According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for apparel are 610.71% higher in 2026 versus 1917 (a $61,070,561.39 difference in value).
Between 1917 and 2026: Apparel experienced an average inflation rate of 1.82% per year. In other words, apparel costing $10,000,000 in the year 1917 would cost $71,070,561.39 in 2026 for an equivalent purchase. Compared to the overall inflation rate of 3.01% during this same period, inflation for apparel was lower.
In the year 1917: Pricing changed by 15.62%, which is significantly above the average yearly change for apparel during the 1917-2026 time period. Compared to inflation for all items in 1917 (17.84%), inflation for apparel was lower.
Below are calculations of equivalent buying power for Apparel, over time, for $10,000,000 beginning in 1917. Each of the amounts below is equivalent in terms of what it could buy at the time:
| Year | USD Value | Inflation Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1917 | $10,000,000.00 | 15.62% |
| 1918 | $12,596,987.68 | 25.97% |
| 1919 | $18,621,633.96 | 47.83% |
| 1920 | $23,884,071.20 | 28.26% |
| 1921 | $19,105,431.31 | -20.01% |
| 1922 | $14,874,486.54 | -22.15% |
| 1923 | $14,787,768.14 | -0.58% |
| 1924 | $14,723,870.38 | -0.43% |
| 1925 | $14,450,022.82 | -1.86% |
| 1926 | $14,244,637.15 | -1.42% |
| 1927 | $13,966,225.47 | -1.95% |
| 1928 | $13,710,634.41 | -1.83% |
| 1929 | $13,569,146.51 | -1.03% |
| 1930 | $13,395,709.72 | -1.28% |
| 1931 | $12,382,473.76 | -7.56% |
| 1932 | $10,890,004.56 | -12.05% |
| 1933 | $10,150,616.16 | -6.79% |
| 1934 | $11,212,812.75 | 10.46% |
| 1935 | $11,379,419.30 | 1.49% |
| 1936 | $11,506,161.57 | 1.11% |
| 1937 | $12,035,600.18 | 4.60% |
| 1938 | $12,040,164.31 | 0.04% |
| 1939 | $11,843,906.89 | -1.63% |
| 1940 | $11,944,317.66 | 0.85% |
| 1941 | $12,496,576.91 | 4.62% |
| 1942 | $14,623,459.61 | 17.02% |
| 1943 | $15,257,873.12 | 4.34% |
| 1944 | $16,325,878.59 | 7.00% |
| 1945 | $17,165,677.77 | 5.14% |
| 1946 | $18,836,147.88 | 9.73% |
| 1947 | $21,830,214.51 | 15.90% |
| 1948 | $23,281,606.57 | 6.65% |
| 1949 | $22,364,217.25 | -3.94% |
| 1950 | $22,062,984.94 | -1.35% |
| 1951 | $24,057,507.99 | 9.04% |
| 1952 | $23,797,352.81 | -1.08% |
| 1953 | $23,646,736.65 | -0.63% |
| 1954 | $23,560,018.26 | -0.37% |
| 1955 | $23,486,992.24 | -0.31% |
| 1956 | $23,961,661.34 | 2.02% |
| 1957 | $24,372,432.68 | 1.71% |
| 1958 | $24,468,279.32 | 0.39% |
| 1959 | $24,659,972.62 | 0.78% |
| 1960 | $25,029,666.82 | 1.50% |
| 1961 | $25,225,924.24 | 0.78% |
| 1962 | $25,367,412.14 | 0.56% |
| 1963 | $25,677,772.71 | 1.22% |
| 1964 | $25,896,850.75 | 0.85% |
| 1965 | $26,143,313.56 | 0.95% |
| 1966 | $26,846,188.95 | 2.69% |
| 1967 | $27,941,579.19 | 4.08% |
| 1968 | $29,434,048.38 | 5.34% |
| 1969 | $31,127,339.11 | 5.75% |
| 1970 | $32,409,858.51 | 4.12% |
| 1971 | $33,459,607.49 | 3.24% |
| 1972 | $34,153,354.63 | 2.07% |
| 1973 | $35,403,925.15 | 3.66% |
| 1974 | $38,028,297.58 | 7.41% |
| 1975 | $39,721,588.32 | 4.45% |
| 1976 | $41,209,493.38 | 3.75% |
