$37,585 in 1927 has the same purchasing power as $196,349.22 in 1981. Over the 54 years this is a change of $158,764.22.
The average inflation rate of the dollar between 1927 and 1981 was 3.13% per year. The cumulative price increase of the dollar over this time was 422.41%.
The value of $37,585 from 1927 to 1981
So what does this data mean? It means that the prices in 1981 are 1,963.49 higher than the average prices since 1927. A dollar in 1981 can buy 19.14% of what it could buy in 1927.
These inflation figures use the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) consumer price index to calculate the value of $37,585 between 1927 and 1981.
The inflation rate for 1927 was -1.69%, while the inflation rate for 1981 was 10.32%. The 1981 inflation rate is higher than the average inflation rate of 1.84% per year between 1981 and 2023.
USD Inflation Since 1913
The chart below shows the inflation rate from 1913 when the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index (CPI) was first established.
The Buying Power of $37,585 in 1927
We can look at the buying power equivalent for $37,585 in 1927 to see how much you would need to adjust for in order to beat inflation. For 1927 to 1981, if you started with $37,585 in 1927, you would need to have $196,349.22 in 1927 to keep up with inflation rates.
So if we are saying that $37,585 is equivalent to $196,349.22 over time, you can see the core concept of inflation in action. The "real value" of a single dollar decreases over time. It will pay for fewer items at the store than it did previously.
In the chart below you can see how the value of the dollar is worth less over 54 years.
Value of $37,585 Over Time
In the table below we can see the value of the US Dollar over time. According to the BLS, each of these amounts are equivalent in terms of what that amount could purchase at the time.
US Dollar Inflation Conversion
If you're interested to see the effect of inflation on various 1950 amounts, the table below shows how much each amount would be worth today based on the price increase of 422.41%.
Calculate Inflation Rate for $37,585 from 1927 to 1981
To calculate the inflation rate of $37,585 from 1927 to 1981, we use the following formula:
$$\dfrac{ 1927\; USD\; value \times CPI\; in\; 1981 }{ CPI\; in\; 1927 } = 1981\; USD\; value $$
We then replace the variables with the historical CPI values. The CPI in 1927 was 17.4 and 90.9 in 1981.
$$\dfrac{ \$37,585 \times 90.9 }{ 17.4 } = \text{ \$196,349.22 } $$
$37,585 in 1927 has the same purchasing power as $196,349.22 in 1981.
To work out the total inflation rate for the 54 years between 1927 and 1981, we can use a different formula:
$$ \dfrac{\text{CPI in 1981 } - \text{ CPI in 1927 } }{\text{CPI in 1927 }} \times 100 = \text{Cumulative rate for 54 years} $$
Again, we can replace those variables with the correct Consumer Price Index values to work out the cumulativate rate:
$$ \dfrac{\text{ 90.9 } - \text{ 17.4 } }{\text{ 17.4 }} \times 100 = \text{ 422.41\% } $$
Inflation Rate Definition
The inflation rate is the percentage increase in the average level of prices of a basket of selected goods over time. It indicates a decrease in the purchasing power of currency and results in an increased consumer price index (CPI). Put simply, the inflation rate is the rate at which the general prices of consumer goods increases when the currency purchase power is falling.
The most common cause of inflation is an increase in the money supply, though it can be caused by many different circumstances and events. The value of the floating currency starts to decline when it becomes abundant. What this means is that the currency is not as scarce and, as a result, not as valuable.
By comparing a list of standard products (the CPI), the change in price over time will be measured by the inflation rate. The prices of products such as milk, bread, and gas will be tracked over time after they are grouped together. Inflation shows that the money used to buy these products is not worth as much as it used to be when there is an increase in these products’ prices over time.
The inflation rate is basically the rate at which money loses its value when compared to the basket of selected goods – which is a fixed set of consumer products and services that are valued on an annual basis.