$100 in 2003 is worth $136 in 2018,
because prices increased 36.5% over that period, an average of
2.09% a year.
$100 in 2003 has
the same buying power as
$136
in 2018
Detailed inflation statistics
Cumulative price change
36.5%
Average inflation rate
2.09% per year
Converted amount ($100 base)
$136
Price difference ($100 base)
$36.47
CPI in 2003
184
CPI in 2018
251.107
Inflation in 2003
2.28%
Inflation in 2018
2.44%
$100 in 2003 → 2018
$136
$100 in 2018 → 2003
$73.28
What happened to prices between 2003 and 2018
Between 2003 and 2018, the Consumer Price Index went from 184 to 251.107.
Cumulatively, prices increased 36.5%, which works out to an average of
2.09% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 2003 bought what
$0.73 buys in 2018: the 2003 dollar
lost 26.7% of its purchasing power over
these 15 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 2018 at the same ratio, 1.36: $1,000 becomes
$1,365, and $10,000 becomes $13,647.
Amount in 2003
Value in 2018
$1.00
$1.36
$5.00
$6.82
$10.00
$13.65
$20.00
$27.29
$50.00
$68.24
$100
$136
$500
$682
$1,000
$1,365
$5,000
$6,824
$10,000
$13,647
$100,000
$136,471
$1,000,000
$1,364,712
Inflation by spending category, 2003–2018
Between 2003 and 2018, medical care rose the most, up 63.1%, while apparel rose the least, up 3.9%, against 36.5% for all items. The headline number is an average; here is what $100 of 2003
spending costs in 2018, by category:
Category
Avg. yearly inflation
$100 in 2003 →
All items (CPI-U)
2.09%
$136
Medical care
3.32%
$163
Energy
3.23%
$161
Food
2.31%
$141
Housing
2.26%
$140
Transportation
1.95%
$134
Core (all items less food & energy)
1.94%
$133
Education & communication
1.48%
$125
Recreation
0.68%
$111
Apparel
0.26%
$104
Decade by decade: 2003 to 2018
Prices climbed fastest in the 2000s, averaging 2.46% a year, and slowest in the 2010s (1.78% a year). Each step below chains into the full 2003–2018 change:
Years
Avg. yearly inflation
Price change
$100 from 2003, at end
2003–2010
2.46%
18.5%
$119
2010–2018
1.78%
15.2%
$136
Year by year: CPI and the value of $100 from 2003
$100 from 2003 had already become $119 by
2010, on its way to $136 in 2018; 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 2018, prices rose 2.4% and $100 from 2003 had the buying
power of $136; the year's average CPI of 251.107 is the level
behind every 2018 figure on this page.
2018 was the peak of the late-2010s expansion. Consumer prices rose 2.4%,
the fastest since 2011, with gasoline averaging $2.72 a gallon after a summer
high. Unemployment fell to 3.7% in September, the lowest since 1969, and median
household income reached $63,179. The median new home sold for about $331,800,
and a first-class stamp cost 50 cents. The federal minimum wage was still $7.25.
Trade policy became a price factor for the first time in decades. New tariffs
on steel, aluminum, and a growing list of Chinese goods raised costs for
manufacturers and some consumer products, and retaliation cut into exports of
soybeans and other farm goods.
The Federal Reserve, led from February by Jerome Powell, raised rates four
times to 2.25–2.50%. A stock-market drop of nearly 20% in the fourth quarter
led the Fed to signal a pause in early 2019. Oil fell from over $75 a barrel in
October to below $50 by December, which pulled headline inflation lower going
into the next year.
MLA: “Inflation from 2003 to 2018: $100 is worth $136 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/2003-to-2018/
APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 2003 to 2018. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/2003-to-2018/