In: Economics
Comparing salaries from different times
Consider golfers who led the Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PGA) in winnings at different points in time. Note that the winnings are nominal figures (unadjusted for inflation).
To convert the original earnings of Nicklaus, Watson, and Kite, use the formula for converting dollar figures from an earlier era into year 2017 U.S. dollars. Using those figures, fill in the following table, making sure to round your responses to the nearest U.S. dollar.
Year |
Golfer |
Nominal Winnings |
U.S. CPI |
Winnings in 2017 Dollars |
---|---|---|---|---|
(Dollars) |
(1983 = 100) |
|||
1965 | Jack Nicklaus | 140,752 | 31.5 | ? |
1980 | Tom Watson | 530,808 | 82.4 | ? |
1981 | Tom Kite | 375,699 | 90.9 | ? |
2017 | Justin Thomas | 9,921,560 | 245.1 | 9,921,560 |
True or False: According to the previous table, the golfer with the highest PGA winnings in nominal dollars is not the same as the golfer with the highest PGA winnings after adjusting for inflation.
Answer:
Year |
Golfer |
Nominal Winnings |
U.S. CPI |
Winnings in 2017 Dollars |
(Dollars) |
(1983 = 100) |
|||
1965 |
Jack Nicklaus |
140,752 |
31.5 |
1,095,184.61 |
1980 |
Tom Watson |
530,808 |
82.4 |
1,578,896.13 |
1981 |
Tom Kite |
375,699 |
90.9 |
1,013,023.38 |
2017 |
Justin Thomas |
9,921,560 |
245.1 |
9,921,560 |
Winnings in 2017 dollars = Nominal winnings * [CPI in 2017/CPI in 1965]
= 140,752 * 245.1 / 31.5 = 1,095,184.61
Winnings in 2017 dollars = Nominal winnings * [CPI in 2017/CPI in 1980]
= 530,808 * 245.1 / 82.4 = 1,578,896.13
Winnings in 2017 dollars = Nominal winnings * [CPI in 2017/CPI in 1981]
= 375,699 * 245.1 / 90.9 = 1,013,023.38
According to the previous table, the golfer with the highest PGA winnings in nominal dollars is not the same as the golfer with the highest PGA winnings after adjusting for inflation.
False, as the golfer with highest PGA winnings in nominal dollars is the same as the golfer with highest PGA winnings after adjusting for inflation.