Prices and Wages by Decade: 2010-2019
Links to government documents and primary sources listing retail prices for products and services, as well as wages for common occupations.
Wages in the United States, 2010-2019
- Wages in the United States, 2013-2019Shows the wages of each decile in 2013 and 2019 for both the CPS OEWS surveys. Source: BLS Monthly labor review, June 2022
- Wages by occupation and area, 2010sWage averages for each year of the 2010s broken out geographically. Source: BLS.
- Minimum wage
Wages by sex, race, etc. in the United States, 2010-2019
- Earnings by sex, race, and other demographics, 2010sSource: "Highlights of women's earnings" series, based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau's Current population survey.
- 2010 (PDF)
- 2011 (PDF)
- 2012 (PDF)
- 2013 (PDF)
- 2014 (PDF)
- 2015 (PDF) (HTML) (tables in XLSX)
- 2016 (PDF) (HTML) (tables in XLSX)
- 2017 (PDF) (HTML) (tables in XLSX)
- 2018 (PDF) (HTML) (tables in XLSX)
- 2019 (PDF) (HTML) (tables in XLSX)
Wages by occupation and industry 2010-2019
- Wages by industry, 2009-2019Source: BLS Monthly labor review, June 2022
- Wages by occupation, 2010sData from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment Statistics series.
- Wages in Texas - 2010sTexas Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages by Industry and County.
- Agriculture - farm labor wages, 2010sThe USDA publication Farm Labor has been listing agricultural wages for nearly 90 years. Use "Filter by date" feature to navigate to a specific issue.
- Congressional salaries, 1789-presentLists salaries along with dates of enactment and statutory authority for each pay increase.
- Librarian salaries at research institutions, 2005-2019Data published by the Association of Research Libraries.
- Military pay charts (US), 1908-presentThis website does a good job of organizing a complex topic.
- Teacher salaries - Missouri, 2017-presentData online from the Missouri chapter of the NEA (National Education Administration).
Inflation and buying power, 2010s
- Consumer Price Index (CPI) Inflation CalculatorCalculates buying power of money at different points in history. For example, $1 earned in January 2011 had the same buying power as $1.19 in January 2021.
- Calculator: Present-day worth of a past amount of moneyThe MeasuringWorth.com website provides online calculators, guides and tutorials to help researchers understand the current-day value of historic money in the United States, Australia, Spain and the United Kingdom.
What is the Consumer Price Index (CPI)?
"The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a representative basket of consumer goods and services" with respect to a given base year with value 100. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
What is inflation?
As measured with CPI, it is the percent change in the CPI between two different years, showing the "annual percentage change in the cost to the average consumer of acquiring a basket of goods and services". Source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
CPI Inflation Formula: CPIx-1-CPIx ⁄CPIx*100
- CPI & inflation rate, 1800-2021Shows both average annual CPI and the yearly inflation rate in the US. The base year for CPI is 1967. Note that all CPI before 1913 is a rough estimate. Source: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
- Consumer price index, 2010-2019Shows the average CPI for all items and urban consumers. The base year is 1982-1984. Source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
- Inflation rate, 2010-2019Shows the yearly inflation rate for all consumer prices in the US. Source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
"The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a representative basket of consumer goods and services" with respect to a given base year with value 100. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Prices in the United States, 2010-2019
- Food and fuel prices, 1980-2010Food and fuel prices in Excel format inStatistical Abstract of the United States, 2012 online edition, tables #730-733.
- Food - Average retail prices, 1980-2018Prices for meats, fruits, vegetables, bread, eggs, milk, etc. View data back to 1980 by clicking the green "Historical Data" icon in the rows, then use drop-down boxes near the top of the page to set start and end dates.
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- Home value by state, 2007-2012Census publication provides data and discussion on home values and homeownership rates during this time period.
- Farm real estate values in Missouri, Illinois and Iowa, 1912-2019Includes both land and buildings. Compares to national averages. Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service.
- New car average price, 1970-2020This data is also downloadable as an Excel file. Source: Transportation energy data book edition 40 (2022), Table 11.13. See more downloadable data from this source.
- MSRP for new cars by make, model and body type, 2010sManufacturer suggested retail prices (MSRP) for cars and trucks are available on the J.D. Power website Choose a make, year of manufacture, and body type. Select a model then enter any zip code. Click "Get Base Values" to see the original MSRP.
