Prices and Wages by Decade: 2000-2009
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, 2000-2009
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Average annual wage by state, 2000-2008Also available as a downloadable Excel file from the 2012 Statistical Abstract of the U.S. (source). Details about the dataset are on the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages website.
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Median weekly earnings by race and sex - 2000, 2005 and 2009Source: Statistical Abstract of the U.S., 2011 edition, p. 421.
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Occupational Employment Statistics, 1997-currentShows average wages for over 800 occupations in Excel spreadsheet format.
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Earnings by state and metro area, 2011-2019The "Employment and earnings" series shows average employee earnings by industry. Source: U.S. BLS.
Wages by occupation and industry 2000-2009
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Rankings of full-time occupations by earnings - 2000, 2004, 2005, 2009These articles rank over 400 full-time occupations from the National Compensation Survey by earnings from high to low:
- 2000 - Table 1 (pp.47-55) shows mean hourly earnings (source).
- 2004 - Table 1 (pp.5-23) shows mean annual earnings (source).
- 2005 - Table 1 (pp.4-24) shows mean hourly earnings (source).
- 2009 - Gives the mean annual earnings of the 20 highest (table 1, p.2) and 20 lowest (table 2, pp.3-4) paid occupations (source).
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Agriculture - Farm labor wages, 1930-presentThe USDA periodical Farm Labor has been in publication for nearly 90 years and lists wages in each issue. Use the "Filter by date" feature or access certain years, or access this title through the Hathi Trust digital library.
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Congressional salaries, 1789-presentLists salaries along with dates of enactment and statutory authority for each pay increase.
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Cooks - Hourly wages in many cities, 2009This article reports on the average hourly wages of cooks (both full- and part-time) in select metropolitan areas in July of 2009 (source).
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Healthcare workers - Hourly wages, 2008This article shows the mean hourly wages of healthcare workers by lever for 2008; see table 1 on pages 2-3 and table 2 on pages 5-6 (source).
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Janitors - Hourly wages, 2000This article reports on the earnings of janitors in 2000; tables 1 to 4 (pp.6-7) show mean hourly wages by geographic area, metropolitan vs. nonmetropolitan areas, selected localities, and level of work (source).
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Manufacturing - employee earnings, 1954-2007Shows breakouts by state and major cities. Select any year from 1954-2007. Look for tables describing EARNINGS expressed in "current dollars."
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Military pay charts (US), 1908-presentThis website does a good job of organizing a complex topic.
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Nonprofit wages by sector, 2007A trio of articles report on the 2007 earnings in the nonprofit sector: one looks at management, professional, and administrative support occupations; one at educational and research institutions; and one at healthcare, personal care, and social service occupations (source).
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Nurses - Wages in profit & nonprofit hospitals, 2003See table 1 on page 6 of this article for average hourly earnings of Registered Nurses and Licensed Practical Nurses in 2003 by profit and nonprofit private hospitals and in state and local government (source).
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Teacher salaries at colleges and universities, 2003Source: Monthly labor review, June 2005.
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Teacher pay by state, 2006-07Source: American Federation of Teachers' Survey and Analysis of Teacher Salary Trends, 2007.
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Technology-oriented occupations - 2004Shows median annual wages for workers in tech occupations in May 2004 (source).
Wages by location for selected occupations, 2000-2009
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Average annual pay by state and metro area, 2000-2001Source: Statistical abstract of the U.S.
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Hourly earnings ranked by states - 2008Tables in this article show 2008's average hourly earnings by industry ranked by state (source). Industries include construction, manufacturing, transportation and utilities, financial activities, professional and business services, education and health services, and leisure and hospitality.
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New York City - Wages by borough, 2000 & 2002This article examines the effect of 9/11 on the New York economy by borough; tables show averages wages in 2000 and 2002 for:
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Memphis, TN - Wages in transportation, 2007This article compares the 2007 average hourly earnings of workers in transportation-related occupations in Memphis and the United States (source).
Non-wage forms of income, 2000-2009
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Consumer Income ReportsThe Census Bureau's Current Population Reports P-60 series, "Consumer Income" presents data on families, individuals, and households. Click 'more...' below for a listing of 2000s reports:
Prices in the United States, 2000-2009
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Average retail food prices, 1980-2018Prices for meats, fruits, vegetables, bread, eggs, milk and more foods. To view data back to 1980, click the green "Historical Data" icon in the rows, then use drop-down boxes near the top of the page to set start and end years.
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Consumer Price Index Databases-Average Price DataTo get average prices of common items purchased by consumers including various meats, breads, dairy products, gasoline, electricity per KwH, etc., find “Average Price Data” > Select how you want to display your search options (One Screen recommended) > Follow the instructions on the screen. Dates in this set can vary, but can go back as far 1947.
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Median gross rent by state, 1940-2000Gross rent is defined as "the monthly amount of rent plus the estimated average monthly cost of utilities (electricity, gas, water and sewer) and fuels (oil, coal, kerosene, wood, etc.). This source shows data by state and for the U.S. as a whole. Source: U.S. Census of Housing, choose unadjusted figures.
