The CPI-U for each year, that year's inflation, and the amount in that year's dollars.
Year
CPI-U
Inflation
Amount
1990
130.7
—
$100
1991
136.2
4.2%
$104
1992
140.3
3.0%
$107
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See what a US dollar from any year since 1913 is worth in another year, using the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index (CPI-U), with the cumulative inflation, the average yearly rate and a year-by-year table. A second mode projects future prices at a rate you choose.
Best for: Old prices in today’s money, Salary comparisons over time, Planning future costs, History and teaching
Updated September 2026 · Estimates only, not financial advice.
$100 in 1990 buys what $246.32 bought in 2025
The consumer price index tracks the cost of a fixed basket of goods and services. Its level has no meaning on its own — it is set so that 1982–84 averages 100 — but the ratio between two years says how much prices changed. The CPI-U averaged 130.7 in 1990 and 321.943 in 2025, so prices rose by a factor of 321.943 ÷ 130.7 = 2.463.
value(B) = value(A) × CPI(B) ÷ CPI(A)
Converting a dollar amount is just multiplying by that ratio: $100 × 2.463 = $246.32. Run it the other way and $100 in 2025 buys what $40.60 bought in 1990. Using the latest month, August 2026, the same $100 from 1990 is worth $256.30.
$100 from 1990 in 2025
CPI 2025 ÷ CPI 1990 = 321.943 ÷ 130.7 = 2.4632
$100 × 2.4632
= $246.32
146% over 35 years is only 2.61% a year
Cumulative inflation is the total rise: from 1990 to 2025 prices rose 146.3%. The average annual rate is the steady yearly rate that would compound to the same total, (2.4632)^(1/35) − 1 = 2.61%. Both are true; they answer different questions.
Small yearly rates compound into large totals. From 2020 to 2025 alone prices rose 24.39%, as the post-pandemic surge added more in five years than the previous decade had. Over the whole record, $100 from 1913 is worth about $3,252 in 2025 dollars — an average of 3.16% a year for 112 years.
What the CPI-U measures — and what it leaves out
The CPI-U covers all urban consumers, about 93% of the US population, and prices a basket of food, housing, clothing, transport, medical care, recreation, education and other spending, weighted by how much households spend on each. It is the index most often used for inflation calculators, cost-of-living comparisons and contracts.
It is an average. A household that spends more on rent or medical care than the basket assumes has had higher inflation than the index, and one that mostly buys electronics has had less. Rural households are outside its scope, and the chained CPI (C-CPI-U), which allows for people switching between products, usually rises a little more slowly.
Why 2026 uses August and the 2025 average has eleven months
Each year from 1913 to 2025 uses its annual average. Until 2007 the Bureau of Labor Statistics published the index to one decimal place; from 2007 it publishes three, and the values here match the published annual averages (2024: 313.689).
The 2025 average is the mean of eleven months, because BLS did not publish an index for October 2025: the federal government shutdown stopped its price collection that month. 2026 is not yet complete, so conversions to or from 2026 use the latest published month, August 2026 (334.980).
At 3% a year prices double in about 23 years
The Future inflation mode compounds a flat rate: $100 of today’s prices costs 100 × 1.03^10 = $134.39 in ten years at 3% a year, and $100 received ten years from now is worth only $74.41 in today’s money. At 3% prices double in about 23.4 years (ln 2 ÷ ln 1.03).
Real inflation is never flat — it ran below 2% in most years of the 2010s and reached 8% in 2022 — so treat a projection as a planning assumption, and compare a few rates rather than relying on one.
Worked example
$100 in 1990 compared with 2025.
Worked example
CPI-U 1990 = 130.7
CPI-U 2025 = 321.943
Equivalent in 2025 = $246.32
Cumulative inflation = 146.3%
Average a year = 2.61%
Limitations
US prices only; other countries have their own price indexes.
The CPI-U is an average basket; your own inflation depends on what you buy.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is $100 from 1990 worth today?
About $246 in 2025 dollars, and about $256 at August 2026 prices, using the BLS CPI-U: 100 × 321.943 ÷ 130.7 = 246.32.
What index does this use?
The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, not seasonally adjusted — the headline measure the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes.
Sources & References
Figures on this page are checked against primary, authoritative sources. Links open in a new tab.
Results are estimates based on the figures you enter and standard formulas. Rates, fees, taxes, and lender terms vary and change over time, so confirm important numbers with your lender or a qualified professional. This is educational information, not financial advice.
Published a CPI-U inflation calculator for every year from 1913 with the latest 2026 month, cumulative and average annual inflation, a year table and a future mode.
Annual averages checked against BLS (2007–2024 computed from the BLS API and matching the published values; October 2025 unpublished because of the shutdown).
Added an automated formula suite against BLS published values.
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