In today’s dollars, $11/hour in 2010 is about $16.30/hour using U.S. CPI inflation estimates. That means the same buying power would be roughly 48% higher today than it was in 2010.

Quick math

  • 2010 wage: $11.00/hour.
  • Inflation-adjusted value today: about $16.30/hour.
  • Difference: about $5.30/hour more in today’s dollars.

What that means

A common way to think about it is that $11 in 2010 bought what about $16.30 buys now, so the number may look similar but the real value changed with inflation. The exact figure can vary a little depending on which inflation calculator or date you use.

Simple example

If someone earned 40 hours a week at $11/hour in 2010, that was about $440 a week then. In today’s dollars, that would be roughly equivalent to $652 a week.

Note

If you want the answer as “what would $11/hour in 2010 be worth in a specific year” , the result changes by year.