–0.25%, and in November it announced a further
$600 billion of Treasury purchases to hold down long-term borrowing costs.
Congress passed the Dodd-Frank Act in July to tighten financial regulation,
while a 110 billion euro rescue of Greece in May showed that the crisis had
moved from American mortgages to European government debt. For anyone
comparing dollars across the decade, 2010 is a useful baseline: prices were
still close to their 2008 levels, and the years ahead brought a slow, steady
climb.
MLA: “Inflation from 2002 to 2010: $100 is worth $121 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/2002-to-2010/
APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 2002 to 2010. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/2002-to-2010/