$100 in 2004 is worth $123 in 2013,
because prices increased 23.3% over that period, an average of
2.36% a year.
$100 in 2004 has
the same buying power as
$123
in 2013
Detailed inflation statistics
Cumulative price change
23.3%
Average inflation rate
2.36% per year
Converted amount ($100 base)
$123
Price difference ($100 base)
$23.32
CPI in 2004
188.9
CPI in 2013
232.957
Inflation in 2004
2.66%
Inflation in 2013
1.46%
$100 in 2004 → 2013
$123
$100 in 2013 → 2004
$81.09
What happened to prices between 2004 and 2013
Between 2004 and 2013, the Consumer Price Index went from 188.9 to 232.957.
Cumulatively, prices increased 23.3%, which works out to an average of
2.36% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 2004 bought what
$0.81 buys in 2013: the 2004 dollar
lost 18.9% of its purchasing power over
these 9 years.
Consumer prices rose 2.7% in 2004, with a 29-cent jump in the price of gasoline, to $1.88 a
gallon, doing much of the work. Crude oil passed $50 a barrel in October on rising demand
from China and India. The Federal Reserve raised rates for the first time in four years on
June 30, to 1.25%, and it kept going: 17 consecutive quarter-point increases took the rate to
5.25% by June 2006. Housing was already running ahead of incomes. The median household earned
about $44,300, up 2.3% from 2003, while the median new home sold for $221,000, up about 13%. A
first-class stamp stayed at 37 cents and the federal minimum wage at $5.15, unchanged since
1997.
Every 2004 amount converts to 2013 at the same ratio, 1.23: $1,000 becomes
$1,233, and $10,000 becomes $12,332.
Amount in 2004
Value in 2013
$1.00
$1.23
$5.00
$6.17
$10.00
$12.33
$20.00
$24.66
$50.00
$61.66
$100
$123
$500
$617
$1,000
$1,233
$5,000
$6,166
$10,000
$12,332
$100,000
$123,323
$1,000,000
$1,233,229
Inflation by spending category, 2004–2013
Between 2004 and 2013, energy rose the most, up 61.4%, while apparel rose the least, up 5.8%, against 23.3% for all items. The headline number is an average; here is what $100 of 2004
spending costs in 2013, by category:
Category
Avg. yearly inflation
$100 in 2004 →
All items (CPI-U)
2.36%
$123
Energy
5.47%
$161
Medical care
3.57%
$137
Transportation
3.25%
$133
Food
2.72%
$127
Education & communication
2.21%
$122
Housing
2.04%
$120
Core (all items less food & energy)
1.94%
$119
Recreation
0.66%
$106
Apparel
0.63%
$106
Decade by decade: 2004 to 2013
Prices climbed fastest in the 2000s, averaging 2.42% a year, and slowest in the 2010s (2.23% a year). Each step below chains into the full 2004–2013 change:
Years
Avg. yearly inflation
Price change
$100 from 2004, at end
2004–2010
2.42%
15.4%
$115
2010–2013
2.23%
6.8%
$123
Year by year: CPI and the value of $100 from 2004
$100 from 2004 had already become $114 by
2008, on its way to $123 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 2004 had the buying
power of $123; 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 2004 to 2013: $100 is worth $123 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/2004-to-2013/
APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 2004 to 2013. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/2004-to-2013/