U.S. inflation · 1983–1992

Value of $100 in 1983, adjusted to 1992

$100 in 1983 has the same buying power as

$141

in 1992

$100$120$14119831985198819901992$100 · 1983$141 · 1992
Detailed inflation statistics
Cumulative price change40.9%
Average inflation rate3.88% per year
Converted amount ($100 base)$141
Price difference ($100 base)$40.86
CPI in 198399.6
CPI in 1992140.3
Inflation in 19833.21%
Inflation in 19923.01%
$100 in 19831992$141
$100 in 19921983$70.99

What happened to prices between 1983 and 1992

Between 1983 and 1992, the Consumer Price Index went from 99.6 to 140.3. Cumulatively, prices increased 40.9%, which works out to an average of 3.88% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 1983 bought what $0.71 buys in 1992.

Common amounts: 1983 dollars in 1992

Amount in 1983Value in 1992
$1.00$1.41
$5.00$7.04
$10.00$14.09
$20.00$28.17
$50.00$70.43
$100$141
$500$704
$1,000$1,409
$5,000$7,043
$10,000$14,086
$100,000$140,863
$1,000,000$1,408,635

Inflation by spending category, 1983–1992

The headline number is an average. Individual categories moved very differently over this period. Here is what $100 of 1983 spending costs in 1992, by category:

Category Avg. yearly inflation $100 in 1983 →
All items (CPI-U) 3.88% $141
Medical care 7.33% $189
Core (all items less food & energy) 4.44% $148
Food 3.70% $139
Housing 3.66% $138
Apparel 3.10% $132
Transportation 2.73% $127
Energy 0.34% $103

Not shown because the BLS began these indexes after 1983: recreation (1993–), education & communication (1993–).

Year by year: CPI and the value of $100 from 1983

Year CPI Inflation rate $100 from 1983
1983 99.6 3.2% $100
1984 103.9 4.3% $104
1985 107.6 3.6% $108
1986 109.6 1.9% $110
1987 113.6 3.6% $114
1988 118.3 4.1% $119
1989 124 4.8% $124
1990 130.7 5.4% $131
1991 136.2 4.2% $137
1992 140.3 3.0% $141

Cite this page

MLA: “Inflation from 1983 to 1992: $100 is worth $141 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1983-to-1992/

APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 1983 to 1992. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1983-to-1992/

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U annual averages (series CUUR0000SA0; category indexes listed on the data sources page). See how these numbers are calculated.