$100 in 1790 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $110.87 in 1880, an increase of $10.87 over 90 years. The dollar had an average inflation rate of 0.11% per year between 1790 and 1880, producing a cumulative price increase of 10.87%.
This means that prices in 1880 are 1.11 times as high as average prices since 1790, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index.
The inflation rate in 1790 was 4.55%. The inflation rate in 1880 was 2.00%. The 1880 inflation rate is lower compared to the average inflation rate of 2.41% per year between 1880 and 2024.
Cumulative price change | 10.87% |
Average inflation rate | 0.11% |
Converted amount $100 base | $110.87 |
Price difference $100 base | $10.87 |
CPI in 1790 | 9.200 |
CPI in 1880 | 10.200 |
Inflation in 1790 | 4.55% |
Inflation in 1880 | 2.00% |
$100 in 1790 | $110.87 in 1880 |
This chart shows a calculation of buying power equivalence for $100 in 1790 (price index tracking began in 1635).
For example, if you started with $100, you would need to end with $110.87 in order to "adjust" for inflation (sometimes refered to as "beating inflation").
When $100 is equivalent to $110.87 over time, that means that the "real value" of a single U.S. dollar decreases over time. In other words, a dollar will pay for fewer items at the store.
This effect explains how inflation erodes the value of a dollar over time. By calculating the value in 1790 dollars, the chart below shows how $100 is worth less over 90 years.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, each of these USD amounts below is equal in terms of what it could buy at the time:
This conversion table shows various other 1790 amounts in 1880 dollars, based on the 10.87% change in prices:
Initial value | Equivalent value |
---|---|
$1 dollar in 1790 | $1.11 dollars in 1880 |
$5 dollars in 1790 | $5.54 dollars in 1880 |
$10 dollars in 1790 | $11.09 dollars in 1880 |
$50 dollars in 1790 | $55.43 dollars in 1880 |
$100 dollars in 1790 | $110.87 dollars in 1880 |
$500 dollars in 1790 | $554.35 dollars in 1880 |
$1,000 dollars in 1790 | $1,108.70 dollars in 1880 |
$5,000 dollars in 1790 | $5,543.48 dollars in 1880 |
$10,000 dollars in 1790 | $11,086.96 dollars in 1880 |
$50,000 dollars in 1790 | $55,434.78 dollars in 1880 |
$100,000 dollars in 1790 | $110,869.57 dollars in 1880 |
$500,000 dollars in 1790 | $554,347.83 dollars in 1880 |
$1,000,000 dollars in 1790 | $1,108,695.65 dollars in 1880 |
Inflation can also vary widely by country. For comparison, in the UK £100.00 in 1790 would be equivalent to £125.33 in 1880, an absolute change of £25.33 and a cumulative change of 25.33%.
Compare these numbers to the US's overall absolute change of $10.87 and total percent change of 10.87%.
CPI is the weighted combination of many categories of spending that are tracked by the government. Breaking down these categories helps explain the main drivers behind price changes.
This chart shows the average rate of inflation for select CPI categories between 1790 and 1880.
Compare these values to the overall average of 0.11% per year:
Category | Avg Inflation (%) | Total Inflation (%) | $100 in 1790 → 1880 |
---|---|---|---|
Food and beverages | 0.00 | 0.00 | 100.00 |
Housing | 0.00 | 0.00 | 100.00 |
Apparel | 0.00 | 0.00 | 100.00 |
Transportation | 0.00 | 0.00 | 100.00 |
Medical care | 0.00 | 0.00 | 100.00 |
Recreation | 0.00 | 0.00 | 100.00 |
Education and communication | 0.00 | 0.00 | 100.00 |
Other goods and services | 0.00 | 0.00 | 100.00 |
The graph below compares inflation in categories of goods over time. Click on a category such as "Food" to toggle it on or off:
For all these visualizations, it's important to note that not all categories may have been tracked since 1790. This table and charts use the earliest available data for each category.
Our calculations use the following inflation rate formula to calculate the change in value between 1790 and 1880:
Then plug in historical CPI values. The U.S. CPI was 9.2 in the year 1790 and 10.2 in 1880:
$100 in 1790 has the same "purchasing power" or "buying power" as $110.87 in 1880.
To get the total inflation rate for the 90 years between 1790 and 1880, we use the following formula:
Plugging in the values to this equation, we get:
Raw data for these calculations comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index (CPI), established in 1913. Price index data from 1774 to 1912 is sourced from a historical study conducted by political science professor Robert Sahr at Oregon State University and from the American Antiquarian Society. Price index data from 1634 to 1773 is from the American Antiquarian Society, using British pound equivalents.
You may use the following MLA citation for this page: “1790 dollars in 1880 | Inflation Calculator.” Official Inflation Data, Alioth Finance, 5 Sep. 2024, https://www.officialdata.org/1790-dollars-in-1880.
Special thanks to QuickChart for their chart image API, which is used for chart downloads.
in2013dollars.com is a reference website maintained by the Official Data Foundation.
Cumulative price change | 10.87% |
Average inflation rate | 0.11% |
Converted amount $100 base | $110.87 |
Price difference $100 base | $10.87 |
CPI in 1790 | 9.200 |
CPI in 1880 | 10.200 |
Inflation in 1790 | 4.55% |
Inflation in 1880 | 2.00% |
$100 in 1790 | $110.87 in 1880 |