| 1977 | $43,053,400.27 | 4.47% |
| 1978 | $44,564,125.97 | 3.51% |
| 1979 | $46,517,571.88 | 4.38% |
| 1980 | $49,808,306.71 | 7.07% |
| 1981 | $52,181,652.21 | 4.76% |
| 1982 | $53,550,890.00 | 2.62% |
| 1983 | $54,874,486.54 | 2.47% |
| 1984 | $55,883,158.38 | 1.84% |
| 1985 | $57,521,679.60 | 2.93% |
| 1986 | $58,010,041.08 | 0.85% |
| 1987 | $60,561,387.49 | 4.40% |
| 1988 | $63,190,324.05 | 4.34% |
| 1989 | $64,947,512.55 | 2.78% |
| 1990 | $67,959,835.69 | 4.64% |
| 1991 | $70,492,925.60 | 3.73% |
| 1992 | $72,227,293.47 | 2.46% |
| 1993 | $73,204,016.43 | 1.35% |
| 1994 | $73,062,528.53 | -0.19% |
| 1995 | $72,272,934.73 | -1.08% |
| 1996 | $72,131,446.83 | -0.20% |
| 1997 | $72,761,296.21 | 0.87% |
| 1998 | $72,857,142.86 | 0.13% |
| 1999 | $71,907,804.66 | -1.30% |
| 2000 | $70,967,594.71 | -1.31% |
| 2001 | $69,703,331.81 | -1.78% |
| 2002 | $67,927,886.81 | -2.55% |
| 2003 | $66,202,647.19 | -2.54% |
| 2004 | $65,960,748.52 | -0.37% |
| 2005 | $65,472,387.04 | -0.74% |
| 2006 | $65,422,181.65 | -0.08% |
| 2007 | $65,174,760.38 | -0.38% |
| 2008 | $65,124,737.56 | -0.08% |
| 2009 | $65,766,225.47 | 0.99% |
| 2010 | $65,451,255.13 | -0.48% |
| 2011 | $66,879,415.79 | 2.18% |
| 2012 | $69,154,495.66 | 3.40% |
| 2013 | $69,782,565.04 | 0.91% |
| 2014 | $69,838,931.99 | 0.08% |
| 2015 | $68,956,184.39 | -1.26% |
| 2016 | $69,034,413.51 | 0.11% |
| 2017 | $68,797,078.96 | -0.34% |
| 2018 | $68,820,310.36 | 0.03% |
| 2019 | $67,942,492.01 | -1.28% |
| 2020 | $64,671,109.08 | -4.81% |
| 2021 | $66,267,092.65 | 2.47% |
| 2022 | $69,601,506.16 | 5.03% |
| 2023 | $71,517,298.04 | 2.75% |
| 2024 | $72,012,414.42 | 0.69% |
| 2025 | $72,281,863.82 | 0.37% |
| 2026 | $71,070,561.39 | -1.68%* |
* 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:
| Year | 1914 | 1915 | 1916 | 1917 | 1918 | 1919 | 1920 | 1921 | 1922 | 1923 | 1924 | 1925 | 1926 | 1927 | 1928 | 1929 | 1930 | 1931 | 1932 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
| CPI | 15.000 | 15.050 | 15.792 | 18.258 | 23.000 | 34.000 | 43.608 | 34.883 | 27.158 | 27.000 | 26.883 | 26.383 | 26.008 | 25.500 | 25.033 | 24.775 | 24.458 | 22.608 | 19.883 | 18.533 | 20.473 | 20.777 | 21.008 | 21.975 | 21.983 | 21.625 | 21.808 | 22.817 | 26.700 | 27.858 | 29.808 | 31.342 | 34.392 | 39.858 | 42.508 | 40.833 | 40.283 | 43.925 | 43.450 | 43.175 | 43.017 | 42.883 | 43.750 | 44.500 | 44.675 | 45.025 | 45.700 | 46.058 | 46.317 | 46.883 | 47.283 | 47.733 | 49.017 | 51.017 | 53.742 | 56.833 | 59.175 | 61.092 | 62.358 | 64.642 | 69.433 | 72.525 | 75.242 | 78.608 | 81.367 | 84.933 | 90.942 | 95.275 | 97.775 | 100.192 | 102.033 | 105.025 | 105.917 | 110.575 | 115.375 | 118.583 | 124.083 | 128.708 | 131.875 | 133.658 | 133.400 | 131.958 | 131.700 | 132.850 | 133.025 | 131.292 | 129.575 | 127.267 | 124.025 | 120.875 | 120.433 | 119.542 | 119.450 | 118.998 | 118.907 | 120.078 | 119.503 | 122.111 | 126.265 | 127.411 | 127.514 | 125.902 | 126.045 | 125.612 | 125.654 | 124.052 | 118.079 | 120.993 | 127.081 | 130.579 | 131.483 | 131.975 | 129.763 |