Inflation Since 1990: Prices Have Risen 155.48%

"Inflation Rate Since a Given Year" Calculator

How much has inflation been since

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How much has inflation been since 1990?

Answer

Prices have risen 155.48% since 1990 — 36 years at an average of 2.64% a year

(That is 36 years at an average of 2.64% a year. One 1990 dollar buys what $2.55 buys today)

Inflation since 1990, both directions

Total price growth: 155.48%
Average per year over 36 years: 2.64%
One 1990 dollar today: $2.55
One dollar today, in 1990 money: $0.39

What the average does and does not say

2.64% is the constant rate that compounds to 155.48% over 36 years. It is not what happened in any particular year: the span contains years well above the average and years where prices fell.

Source: CPI-U, series CUUR0000SA0, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — 1990 annual average 130.7, July 2026 333.918.

See Also

  • Inflation Calculator - Convert dollars from any past year into today's money, using the official CPI-U series

About "Inflation Rate Since a Given Year" Calculator

Pick a year and this page tells you how far prices have moved since — the total rise, the average yearly rate, and what a single dollar from that year is worth in today's money.

Enter a year: anything from 1913 to 2025.

Read the result: cumulative inflation since that year, the average annual rate behind it, and the value of one of that year's dollars today.

Since 1990, prices have risen 155.48% — that is 36 years at an average of 2.64% a year. One 1990 dollar buys what $2.55 buys today; put the other way round, a dollar today would have been worth about $0.39 back then.

The source is the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Each past year is the annual average BLS publishes for it, and today is the latest published month, July 2026. The answer moves when BLS publishes, not when the clock does.

Averages hide a lot. An average of 2.64% across 36 years does not mean prices rose by that much in any particular year: the span contains years well above it and years where prices fell.

For example, it can help you find out how much has inflation been since 1990? (The answer is: 155.48%).

"Inflation Rate Since a Given Year" Calculator

How much has inflation been since

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What 1990 Dollars Are Worth Today

Amount in 1990Equivalent todayIncrease
$1$2.55$1.55
$5$12.77$7.77
$10$25.55$15.55
$20$51.10$31.10
$50$127.74$77.74
$100$255.48$155.48
$200$510.97$310.97
$300$766.45$466.45
$500$1,277.42$777.42
$1,000$2,554.84$1,554.84
$2,000$5,109.69$3,109.69
$3,000$7,664.53$4,664.53
$5,000$12,774.22$7,774.22
$10,000$25,548.43$15,548.43

FAQ

How much has inflation been since 1990?

Prices have risen 155.48% since 1990 — 36 years at an average of 2.64% a year

What is the average inflation rate since 1990?

2.64% a year. That is the constant rate that compounds to the same total over 36 years — individual years within the span were higher and lower and years where prices fell.

What is one 1990 dollar worth today?

$2.55. Turned around, one dollar today has the buying power that about $0.39 had in 1990.

Where do these numbers come from?

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 1990's published annual average is 130.7; today is the latest published month, July 2026, at 333.918.