Apparel priced at $1,000,000,000 in 1938 $5,766,025,054.54 in 2016

Apparel Inflation Calculator

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Prices for Apparel, 1938-2016 ($1,000,000,000)

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for apparel were 476.60% higher in 2016 versus 1938 (a $4,766,025,054.54 difference in value).

Between 1938 and 2016: Apparel experienced an average inflation rate of 2.27% per year. This rate of change indicates significant inflation. In other words, apparel costing $1,000,000,000 in the year 1938 would cost $5,766,025,054.54 in 2016 for an equivalent purchase. Compared to the overall inflation rate of 3.70% during this same period, inflation for apparel was lower.

In the year 1938: Pricing changed by -1.26%, which is significantly below the average yearly change for apparel during the 1938-2016 time period. Compared to inflation for all items in 1938 (-2.03%), inflation for apparel was higher.

Price Inflation for Apparel since 1913

Consumer Price Index, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Years with the largest changes in pricing: 1918 (39.39%), 1919 (27.69%), and 1921 (-26.11%).

View price changes for other categories
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Buying power of $1,000,000,000.00 since 1938

Below are calculations of equivalent buying power for Apparel, over time, for $1,000,000,000 beginning in 1938. Each of the amounts below is equivalent in terms of what it could buy at the time:

YearUSD ValueInflation Rate
1938$1,000,000,000.00-1.26%
1939$989,021,043.00-1.10%
1940$997,908,770.100.90%
1941$1,043,704,694.214.59%
1942$1,221,408,966.1517.03%
1943$1,274,192,413.264.32%
1944$1,363,572,383.707.01%
1945$1,433,950,313.185.16%
1946$1,573,298,613.559.72%
1947$1,823,492,152.8615.90%
1948$1,944,542,191.576.64%
1949$1,867,830,248.43-3.94%
1950$1,842,846,083.47-1.34%
1951$2,009,289,886.699.03%
1952$1,987,824,618.20-1.07%
1953$1,974,804,701.25-0.65%
1954$1,968,118,797.94-0.34%
1955$1,961,784,784.29-0.32%
1956$2,001,196,424.802.01%
1957$2,035,681,610.251.72%
1958$2,043,423,182.490.38%
1959$2,059,610,106.270.79%
1960$2,090,576,395.241.50%
1961$2,107,115,208.670.79%
1962$2,118,727,567.030.55%
1963$2,144,767,400.941.23%
1964$2,163,065,662.610.85%
1965$2,183,827,151.810.96%
1966$2,242,240,833.272.67%
1967$2,333,732,141.604.08%
1968$2,458,301,076.785.34%
1969$2,599,760,715.045.75%
1970$2,707,087,057.504.13%
1971$2,794,707,579.703.24%
1972$2,852,417,481.882.06%
1973$2,956,928,707.163.66%
1974$3,176,155,957.497.41%
1975$3,317,615,595.754.45%
1976$3,441,832,641.283.74%
1977$3,595,960,306.854.48%
1978$3,722,288,690.273.51%
1979$3,885,213,597.024.38%
1980$4,160,039,411.647.07%
1981$4,358,505,172.784.77%
1982$4,472,869,308.182.62%
1983$4,583,362,657.472.47%
1984$4,667,816,172.851.84%
1985$4,804,349,356.042.92%
1986$4,845,168,555.140.85%
1987$5,058,413,681.474.40%
1988$5,277,992,821.454.34%
1989$5,424,730,804.422.78%
1990$5,676,331,902.324.64%
1991$5,887,817,580.413.73%
1992$6,032,796,115.142.46%
1993$6,114,434,513.341.35%
1994$6,102,470,265.32-0.20%
1995$6,036,666,901.26-1.08%
1996$6,024,702,653.25-0.20%
1997$6,077,486,100.360.88%
1998$6,085,227,672.600.13%
1999$6,006,052,501.94-1.30%
2000$5,927,581,110.56-1.31%
2001$5,822,014,216.34-1.78%
2002$5,673,516,785.14-2.55%
2003$5,529,593,919.35-2.54%
2004$5,509,184,319.80-0.37%
2005$5,468,365,120.70-0.74%
2006$5,464,494,334.58-0.07%
2007$5,443,651,910.76-0.38%
2008$5,439,474,980.65-0.08%
2009$5,493,053,698.360.98%
2010$5,466,746,428.32-0.48%
2011$5,586,033,499.892.18%
2012$5,776,057,428.393.40%
2013$5,828,513,618.130.91%
2014$5,833,221,901.610.08%
2015$5,759,493,982.69-1.26%
2016$5,766,025,054.540.11%
2017$5,746,203,110.70-0.34%
2018$5,748,142,022.660.03%
2019$5,674,825,814.62-1.28%
2020$5,401,587,022.31-4.81%
2021$5,534,889,858.542.47%
2022$5,813,392,919.985.03%
2023$5,973,407,699.352.75%
2024$5,945,356,816.10-0.47%*

* Not final. See inflation summary for latest details.
** Extended periods of 0% inflation usually indicate incomplete underlying data. This can manifest as a sharp increase in inflation later on.


Raw Consumer Price Index data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for Apparel:

Year1913191419151916191719181919192019211922192319241925192619271928192919301931193219331934193519361937193819391940194119421943194419451946194719481949195019511952195319541955195619571958195919601961196219631964196519661967196819691970197119721973197419751976197719781979198019811982198319841985198619871988198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
CPI14.90015.00015.45017.35021.20029.55037.73342.80031.62526.86027.10026.76026.30025.83325.26724.96724.66724.06721.60019.20019.06720.66720.80021.03322.14021.86021.62021.81422.81526.70027.85429.80831.34634.39239.86242.50840.83140.28543.92343.45443.16943.02342.88543.74644.50044.66945.02345.70046.06246.31546.88547.28547.73849.01551.01553.73856.83159.17761.09262.35464.63869.43172.52375.23878.60881.36984.93190.93895.27797.777100.192102.038105.023105.915110.577115.377118.585124.085128.708131.877133.662133.400131.962131.700132.854133.023131.292129.577127.269124.023120.877120.431119.538119.454118.998118.907120.078119.503122.111126.265127.411127.514125.903126.045125.612125.654124.052118.079120.993127.081130.579129.966

Adjust apparel prices for inflation

Start with the inflation rate formula:

CPI in 2016 / CPI in 1938 * 1938 USD value = 2016 USD value

Then plug in historical CPI values from above. The CPI for Apparel was 21.860 in the year 1938 and 126.045 in 2016:

126.045 / 21.860 * $1,000,000,000 = $5,766,025,054.54

Therefore, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, $1,000,000,000 in 1938 has the same "purchasing power" as $5,766,025,054.54 in 2016 (in the CPI category of Apparel).


Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking the Consumer Price Index for Apparel in 1913. In addition to apparel, the index produces monthly data on changes in prices paid by urban consumers for a variety of goods and services.

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