The U.S. dollar has lost 28% its value since 2009
Updated: August 10, 2022
Updated: August 10, 2022
$100 in 2009 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $138.10 today, an increase of $38.10 over 13 years. The dollar had an average inflation rate of 2.51% per year between 2009 and today, producing a cumulative price increase of 38.10%.
This means that today’s prices are 1.38 times higher than average prices since 2009, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index. A dollar today only buys 72.411% of what it could buy back then.
The inflation rate in 2009 was -0.36%. The current inflation rate compared to last year is now 8.52%. If this number holds, $100 today will be equivalent in buying power to $108.52 next year. The current inflation rate page gives more detail on the latest inflation rates.
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Inflation from 2009 to 2022Cumulative price change38.10%Average inflation rate2.51%Converted amount
($100 base)
$138.10Price difference
($100 base)
$38.10CPI in 2009214.537CPI in 2022296.276Inflation in 2009-0.36%Inflation in 20228.52%$100 in 2009$138.10 in 2022
USD inflation since 2009
Annual Rate, the Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI
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Buying power of $100 in 2009
This chart shows a calculation of buying power equivalence for $100 in 2009 (price index tracking began in 1635).
For example, if you started with $100, you would need to end with $138.10 in order to “adjust” for inflation (sometimes refered to as “beating inflation”).
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When $100 is equivalent to $138.10 over time, that means that the “real value” of a single U.S. dollar decreases over time. In other words, a dollar will pay for fewer items at the store.
This effect explains how inflation erodes the value of a dollar over time. By calculating the value in 2009 dollars, the chart below shows how $100 is worth less over 13 years.
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According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, each of these USD amounts below is equal in terms of what it could buy at the time:
Dollar inflation: 2009-2022YearDollar ValueInflation Rate2009$100.00-0.36%2010$101.641.64%2011$104.853.16%2012$107.022.07%2013$108.591.46%2014$110.351.62%2015$110.480.12%2016$111.871.26%2017$114.262.13%2018$117.102.49%2019$119.171.76%2020$120.641.23%2021$126.304.70%2022$138.109.34%** Compared to previous annual rate. Not final. See
* Compared to previous annual rate. Not final. See inflation summary for latest 12-month trailing value.
This conversion table shows various other 2009 amounts in today’s dollars, based on the 38.10% change in prices:
Conversion: 2009 dollars todayInitial valueEquivalent value$1
dollar in 2009
$1.38
dollars today
$5
dollars in 2009
$6.91
dollars today
$10
dollars in 2009
$13.81
dollars today
$50
dollars in 2009
$69.05
dollars today
$100
dollars in 2009
$138.10
dollars today
$500
dollars in 2009
$690.50
dollars today
$1,000
dollars in 2009
$1,381.00
dollars today
$5,000
dollars in 2009
$6,905.01
dollars today
$10,000
dollars in 2009
$13,810.02
dollars today
$50,000
dollars in 2009
$69,050.09
dollars today
$100,000
dollars in 2009
$138,100.19
dollars today
$500,000
dollars in 2009
$690,500.94
dollars today
$1,000,000
dollars in 2009
$1,381,001.88
dollars today
How to calculate inflation rate for $100 since 2009
Our calculations use the following inflation rate formula to calculate the change in value between 2009 and today:
CPI today
CPI in 2009
×
2009 USD value
=
Today’s value
Then plug in historical CPI values. The U.S. CPI was 214.537 in the year 2009 and 296.276 in 2022:
296.276
214.537
×
$100
=
$138.10
$100 in 2009 has the same “purchasing power” or “buying power” as $138.10 in 2022.
To get the total inflation rate for the 13 years between 2009 and 2022, we use the following formula:
CPI in 2022 – CPI in 2009
CPI in 2009
×
100
=
Cumulative inflation rate (13 years)
Plugging in the values to this equation, we get:
296.276 – 214.537
214.537
×
100
=
38%
Alternate Measurements of Inflation
There are multiple ways to measure inflation. Published rates of inflation will vary depending on methodology. The Consumer Price Index, used above, is the most common standard used globally.
