U.S. inflation · 2006–2018

Value of $100 in 2006, adjusted to 2018

$100 in 2006 is worth $125 in 2018, because prices increased 24.6% over that period, an average of 1.85% a year.

$100 in 2006 has the same buying power as

$125

in 2018

$100$112$12520062009201220152018$100 · 2006$125 · 2018
Detailed inflation statistics
Cumulative price change24.6%
Average inflation rate1.85% per year
Converted amount ($100 base)$125
Price difference ($100 base)$24.56
CPI in 2006201.6
CPI in 2018251.107
Inflation in 20063.23%
Inflation in 20182.44%
$100 in 2006 → 2018$125
$100 in 2018 → 2006$80.28

What happened to prices between 2006 and 2018

Between 2006 and 2018, the Consumer Price Index went from 201.6 to 251.107. Cumulatively, prices increased 24.6%, which works out to an average of 1.85% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 2006 bought what $0.80 buys in 2018: the 2006 dollar lost 19.7% of its purchasing power over these 12 years.

Inflation was 3.2% in 2006 and gasoline averaged $2.59 a gallon, up 29 cents from 2005. The median household earned about $48,200 and the median new home cost $246,500, a gain of about 2% after a 13% jump in 2004 and 9% in 2005. National home prices, by the S&P/Case-Shiller index, peaked in mid-2006. Ben Bernanke replaced Alan Greenspan as Federal Reserve chair on February 1, and on June 29 the Fed raised its policy rate to 5.25%, the last of 17 straight quarter-point increases. It held there for over a year. A first-class stamp rose to 39 cents in January, and the federal minimum wage was $5.15 for the ninth full year in a row.

More about inflation in 2006 →

Common amounts: 2006 dollars in 2018

Every 2006 amount converts to 2018 at the same ratio, 1.25: $1,000 becomes $1,246, and $10,000 becomes $12,456.

Amount in 2006Value in 2018
$1.00$1.25
$5.00$6.23
$10.00$12.46
$20.00$24.91
$50.00$62.28
$100$125
$500$623
$1,000$1,246
$5,000$6,228
$10,000$12,456
$100,000$124,557
$1,000,000$1,245,570

Inflation by spending category, 2006–2018

Between 2006 and 2018, medical care rose the most, up 44.2%, while apparel rose the least, up 5.1%, against 24.6% for all items. The headline number is an average; here is what $100 of 2006 spending costs in 2018, by category:

Category Avg. yearly inflation $100 in 2006 →
All items (CPI-U) 1.85% $125
Medical care 3.10% $144
Food 2.20% $130
Housing 2.03% $127
Core (all items less food & energy) 1.88% $125
Education & communication 1.32% $117
Transportation 1.28% $116
Energy 0.93% $112
Recreation 0.60% $107
Apparel 0.42% $105

Decade by decade: 2006 to 2018

Prices climbed fastest in the 2000s, averaging 1.98% a year, and slowest in the 2010s (1.78% a year). Each step below chains into the full 2006–2018 change:

Years Avg. yearly inflation Price change $100 from 2006, at end
2006–2010 1.98% 8.2% $108
2010–2018 1.78% 15.2% $125

Year by year: CPI and the value of $100 from 2006

$100 from 2006 had already become $114 by 2012, on its way to $125 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.

Year CPI Inflation rate $100 from 2006
2006 201.6 3.2% $100
2007 207.342 2.8% $103
2008 215.303 3.8% $107
2009 214.537 -0.4% $106
2010 218.056 1.6% $108
2011 224.939 3.2% $112
2012 229.594 2.1% $114
2013 232.957 1.5% $116
2014 236.736 1.6% $117
2015 237.017 0.1% $118
2016 240.007 1.3% $119
2017 245.12 2.1% $122
2018 251.107 2.4% $125

The destination year: 2018

In 2018, prices rose 2.4% and $100 from 2006 had the buying power of $125; 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.

More about inflation in 2018 →

Cite this page

MLA: “Inflation from 2006 to 2018: $100 is worth $125 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/2006-to-2018/

APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 2006 to 2018. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/2006-to-2018/

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U annual averages (series CUUR0000SA0; category indexes listed on the data sources page). See how these numbers are calculated.