U.S. inflation · 1990–1994

Value of $100 in 1990, adjusted to 1994

$100 in 1990 has the same buying power as

$113

in 1994

$100$107$11319901994$100 · 1990$113 · 1994
Detailed inflation statistics
Cumulative price change13.4%
Average inflation rate3.19% per year
Converted amount ($100 base)$113
Price difference ($100 base)$13.39
CPI in 1990130.7
CPI in 1994148.2
Inflation in 19905.40%
Inflation in 19942.56%
$100 in 19901994$113
$100 in 19941990$88.19

What happened to prices between 1990 and 1994

Between 1990 and 1994, the Consumer Price Index went from 130.7 to 148.2. Cumulatively, prices increased 13.4%, which works out to an average of 3.19% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 1990 bought what $0.88 buys in 1994.

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 1994

Amount in 1990Value in 1994
$1.00$1.13
$5.00$5.67
$10.00$11.34
$20.00$22.68
$50.00$56.69
$100$113
$500$567
$1,000$1,134
$5,000$5,669
$10,000$11,339
$100,000$113,389
$1,000,000$1,133,894

Inflation by spending category, 1990–1994

The headline number is an average. Individual categories moved very differently over this period. Here is what $100 of 1990 spending costs in 1994, by category:

Category Avg. yearly inflation $100 in 1990 →
All items (CPI-U) 3.19% $113
Medical care 6.70% $130
Core (all items less food & energy) 3.67% $115
Housing 3.03% $113
Transportation 2.75% $111
Food 2.17% $109
Apparel 1.82% $107
Energy 0.61% $102

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
1993 144.5 3.0% $111
1994 148.2 2.6% $113

Cite this page

MLA: “Inflation from 1990 to 1994: $100 is worth $113 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1990-to-1994/

APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 1990 to 1994. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1990-to-1994/

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.