$

Value of 1990 US Dollars today

$17,000 in 1990
$42,371.22 in 2026

Official annual inflation data for 2025 is yet to be published. This calculation used data up to 2025-12.

The cumulative inflation rate in the United States between 1990 and today has been 149.24%, meaning that prices are 2.49 times higher than they were in 1990. In practical terms, the purchasing power of $17,000 in 1990 is equivalent to $42,371.22 in today's dollars. The average annual inflation rate over this period has been 2.57%.

Inflation timeline in the United States (1990 - 2026)

The chart below shows how the value of $17,000 changes over time when adjusted for inflation, based on Consumer Price Index (CPI) data. All values are equivalent in terms of purchasing power, indicating how much money would be needed each year to buy the same goods or services.

All calculations are performed in US dollars with six-decimal precision, though displayed values are rounded to two decimals for readability. Inflation figures are sourced from official government and international reports released monthly. To convert historical amounts into today's dollars, we use the most recent CPI data available and extrapolate it to estimate the CPI for today.

The following table contains relevant indicators:

Indicator Value
Cumulative inflation 1990-2025 146.4%
Cumulative inflation 1990-today 149.24%
Avg. Annual inflation 1990-2025 2.61%
CPI 1990 130.66
CPI 2025 321.94
CPI 2026-01 (latest official data) 325.25
CPI today 325.66

How to calculate today's value of money after inflation?

There are several ways to calculate the time value of money. Depending on the data available, results can be obtained by using the Consumer Price Index (CPI) formula or the compound interest formula.

Using the CPI formula

When we have both the start and end years, we can use the following formula:

Valuet =Value0 ×
CPIt/CPI0

To obtain the values equivalent in buying power between 1990 and 2025, use the corresponding CPI values:

Value2025
=Value1990 ×
CPI2025/CPI1990
=$ 17,000 ×
321.94/130.66
$41,888.11

To obtain the equivalent value today (present value), plug in the CPI for today, which is estimated as 325.66:

Valuetoday
=Value1990 ×
CPItoday/CPI1990
=$ 17,000 ×
325.66/130.66
$42,371.22

Alternative: Using the compound interest formula

Given that money changes with time as a result of an inflation rate that acts as compound interest, we can use the following formula: FV = PV × (1 + i)n, where:

  • FV: Future Value
  • PV: Present Value
  • i: Interest rate (inflation)
  • n: Number of times the interest is compounded (i.e. # of years)

In this case, the future value represents the final amount obtained after applying the inflation rate to our initial value. In other words, it indicates how much are $17,000 worth today. There are 35 years between 1990 and 2025 and the average inflation rate was 2.61%. Therefore, we can resolve the formula like this:

Value2025
=PV × (1 + i)n
=$17,000 × (1 + 0.0261)35
$41,888.11

US inflation - Conversion table

Initial Value Equivalent value
$1 dollar in 1990 $2.46 dollars in 2025
$5 dollars in 1990 $12.32 dollars in 2025
$10 dollars in 1990 $24.64 dollars in 2025
$50 dollars in 1990 $123.2 dollars in 2025
$100 dollars in 1990 $246.4 dollars in 2025
$500 dollars in 1990 $1,232 dollars in 2025
$1,000 dollars in 1990 $2,464.01 dollars in 2025
$5,000 dollars in 1990 $12,320.03 dollars in 2025
$10,000 dollars in 1990 $24,640.07 dollars in 2025
$50,000 dollars in 1990 $123,200.33 dollars in 2025
$100,000 dollars in 1990 $246,400.66 dollars in 2025
$500,000 dollars in 1990 $1,232,003.32 dollars in 2025
$1,000,000 dollars in 1990 $2,464,006.63 dollars in 2025
Cumulative inflation From 1990 149.24%
Avg. annual inflation From 1990 2.57%
CPI 1990 130.66
CPI today 325.66

Value of Dollar over time (by year)

Period Value
1990 17,000
1991 17,719.94
1992 18,256.65
1993 18,795.52
1994 19,285.6
1995 19,826.65
1996 20,407.81
1997 20,884.88
1998 21,209.07
1999 21,673.13
2000 22,405
2001 23,038.2
2002 23,403.6
2003 23,934.88
2004 24,575.67
2005 25,409.46
2006 26,229.16
2007 26,977.39
2008 28,013.08
2009 27,913.48
2010 28,371.27
2011 29,266.91
2012 29,872.54
2013 30,310.13
2014 30,801.82
2015 30,838.36
2016 31,227.41
2017 31,892.59
2018 32,671.6
2019 33,263.67
2020 33,674.01
2021 35,255.97
2022 38,077.43
2023 39,644.83
2024 40,814.16
2025 41,888.11
2026-01 42,318.65
Today 42,371.22

All available years

Today's value of US dollars by year:

1913 | 1914 | 1915 | 1916 | 1917 | 1918 | 1919 | 1920 | 1921 | 1922 | 1923 | 1924 | 1925 | 1926 | 1927 | 1928 | 1929 | 1930 | 1931 | 1932 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |

Other currencies: