Buying power of $1.88 in 2004

This chart shows calculation of buying power equivalence, often referred to as "the value of a dollar" over time for $1.88 in 2004 (price index tracking began in 1635).

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:

Inflation by City

Inflation can vary widely by city, even within the United States. Here's how some cities fared in 2004 to 2016 (figures shown are purchasing power equivalents of $1.88):

• San Diego, California: 2.75% average rate, $1.88 → $2.60, cumulative change of 38.50%
• Miami-Fort Lauderdale, Florida: 2.52% average rate, $1.88 → $2.53, cumulative change of 34.76%
• San Francisco, California: 2.46% average rate, $1.88 → $2.52, cumulative change of 33.94%
• Tampa, Florida: 2.35% average rate, $1.88 → $2.48, cumulative change of 32.12%
• Denver, Colorado: 2.33% average rate, $1.88 → $2.48, cumulative change of 31.89%
• Seattle, Washington: 2.27% average rate, $1.88 → $2.46, cumulative change of 30.93%
• New York: 2.12% average rate, $1.88 → $2.42, cumulative change of 28.62%
• Houston, Texas: 2.06% average rate, $1.88 → $2.40, cumulative change of 27.77%
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: 1.88% average rate, $1.88 → $2.35, cumulative change of 25.01%
• Minneapolis-St Paul, Minnesota: 1.85% average rate, $1.88 → $2.34, cumulative change of 24.61%
• Boston, Massachusetts: 1.83% average rate, $1.88 → $2.34, cumulative change of 24.32%
• Phoenix, Arizona: 1.79% average rate, $1.88 → $2.33, cumulative change of 23.68%
• Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas: 1.77% average rate, $1.88 → $2.32, cumulative change of 23.45%
• Atlanta, Georgia: 1.75% average rate, $1.88 → $2.31, cumulative change of 23.11%
• St Louis, Missouri: 1.71% average rate, $1.88 → $2.30, cumulative change of 22.58%
• Chicago, Illinois: 1.64% average rate, $1.88 → $2.29, cumulative change of 21.56%
• Detroit, Michigan: 1.52% average rate, $1.88 → $2.25, cumulative change of 19.86%

San Diego, California experienced the highest rate of inflation during the 12 years between 2004 and 2016 (2.75%).

Detroit, Michigan experienced the lowest rate of inflation during the 12 years between 2004 and 2016 (1.52%).

Note that some locations showing 0% inflation may have not yet reported latest data.

Inflation by Country

Inflation can also vary widely by country. For comparison, in the UK £1.88 in 2004 would be equivalent to £2.65 in 2016, an absolute change of £0.77 and a cumulative change of 40.90%.

In Canada, CA$1.88 in 2004 would be equivalent to CA$2.29 in 2016, an absolute change of CA$0.41 and a cumulative change of 21.82%.

Compare these numbers to the US's overall absolute change of $0.51 and total percent change of 27.06%.

Inflation by Spending Category

CPI is the weighted combination of many categories of spending that are tracked by the government. This chart shows the average rate of inflation for select CPI categories between 2004 and 2016.

Compare these values to the overall average of 2.02% per year:

It's important to note that not all categories may be tracked since 2004. This table and visualization use the earliest available data for each category.

How to Calculate Inflation Rate for $1.88, 2004 to 2016

This inflation calculator uses the following inflation rate formula:

Then plug in historical CPI values. The U.S. CPI was 188.9 in the year 2004 and 240.007 in 2016:

$1.88 in 2004 has the same "purchasing power" or "buying power" as $2.39 in 2016.

To get the total inflation rate for the 12 years between 2004 and 2016, we use the following formula:

Plugging in the values to this equation, we get:

Alternate Measurements of Inflation

The above data describe the CPI for all items. Also of note is the Core CPI, which measures inflation for all items except for the more volatile categories of food and energy. Core inflation averaged 1.94% per year between 2004 and 2016 (vs all-CPI inflation of 2.02%), for an inflation total of 25.93%.

When using the core inflation measurement, $1.88 in 2004 is equivalent in buying power to $2.37 in 2016, a difference of $0.49. Recall that for All Items, the converted amount is $2.39 with a difference of $0.51.

In 2004, core inflation was 1.76%.

Chained CPI is an alternative measurement that takes into account how consumers adjust spending for similar items. Chained inflation averaged 1.79% per year between 2004 and 2016, a total inflation amount of 25.93%.

According to the Chained CPI measurement, $1.88 in 2004 is equal in buying power to $2.33 in 2016, a difference of $0.45 (versus a converted amount of $2.39/change of $0.51 for All Items).

In 2004, chained inflation was 2.51%.

Comparison to S&P 500 Index

The average inflation rate of 2.02% has a compounding effect between 2004 and 2016. As noted above, this yearly inflation rate compounds to produce an overall price difference of 27.06% over 12 years.

To help put this inflation into perspective, if we had invested $1.88 in the S&P 500 index in 2004, our investment would be nominally worth approximately $4.90 in 2016. This is a return on investment of 160.81%, with an absolute return of $3.02.

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 21.29% of returns ($0.64) during this period. This means the inflation-adjusted real return of our $1.88 investment is $2.38.

News headlines from 2004

Politics and news often influence economic performance. Here's what was happening at the time:

• The Humanitarian Ceasefire Agreement is signed by the Sudanese government and two rebel groups.
• Massachusetts becomes the first United States state to legalize same-sex marriage.
• The Indonesian elections are won by Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

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 1665 to 1912 is sourced from a historical study conducted by political science professor Robert Sahr at Oregon State University.

» Read more about inflation and investment.