$100 in 2002 is worth $136 in 2017,
because prices increased 36.3% over that period, an average of
2.08% a year.
$100 in 2002 has
the same buying power as
$136
in 2017
Detailed inflation statistics
Cumulative price change
36.3%
Average inflation rate
2.08% per year
Converted amount ($100 base)
$136
Price difference ($100 base)
$36.25
CPI in 2002
179.9
CPI in 2017
245.12
Inflation in 2002
1.58%
Inflation in 2017
2.13%
$100 in 2002 → 2017
$136
$100 in 2017 → 2002
$73.39
What happened to prices between 2002 and 2017
Between 2002 and 2017, the Consumer Price Index went from 179.9 to 245.12.
Cumulatively, prices increased 36.3%, which works out to an average of
2.08% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 2002 bought what
$0.73 buys in 2017: the 2002 dollar
lost 26.6% of its purchasing power over
these 15 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 2017 at the same ratio, 1.36: $1,000 becomes
$1,363, and $10,000 becomes $13,625.
Amount in 2002
Value in 2017
$1.00
$1.36
$5.00
$6.81
$10.00
$13.63
$20.00
$27.25
$50.00
$68.13
$100
$136
$500
$681
$1,000
$1,363
$5,000
$6,813
$10,000
$13,625
$100,000
$136,253
$1,000,000
$1,362,535
Inflation by spending category, 2002–2017
Between 2002 and 2017, energy rose the most, up 68.1%, while apparel rose the least, up 1.3%, against 36.3% for all items. The headline number is an average; here is what $100 of 2002
spending costs in 2017, by category:
Category
Avg. yearly inflation
$100 in 2002 →
All items (CPI-U)
2.08%
$136
Energy
3.52%
$168
Medical care
3.45%
$166
Food
2.36%
$142
Housing
2.24%
$139
Core (all items less food & energy)
1.89%
$132
Transportation
1.86%
$132
Education & communication
1.58%
$127
Recreation
0.73%
$112
Apparel
0.09%
$101
Decade by decade: 2002 to 2017
Prices climbed fastest in the 2000s, averaging 2.43% a year, and slowest in the 2010s (1.69% a year). Each step below chains into the full 2002–2017 change:
Years
Avg. yearly inflation
Price change
$100 from 2002, at end
2002–2010
2.43%
21.2%
$121
2010–2017
1.69%
12.4%
$136
Year by year: CPI and the value of $100 from 2002
$100 from 2002 had already become $119 by
2009, on its way to $136 in 2017; 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 2017, prices rose 2.1% and $100 from 2002 had the buying
power of $136; the year's average CPI of 245.12 is the level
behind every 2017 figure on this page.
2017 pushed consumer prices back above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target. The
CPI rose 2.1%, the first reading over 2% in five years, helped by a rebound
in energy after OPEC’s output cuts and by a storm-related spike at the pump:
Hurricane Harvey shut a large part of Gulf Coast refining in late August.
Gasoline averaged $2.42 a gallon, up from $2.14 in 2016.
Household incomes kept rising. The median household income reached $61,372,
and the median new home sold for about $322,100. The federal minimum wage
stayed at $7.25, its eighth year at that level, and a first-class stamp rose
to 49 cents.
The Fed raised rates three times, to 1.25–1.50%, and in October began
letting its bond holdings shrink. Congress passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
in December, lowering the corporate rate to 21%. Even with unemployment near
4%, core inflation stayed under 2%, a puzzle that shaped Fed debates for the
next two years.
MLA: “Inflation from 2002 to 2017: $100 is worth $136 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/2002-to-2017/
APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 2002 to 2017. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/2002-to-2017/