Alternative measurements are sometimes used based on context and economic/political circumstances. Below are a few examples of alternative measurements.
Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Inflation
The PCE Price Index is the U.S. Federal Reserve’s preferred measure of inflation, compiled by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. It measures the change in prices of goods and services purchased by consumers.
The PCE Price Index changed by 1.98% per year on average between 2009 and 2022. The total PCE inflation between these dates was 29.09%. In 2009, PCE inflation was -0.28%.
This means that the PCE Index equates $100 in 2009 with $129.09 in 2022, a difference of $29.09. Compare this to the standard CPI measurement, which equates $100 with $138.10. The PCE measured -9.01% inflation compared to standard CPI.
For more information on the difference between PCE and CPI, see this analysis provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Core Inflation
Also of note is the Core CPI, which uses the standard CPI but omits the more volatile categories of food and energy.
Core inflation averaged 2.20% per year between 2009 and 2022 (vs all-CPI inflation of 2.51%), for an inflation total of 32.74%. In 2009, core inflation was 1.70%.
When using the core inflation measurement, $100 in 2009 is equivalent in buying power to $132.74 in 2022, a difference of $32.74. Recall that the converted amount is $138.10 when all items including food and energy are measured.
Chained Inflation
Chained CPI is an alternative measurement that takes into account how consumers adjust spending for similar items. Chained inflation averaged 2.07% per year between 2009 and 2022, a total inflation amount of 30.58%.
According to the Chained CPI measurement, $100 in 2009 is equal in buying power to $130.58 in 2022, a difference of $30.58 (versus a converted amount of $138.10/change of $38.10 for All Items).
In 2009, chained inflation was -0.47%.
Comparison to S&P 500 Index
The average inflation rate of 2.51% has a compounding effect between 2009 and 2022. As noted above, this yearly inflation rate compounds to produce an overall price difference of 38.10% over 13 years.
To help put this inflation into perspective, if we had invested $100 in the S&P 500 index in 2009, our investment would be nominally worth approximately $575.72 in 2022. This is a return on investment of 475.72%, with an absolute return of $475.72 on top of the original $100.
These numbers are not inflation adjusted, so they are considered nominal. In order to evaluate the real return on our investment, we must calculate the return with inflation taken into account.
The compounding effect of inflation would account for 27.59% of returns ($158.83) during this period. This means the inflation-adjusted real return of our $100 investment is $316.88. You may also want to account for capital gains tax, which would take your real return down to around $269 for most people.
Investment in S&P 500 Index, 2009-2022Original AmountFinal AmountChangeNominal$100$575.72475.72%Real
Inflation Adjusted
$100$416.88316.88%
Information displayed above may differ slightly from other S&P 500 calculators. Minor discrepancies can occur because we use the latest CPI data for inflation, annualized inflation numbers for previous years, and we compute S&P price and dividends from January of 2009 to latest available data for 2022 using average monthly close price.
For more details on the S&P 500 between 2009 and 2022, see the stock market returns calculator.
Data source & citation
Raw data for these calculations comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index (CPI), established in 1913. Inflation data from 1634 to 1912 is sourced from a historical study conducted by political science professor Robert Sahr at Oregon State University and from the American Antiquarian Society.
You may use the following MLA citation for this page: “Value of 2009 dollars today | Inflation Calculator.” Official Inflation Data, Alioth Finance, 10 Sep. 2022, https://www.officialdata.org/us/inflation/2009%3Famount%3D7.25.
Special thanks to QuickChart for their chart image API, which is used for chart downloads.
in2013dollars.com is a reference website maintained by the Official Data Foundation.
About the author
Ian Webster is an engineer and data expert based in San Mateo, California. He has worked for Google, NASA, and consulted for governments around the world on data pipelines and data analysis. Disappointed by the lack of clear resources on the impacts of inflation on economic indicators, Ian believes this website serves as a valuable public tool. Ian earned his degree in Computer Science from Dartmouth College.
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