$100 in 2002 is worth $129 in 2013,
because prices increased 29.5% over that period, an average of
2.38% a year.
$100 in 2002 has
the same buying power as
$129
in 2013
Detailed inflation statistics
Cumulative price change
29.5%
Average inflation rate
2.38% per year
Converted amount ($100 base)
$129
Price difference ($100 base)
$29.49
CPI in 2002
179.9
CPI in 2013
232.957
Inflation in 2002
1.58%
Inflation in 2013
1.46%
$100 in 2002 → 2013
$129
$100 in 2013 → 2002
$77.22
What happened to prices between 2002 and 2013
Between 2002 and 2013, the Consumer Price Index went from 179.9 to 232.957.
Cumulatively, prices increased 29.5%, which works out to an average of
2.38% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 2002 bought what
$0.77 buys in 2013: the 2002 dollar
lost 22.8% of its purchasing power over
these 11 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 2013 at the same ratio, 1.29: $1,000 becomes
$1,295, and $10,000 becomes $12,949.
Amount in 2002
Value in 2013
$1.00
$1.29
$5.00
$6.47
$10.00
$12.95
$20.00
$25.90
$50.00
$64.75
$100
$129
$500
$647
$1,000
$1,295
$5,000
$6,475
$10,000
$12,949
$100,000
$129,492
$1,000,000
$1,294,925
Inflation by spending category, 2002–2013
Between 2002 and 2013, energy rose the most, up 100.8%, while apparel rose the least, up 2.8%, against 29.5% for all items. The headline number is an average; here is what $100 of 2002
spending costs in 2013, by category:
Category
Avg. yearly inflation
$100 in 2002 →
All items (CPI-U)
2.38%
$129
Energy
6.54%
$201
Medical care
3.68%
$149
Transportation
3.25%
$142
Food
2.73%
$135
Housing
2.13%
$126
Education & communication
2.12%
$126
Core (all items less food & energy)
1.88%
$123
Recreation
0.75%
$109
Apparel
0.25%
$103
Decade by decade: 2002 to 2013
Prices climbed fastest in the 2000s, averaging 2.43% a year, and slowest in the 2010s (2.23% a year). Each step below chains into the full 2002–2013 change:
Years
Avg. yearly inflation
Price change
$100 from 2002, at end
2002–2010
2.43%
21.2%
$121
2010–2013
2.23%
6.8%
$129
Year by year: CPI and the value of $100 from 2002
$100 from 2002 had already become $115 by
2007, on its way to $129 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 2002 had the buying
power of $129; 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 2002 to 2013: $100 is worth $129 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/2002-to-2013/
APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 2002 to 2013. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/2002-to-2013/