What is $1 from 1927 worth today?
$1 in 1927 is worth $19.36 in September 2026, based on the official Consumer Price Index. Prices have risen 1836% since 1927, an average of 3.03% a year over 99 years. In other words, prices have doubled about 4.3 times, and a dollar today buys 5.2% of what it bought in 1927.
The same ratio applies to any amount: $20 from 1927 is worth $387.29, $100 is worth $1,936 and $1,000 is worth $19,364 in today's dollars.
Inflation in 1927
The CPI-U averaged 17.4 in 1927, down 1.7% from 17.7 in 1926, so prices actually fell (deflation). From December 1926 to December 1927, prices fell 2.3%. Ranked by annual inflation, 1927 is number 104 of the 112 years from 1914 to 2025.
In the 1920s, annual inflation averaged -0.1% a year. The highest rate was 15.6% in 1920 and the lowest -10.5% in 1921.
1927 prices in today's money, and today's prices in 1927 money
If something cost $5 in 1927, the same buying power today is $96.82. Going the other way, $100 in September 2026 would have bought what $5.16 bought in 1927, and a $60,000 salary today has the buying power of a $3,098 salary in 1927.
If your pay in 1927 was, say, $1,000 a month, you would need about $19,364 a month in September 2026 to afford the same basket of goods and services. Remember that this is an average across consumer spending: some prices, such as housing, health care and tuition, have risen faster than the CPI, while others have risen more slowly.
How this 1927 inflation figure is calculated
The calculation divides the latest CPI-U (336.94 for September 2026) by the 1927 annual average (17.4): 336.94 ÷ 17.4 = 19.3644. Multiply any 1927 amount by 19.3644 to convert it to September 2026 dollars. The data is the CPI for All Urban Consumers, U.S. city average, all items, not seasonally adjusted (BLS series CUUR0000SA0), published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Use the calculator above to pick a specific month in 1927 or a different end date. See also $1 in 1926 and $1 in 1928. All years are on the main US inflation calculator page.