U.S. inflation · 1990–1992

Value of $100 in 1990, adjusted to 1992

$100 in 1990 has the same buying power as

$107

in 1992

$100$104$107199019911992$100 · 1990$107 · 1992
Detailed inflation statistics
Cumulative price change7.3%
Average inflation rate3.61% per year
Converted amount ($100 base)$107
Price difference ($100 base)$7.35
CPI in 1990130.7
CPI in 1992140.3
Inflation in 19905.40%
Inflation in 19923.01%
$100 in 19901992$107
$100 in 19921990$93.16

What happened to prices between 1990 and 1992

Between 1990 and 1992, the Consumer Price Index went from 130.7 to 140.3. Cumulatively, prices increased 7.3%, which works out to an average of 3.61% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 1990 bought what $0.93 buys in 1992.

In 1990, the median U.S. household earned about $29,900, gas averaged $1.15 a gallon, and mailing a letter cost a quarter. Inflation ran hot at 5.4% for the year, its highest rate since 1982, pushed up by an oil shock after Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, and the economy tipped into recession that summer. It was the last gasp of elevated inflation before the long calm of the 1990s.

More about inflation in 1990 →

Common amounts: 1990 dollars in 1992

Amount in 1990Value in 1992
$1.00$1.07
$5.00$5.37
$10.00$10.73
$20.00$21.47
$50.00$53.67
$100$107
$500$537
$1,000$1,073
$5,000$5,367
$10,000$10,735
$100,000$107,345
$1,000,000$1,073,451

Inflation by spending category, 1990–1992

The headline number is an average. Individual categories moved very differently over this period. Here is what $100 of 1990 spending costs in 1992, by category:

Category Avg. yearly inflation $100 in 1990 →
All items (CPI-U) 3.61% $107
Medical care 8.06% $117
Core (all items less food & energy) 4.26% $109
Housing 3.44% $107
Apparel 3.09% $106
Transportation 2.46% $105
Food 2.06% $104
Energy 0.44% $101

Not shown because the BLS began these indexes after 1990: recreation (1993–), education & communication (1993–).

Year by year: CPI and the value of $100 from 1990

Year CPI Inflation rate $100 from 1990
1990 130.7 5.4% $100
1991 136.2 4.2% $104
1992 140.3 3.0% $107

Cite this page

MLA: “Inflation from 1990 to 1992: $100 is worth $107 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1990-to-1992/

APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 1990 to 1992. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1990-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.