Inflation Record$100 in 1991 → Today
Official data verified · U.S. CPI-U · Annual average · NSA · Data through September 2026 (fetched 2026-11-02) · Series CUUR0000SA0
+144.0% cumulative inflation · 1991–2026
Your $100 in 1991 would have the purchasing power of $243.95 today.
What this means
- Purchasing power: $100 in 1991 had the same average buying power as $243.95 in 2026.
- Price level change: the overall consumer price level rose by 144.0% across this 35-year span; the purchasing power of a dollar fell by 59.0%.
- This measures the broad basket of consumer goods and services (CPI-U). Individual expenses — housing, medical care, tuition — moved at different rates.
What this means in other amounts
| In 1991 | Worth in 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $2.44 |
| $5 | $12.20 |
| $10 | $24.40 |
| $20 | $48.79 |
| $50 | $121.98 |
| $100 | $243.95 |
| $500 | $1,219.76 |
| $1,000 | $2,439.52 |
| $10,000 | $24,395.22 |
| $100,000 | $243,952.19 |
Key facts about 1991
- Consumer prices rose 4.2% in 1991 — the 32nd-largest annual increase in the 1913–2026 record.
- Among the major categories tracked since 1991, Medical care rose the most: 200.4% cumulatively to 2025.
- A gallon of regular gasoline averaged $1.14 in 1991 — about $2.78 in 2026 dollars.
- A dozen large eggs averaged $0.99 in 1991 — about $2.41 in 2026 dollars.
$100 in 1991, decade by decade
| Year | Worth | Cumulative price change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | $130.01 | +30.0% |
| 2011 | $165.16 | +65.2% |
| 2021 | $198.96 | +99.0% |
| 2026 | $243.95 | +144.0% |
Monthly CPI in 1991
| Month | CPI-U index | Change vs same month, prior year |
|---|---|---|
| January | 134.600 | 5.7% |
| February | 134.800 | 5.3% |
| March | 135.000 | 4.9% |
| April | 135.200 | 4.9% |
| May | 135.600 | 5.0% |
| June | 136.000 | 4.7% |
| July | 136.200 | 4.4% |
| August | 136.600 | 3.8% |
| September | 137.200 | 3.4% |
| October | 137.400 | 2.9% |
| November | 137.800 | 3.0% |
| December | 137.900 | 3.1% |
Annual average CPI-U for 1991: 136.192.
Verify this calculation
Series: CUUR0000SA0 (Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, All Items, U.S. City Average; Not seasonally adjusted (NSA); base 1982-84=100).
Index (1991 annual average): 136.192 · Index (2026 annual average): 332.243 · Ratio: 2.4395
Formula: amount × (indexend / indexstart). Formula v1.0 — annual-average CPI, NSA (per-country basis on each methodology page). Source: BLS data finder.
Cite this page
← $100 in 1990 · All years · $100 in 1992 →
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