Consumer prices fell 1.7% in 1927, a mild retreat after three years of gradual increases and part of a shallow up-and-down pattern that ran through the second half of the decade. Aviation delivered the year’s signature moment: Charles Lindbergh departed Roosevelt Field, New York, on May 20 and landed at Le Bourget Field outside Paris roughly 33.5 hours later, the first person to fly the Atlantic solo and nonstop. Detroit closed a chapter of its own that May, when Ford halted the Model T’s production line after nearly 19 years and more than 15 million cars sold, idling tens of thousands of workers while its factories retooled for the Model A. The Federal Reserve, meeting with European central bankers that summer, cut its discount rate to ease pressure on currencies still recovering from the war, a move later cited by economists including Milton Friedman and Anna Schwartz as fuel for the stock market speculation that built through the following two years. First-class postage held at 2 cents.
Year in review
Inflation in 1927
The U.S. inflation rate in 1927 was -1.7% (CPI: 17.4). Convert 1927 dollars to today →
-1.7% 1927 inflation rate
0.1% 1920s average
-0.6% peak month (Jun)
-3.4% lowest month (Apr)
What things cost in 1927
| First-class stamp | $0.02 |
|---|
What $100 from 1927 was worth later
| In 1930 | $95.98 |
|---|---|
| In 1940 | $80.46 |
| In 1950 | $139 |
| In 1960 | $170 |
| In 1970 | $223 |
| In 1980 | $474 |
| In 1990 | $751 |
| In 2000 | $990 |
| In 2010 | $1,253 |
| In 2020 | $1,487 |
| In 2026 | $1,906 |
Inflation in 1927, month by month
| Month | CPI-U | 12-month rate |
|---|---|---|
| January | 17.5 | -2.2% |
| February | 17.4 | -2.8% |
| March | 17.3 | -2.8% |
| April | 17.3 | -3.4% |
| May | 17.4 | -2.2% |
| June | 17.6 | -0.6% |
| July | 17.3 | -1.1% |
| August | 17.2 | -1.1% |
| September | 17.3 | -1.1% |
| October | 17.4 | -1.1% |
| November | 17.3 | -2.3% |
| December | 17.3 | -2.3% |
Economic events of 1927
- Consumer prices fall 1.7% A mild retreat after three years of gradual increases, part of the shallow up-and-down price pattern that ran through the second half of the decade.
- Charles Lindbergh completes the first solo transatlantic flight Lindbergh departed Roosevelt Field, New York, on May 20 and landed at Le Bourget Field outside Paris roughly 33.5 hours later, flying the Spirit of St. Louis nonstop across the Atlantic alone for the first time.
- Ford ends production of the Model T After nearly 19 years and more than 15 million cars, Ford halted the Model T's production line that May and began retooling its factories for the Model A, a shift that idled tens of thousands of workers for months.
- The Federal Reserve cuts its discount rate Central bankers from the U.S. and Europe met that summer and agreed to lower rates to ease pressure on European currencies still recovering from the war. The cut is often cited, including by economists Milton Friedman and Anna Schwartz, as fuel for the stock market speculation that built through 1928 and 1929.
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index history; Federal Reserve History; USPS historical postage rates.
Inflation figures: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U annual averages. See the methodology.