GASOLINE and DIESEL FUEL PRICES
- Gasoline and diesel retail prices by year, 1978-2020Shows average annual prices including tax. Source: Transportation energy data book (2021), Table 11.6. Data is also downloadable in Excel format.
- Gasoline prices by state, 1983-2011Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration.
- Gasoline prices, 1949-2011"Nominal price" was the price paid by the customer at the time of the transaction. This table shows the nominal price of leaded gasoline from 1949-1990 and unleaded gas from 1976-2011. Source: U.S. EIA.
COST of a COLLEGE EDUCATION, 2010s
In 2010, 50.6% of people aged 18-21 were enrolled in college (U.S. Census) and 29.9% of people aged 25 years or older had completed 4 years (U.S. Census, Table A-2).
- Undergraduate college tuition, fees, room and board, 1963-2022Shows average undergraduate tuition/fees and room/board rates charged for full-time students, with breakouts for public, private, non-profit and for-profit institutions.
- Undergraduate college expenses by state, 2017-2019Shows average tuition and fees, room and board by state, by public/private institution, and for in-state/out-of-state students. Source: U.S. Digest of Education Statistics.
- Graduate school tuition and fees by state, 1989-2019Shows average tuition and fees by state, and by public or private institution. Also expresses two decades of tuition data in 2018-2019 dollars. Source: U.S. Dept of Education, Digest of Education Statistics.
- Disney World theme park admission prices, 2010-2019Detailed ticket and pass prices to the various Disney theme parks. Source: AllEars.net.
TIP: Back issues of the Consumer Reports magazine do list retail price for selected items. Some public and college libraries maintain historical sets, and some may offer digital access through a subscription database. Check with your local library for details.
- Cost to mail a letter or postcard, 1863-presentSource: the Historian of the U.S. Postal Service.
- Funeral and burial costs, 2019Press release shows itemized funeral and burial costs from the National Funeral Directors Association. See their statistics page for further detail.
- Funeral prices in California, 2018Report from the Funeral Consumers Alliance and Consumer Federation of America.
Consumer income and expenditures, 2010-2019
- Consumer expenditures on housing, 1986-2010Shows average annual expenditures by homeowners and renters for mortgage or rent as well as utilities, telephone service (land lines and cellular), household supplies and furnishings. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Consumer income reports, 2010sThe Census Bureau's Current Population Reports (CPS) P-60 series includes many statistical reports, including the following:
- Income and poverty: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
- Income, poverty, and health insurance coverage: 2010, 2011, 2012
- Health insurance coverage: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
- Supplemental poverty measure: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
- Sharing a household: household composition and economic well-being: 2007-2010
- Custodial mothers and fathers and their child support: 2011, 2013, 2015
- Living in near poverty: 1966-2012
Quotable facts for the 2010-2019 decade
In the United States...
- Minimum wage was $7.25 per hour for the entire 2010s decade. Source: U.S. Dept of Labor
- Homes had a median value of $179,900 in 2010. Source: U.S. Census Bureau
- Education at 4-year, public universities cost an average $17,722 for tuition, fees, room & board in 2010-11. Source: U.S. Dept of Education
- Coffee cost $3.85 per lb. in 2010 (use drop-down box on BLS site to select year).
- TRANSPORTATION
- New cars cost an average $23,769 in 2010. Source: U.S. BEA
- There were 1.14 vehicles per licensed driver in 2010. Source: U.S. Dept of Energy
- In 2010, 19.5% of U.S. households had 3 or more vehicles, compared to 2.5% in 1960. Source: U.S. Dept of Energy
- Gasoline averaged $2.79 per gallon in 2010. Source: U.S. Energy Info Admin
- HEALTH CARE PERSONAL EXPENDITURES -- Source: Health, United States.
- Health care costs averaged $9,787 per person for the year 2019, 12.7% of which the consumer paid out-of-pocket. Compare to 1960, when health care costs averaged $124 per person for the year 1960, 55.3% of which the consumer paid out-of-pocket.
Ask a Question
Marie Concannon, Government Information Librarian
Government Documents Department, Ellis Library
University of Missouri, Columbia
Email: concannonm@missouri.edu
Phone (573) 882-0748
