$100 in 2003 is worth $127 in 2013,
because prices increased 26.6% over that period, an average of
2.39% a year.
$100 in 2003 has
the same buying power as
$127
in 2013
Detailed inflation statistics
Cumulative price change
26.6%
Average inflation rate
2.39% per year
Converted amount ($100 base)
$127
Price difference ($100 base)
$26.61
CPI in 2003
184
CPI in 2013
232.957
Inflation in 2003
2.28%
Inflation in 2013
1.46%
$100 in 2003 → 2013
$127
$100 in 2013 → 2003
$78.98
What happened to prices between 2003 and 2013
Between 2003 and 2013, the Consumer Price Index went from 184 to 232.957.
Cumulatively, prices increased 26.6%, which works out to an average of
2.39% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 2003 bought what
$0.79 buys in 2013: the 2003 dollar
lost 21.0% of its purchasing power over
these 10 years.
Inflation was 2.3% in 2003, up from 1.6% in 2002, as gasoline climbed from $1.36 to $1.59 a
gallon around the March invasion of Iraq. Even so, the Federal Reserve spent the year worried
about prices being too low: on June 25 it cut its policy rate to 1.0%, the lowest since 1958,
and said the risk of deflation, though small, deserved a response. The median household earned
about $43,300 and a new home cost roughly $195,000. Congress passed a second round of tax cuts
in May, and the economy grew faster in the second half of the year than at any point since
1999. Hiring lagged the recovery, and unemployment peaked at 6.3% in June. A first-class stamp
stayed at 37 cents and the federal minimum wage at $5.15.
Every 2003 amount converts to 2013 at the same ratio, 1.27: $1,000 becomes
$1,266, and $10,000 becomes $12,661.
Amount in 2003
Value in 2013
$1.00
$1.27
$5.00
$6.33
$10.00
$12.66
$20.00
$25.32
$50.00
$63.30
$100
$127
$500
$633
$1,000
$1,266
$5,000
$6,330
$10,000
$12,661
$100,000
$126,607
$1,000,000
$1,266,071
Inflation by spending category, 2003–2013
Between 2003 and 2013, energy rose the most, up 79.1%, while apparel rose the least, up 5.4%, against 26.6% for all items. The headline number is an average; here is what $100 of 2003
spending costs in 2013, by category:
Category
Avg. yearly inflation
$100 in 2003 →
All items (CPI-U)
2.39%
$127
Energy
6.00%
$179
Medical care
3.65%
$143
Transportation
3.27%
$138
Food
2.79%
$132
Education & communication
2.15%
$124
Housing
2.09%
$123
Core (all items less food & energy)
1.93%
$121
Recreation
0.70%
$107
Apparel
0.53%
$105
Decade by decade: 2003 to 2013
Prices climbed fastest in the 2000s, averaging 2.46% a year, and slowest in the 2010s (2.23% a year). Each step below chains into the full 2003–2013 change:
Years
Avg. yearly inflation
Price change
$100 from 2003, at end
2003–2010
2.46%
18.5%
$119
2010–2013
2.23%
6.8%
$127
Year by year: CPI and the value of $100 from 2003
$100 from 2003 had already become $117 by
2008, on its way to $127 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 2003 had the buying
power of $127; 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 2003 to 2013: $100 is worth $127 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/2003-to-2013/
APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 2003 to 2013. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/2003-to-2013/