Inflation Record$100 in 1927 → Today
Official data verified · U.S. CPI-U · Annual average · NSA · Data through September 2026 (fetched 2026-11-02) · Series CUUR0000SA0
$1,914.02
+1814.0% cumulative inflation · 1927–2026
Your $100 in 1927 would have the purchasing power of $1,914.02 today.
What this means
- Purchasing power: $100 in 1927 had the same average buying power as $1,914.02 in 2026.
- Price level change: the overall consumer price level rose by 1814.0% across this 99-year span; the purchasing power of a dollar fell by 94.8%.
- 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 1927 | Worth in 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $19.14 |
| $5 | $95.70 |
| $10 | $191.40 |
| $20 | $382.80 |
| $50 | $957.01 |
| $100 | $1,914.02 |
| $500 | $9,570.12 |
| $1,000 | $19,140.23 |
| $10,000 | $191,402.34 |
| $100,000 | $1,914,023.36 |
Key facts about 1927
- 1927 was one of only 13 years since 1913 in which consumer prices fell on an annual-average basis (-1.9%).
- Among the major categories tracked since 1927, Food rose the most: 1793.8% cumulatively to 2025.
- In the decade after 1927, prices fell 17.1% in total — a deflation decade.
$100 in 1927, decade by decade
| Year | Worth | Cumulative price change |
|---|---|---|
| 1937 | $82.86 | -17.1% |
| 1947 | $128.61 | +28.6% |
| 1957 | $161.83 | +61.8% |
| 1967 | $192.17 | +92.2% |
| 1977 | $349.16 | +249.2% |
| 1987 | $654.58 | +554.6% |
| 1997 | $924.72 | +824.7% |
| 2007 | $1,194.48 | +1094.5% |
| 2017 | $1,412.11 | +1312.1% |
| 2026 | $1,914.02 | +1814.0% |
Monthly CPI in 1927
| Month | CPI-U index | Change vs same month, prior year |
|---|---|---|
| January | 17.500 | -2.2% |
| February | 17.400 | -2.8% |
| March | 17.300 | -2.8% |
| April | 17.300 | -3.4% |
| May | 17.400 | -2.2% |
| June | 17.600 | -0.6% |
| July | 17.300 | -1.1% |
| August | 17.200 | -1.1% |
| September | 17.300 | -1.1% |
| October | 17.400 | -1.1% |
| November | 17.300 | -2.3% |
| December | 17.300 | -2.3% |
Annual average CPI-U for 1927: 17.358.
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 (1927 annual average): 17.358 · Index (2026 annual average): 332.243 · Ratio: 19.1402
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 1926 · All years · $100 in 1928 →
The same year elsewhere: Canada