Lucas is working his dream job as a graphic designer. Lucas' starting salary was $\$ 43,000$. He is great at his job but has not received a raise since he started working 5 years ago. What is the purchasing power of Lucas' $\$ 43,000$ salary now, compared to 5 years ago, if the ave rage inflation rate over the past 5 years was about $2.7 \%$ ? Round to the nearest cent.

Step 1 ：Lucas is working his dream job as a graphic designer. His starting salary was $43,000. He is great at his job but has not received a raise since he started working 5 years ago. We are asked to find the purchasing power of Lucas' $43,000 salary now, compared to 5 years ago, if the average inflation rate over the past 5 years was about 2.7%.

Step 2 ：The purchasing power of Lucas' salary now can be calculated by adjusting his starting salary for inflation. The formula to adjust for inflation is: \(\text{Purchasing Power} = \frac{\text{Starting Salary}}{(1 + \text{Inflation Rate})^{\text{Years}}}\), where the inflation rate is expressed as a decimal. In this case, the inflation rate is 2.7%, or 0.027, and the number of years is 5.

Step 3 ：Substituting the given values into the formula, we get: \(\text{Purchasing Power} = \frac{43000}{(1 + 0.027)^5}\)

Step 4 ：Solving the above expression, we find that the purchasing power of Lucas' salary now is approximately $37,637.11.

Step 5 ：\(\boxed{\text{Final Answer: The purchasing power of Lucas' $43,000 salary now, compared to 5 years ago, is approximately $37,637.11.}}\)