According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for apparel are 630.67% higher in 2026 versus 1917 (a $233,348,580.56 difference in value).
Between 1917 and 2026:Apparel experienced an average inflation rate of 1.84% per year. In other words, apparel costing $37,000,000 in the year 1917 would cost $270,348,580.56 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 $37,000,000 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 | $37,000,000.00 | 15.62% |
| 1918 | $46,608,854.40 | 25.97% |
| 1919 | $68,900,045.64 | 47.83% |
| 1920 | $88,371,063.44 | 28.26% |
| 1921 | $70,690,095.85 | -20.01% |
| 1922 | $55,035,600.18 | -22.15% |
| 1923 | $54,714,742.13 | -0.58% |
| 1924 | $54,478,320.40 | -0.43% |
| 1925 | $53,465,084.44 | -1.86% |
| 1926 | $52,705,157.46 | -1.42% |
| 1927 | $51,675,034.23 | -1.95% |
| 1928 | $50,729,347.33 | -1.83% |
| 1929 | $50,205,842.08 | -1.03% |
| 1930 | $49,564,125.97 | -1.28% |
| 1931 | $45,815,152.90 | -7.56% |
| 1932 | $40,293,016.89 | -12.05% |
| 1933 | $37,557,279.78 | -6.79% |
| 1934 | $41,487,407.16 | 10.46% |
| 1935 | $42,103,851.42 | 1.49% |
| 1936 | $42,572,797.81 | 1.11% |
| 1937 | $44,531,720.68 | 4.60% |
| 1938 | $44,548,607.94 | 0.04% |
| 1939 | $43,822,455.50 | -1.63% |
| 1940 | $44,193,975.35 | 0.85% |
| 1941 | $46,237,334.55 | 4.62% |
| 1942 | $54,106,800.55 | 17.02% |
| 1943 | $56,454,130.53 | 4.34% |
| 1944 | $60,405,750.80 | 7.00% |
| 1945 | $63,513,007.76 | 5.14% |
| 1946 | $69,693,747.15 | 9.73% |
| 1947 | $80,771,793.70 | 15.90% |
| 1948 | $86,141,944.32 | 6.65% |
| 1949 | $82,747,603.83 | -3.94% |
| 1950 | $81,633,044.27 | -1.35% |
| 1951 | $89,012,779.55 | 9.04% |
| 1952 | $88,050,205.39 | -1.08% |
| 1953 | $87,492,925.60 | -0.63% |
| 1954 | $87,172,067.55 | -0.37% |
| 1955 | $86,901,871.29 | -0.31% |
| 1956 | $88,658,146.96 | 2.02% |
| 1957 | $90,178,000.91 | 1.71% |
| 1958 | $90,532,633.50 | 0.39% |
| 1959 | $91,241,898.68 | 0.78% |
| 1960 | $92,609,767.23 | 1.50% |
| 1961 | $93,335,919.67 | 0.78% |
| 1962 | $93,859,424.92 | 0.56% |
| 1963 | $95,007,759.01 | 1.22% |
| 1964 | $95,818,347.79 | 0.85% |
| 1965 | $96,730,260.16 | 0.95% |
| 1966 | $99,330,899.13 | 2.69% |
| 1967 | $103,383,842.99 | 4.08% |
| 1968 | $108,905,979.01 | 5.34% |
| 1969 | $115,171,154.72 | 5.75% |
| 1970 | $119,916,476.49 | 4.12% |
| 1971 | $123,800,547.70 | 3.24% |
| 1972 | $126,367,412.14 | 2.07% |
| 1973 | $130,994,523.05 | 3.66% |
| 1974 | $140,704,701.05 | 7.41% |
| 1975 | $146,969,876.77 | 4.45% |
| 1976 | $152,475,125.51 | 3.75% |
| 1977 | $159,297,581.01 | 4.47% |
| 1978 | $164,887,266.09 | 3.51% |
| 1979 | $172,115,015.97 | 4.38% |
| 1980 | $184,290,734.82 | 7.07% |
| 1981 | $193,072,113.19 | 4.76% |
| 1982 | $198,138,293.02 | 2.62% |
| 1983 | $203,035,600.18 | 2.47% |
| 1984 | $206,767,685.99 | 1.84% |
| 1985 | $212,830,214.51 | 2.93% |
| 1986 | $214,637,151.99 | 0.85% |
| 1987 | $224,077,133.73 | 4.40% |
| 1988 | $233,804,199.00 | 4.34% |
| 1989 | $240,305,796.44 | 2.78% |
| 1990 | $251,451,392.06 | 4.64% |
| 1991 | $260,823,824.74 | 3.73% |
| 1992 | $267,240,985.85 | 2.46% |
| 1993 | $270,854,860.79 | 1.35% |
| 1994 | $270,331,355.55 | -0.19% |
| 1995 | $267,409,858.51 | -1.08% |
| 1996 | $266,886,353.26 | -0.20% |
| 1997 | $269,216,795.98 | 0.87% |
| 1998 | $269,571,428.57 | 0.13% |
| 1999 | $266,058,877.23 | -1.30% |
| 2000 | $262,580,100.41 | -1.31% |
| 2001 | $257,902,327.70 | -1.78% |
| 2002 | $251,333,181.20 | -2.55% |
| 2003 | $244,949,794.61 | -2.54% |
| 2004 | $244,054,769.51 | -0.37% |
| 2005 | $242,247,832.04 | -0.74% |
| 2006 | $242,062,072.11 | -0.08% |
| 2007 | $241,146,613.42 | -0.38% |
| 2008 | $240,961,528.98 | -0.08% |
| 2009 | $243,335,034.23 | 0.99% |
| 2010 | $242,169,644.00 | -0.48% |
| 2011 | $247,453,838.43 | 2.18% |
| 2012 | $255,871,633.96 | 3.40% |
| 2013 | $258,195,490.64 | 0.91% |
| 2014 | $258,404,048.38 | 0.08% |
| 2015 | $255,137,882.25 | -1.26% |
| 2016 | $255,427,329.99 | 0.11% |
| 2017 | $254,549,192.15 | -0.34% |
| 2018 | $254,635,148.33 | 0.03% |
| 2019 | $251,387,220.45 | -1.28% |
| 2020 | $239,283,103.61 | -4.81% |
| 2021 | $245,188,242.81 | 2.47% |
| 2022 | $257,525,572.80 | 5.03% |
| 2023 | $264,614,002.74 | 2.75% |
| 2024 | $266,445,933.36 | 0.69% |
| 2025 | $266,792,291.19 | 0.13% |
| 2026 | $270,348,580.56 | 1.33%* |
* 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 | 131.654 | 133.409 |