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Renters' housing costs, 2000Data and discussion on the cost of rent and utilities, along with some demographic breakouts and historical context. Source: U.S. Census.
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Median home values by state, 1940-2000Median home values for states and for the U.S. as a whole. Source: U.S. Census of Housing, choose unadjusted figures.
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Property value by metropolitan statistical area, 2008-2009Census report provides data and discussion on home values. Source: American Community Survey Brief.
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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.
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Farm real estate values in Midwestern states, 1912-2019Includes both land and buildings. Compares to national averages. Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service.
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New car average price, 1970-2020This data is also downloadable as an Excel file. Source: Transportation energy data book (2021), table 11.13.
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New car prices 2000-2010 according to NADAManufacturer suggested retail prices (MSRP) for cars and trucks are available through the NADA website. Choose a make, year, and body type. Select a car then enter any zip code. Click "Get Base Values."
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New car loans - Average amount financed, 1971-2011Downloadable data from the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
GASOLINE and DIESEL FUEL
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Gasoline prices by state, 1983-2010Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration.
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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.
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Gasoline prices in Missouri by city, 2005Data collected by a U.S. senator and reported in a congressional hearing titled Gasoline Prices.
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Hospital inpatient stays - Average expense, 2000Shows average expense to the hospital per inpatient, by the day and by full stay. Data broken out by hospital size and type. Source: Health, United States (2002), table 121.
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Cost to mail a letter or postcard, 1863-presentSource: the Historian of the U.S. Postal Service.
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Smartphone prices, 2009Shows the prices and service fees for 3G smartphones in 2009. Along with the iPhone, it shows the Samsung Omnia, T-Mobile, and the Blackberry Bold. Source: Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine
COST of a COLLEGE EDUCATION, 2000s
In 2000, 34% of people aged 18-24 were enrolled in college (U.S. Census) and 25.6% of people aged 25 years or older have completed 4 years (U.S. Census, Table A-2).
See tabs above for additional price categories
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Undergraduate college tuition, fees, room and board, 1963-2019Shows average undergraduate tuition/fees and room/board rates charged for full-time students, with breakouts for public, private, non-profit and for-profit institutions.
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Price of college textbooks, 1997 and 2004Students spent an average of $898 per year on textbooks in 2003-2004. See page 4 of the report Ripoff 101: How the Current Practices of the Textbook Industry Drives up the Cost of Textbooks. This report was quoted in the 2004 congressional hearing Are College Textbooks Priced Fairly? In contrast, college students spent around $30 annually for textbooks in 1932 (source).
ENTERTAINMENT PRICES, 2000-2010
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Disney World theme park admission prices, 2000-2010Shows detailed adult and child ticket and pass prices. Source: AllEars.net
Inflation and buying power, 2000s
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Consumer Price Index (CPI) Inflation CalculatorCalculates buying power of money at different points in history. For example, $1 earned in December 2003 had the same buying power as $1.50 in October 2021.
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Calculator: Present-day purchasing power of a historic dollar amountThe 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
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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
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Consumer price index, 2000-2009Shows the average CPI for all items and urban consumers. The base year is 1982-1984. Source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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Inflation rate, 2000-2009Shows the yearly inflation rate for all consumer prices in the US. Source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Quotable facts for the 2000-2009 decade
In the United States...
- Minimum wage was $5.15 per hour in the year 2000. Source: U.S. Dept of Labor
- The personal income per capita in the US in 2000 was $30,318. Source: US Census Bureau
- The median money income of families in the US in 2000 was $50,732. Source: US Census Bureau
- The average earnings of year-round, full-time workers in the US in 2009 was $62,445 for men and $44,857 for women. Source: US Census Bureau
- Homes had a median value of $119,600 in 2000. Source: US Census Bureau
- College education at 4-year, public universities cost an average of $9199 for tuition, fees, room & board in 2001-02. Source: U.S. Dept of Education.
- Coffee cost an average of $3.50 per pound in 2000. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- New cars cost an average of $19,559 in 2000. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
- There were 1.12 vehicles per licensed driver in the US in 2000. Source: U.S. Dept of Energy
- In 2000, 18.3% of U.S.households had 3 or more vehicles, compared to 2.5% in 1960. Source: U.S. Dept of Energy
- Gasoline cost an average of $1.51 per gallon in 2000. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration
- Prescription drugs frequently used by Medicare beneficiaries increased in price 24% from 2000 to 2004. Source: U.S. GAO.
- Out-of-pocket health expenditures averaged $714.14 in 2000. This was 17.3% of the total $4,128 annual health care cost per person. Source: NCHS
- The average annual per-capita health expenditure was 32.02 times more in 2000 than 1960. Compare this to the broader inflation rate of 5.761 for this same time period. Source: NCHS and U.S. BLS
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