According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for apparel are 205.92% higher in 2026 versus 1920 (a $3,127,610,618.37 difference in value).
Between 1920 and 2026:Apparel experienced an average inflation rate of 1.06% per year. In other words, apparel costing $1,518,815,515 in the year 1920 would cost $4,646,426,133.37 in 2026 for an equivalent purchase. Compared to the overall inflation rate of 2.67% during this same period, inflation for apparel was lower.
In the year 1920: Pricing changed by 28.26%, which is significantly above the average yearly change for apparel during the 1920-2026 time period. Compared to inflation for all items in 1920 (15.63%), inflation for apparel was much higher.
Below are calculations of equivalent buying power for Apparel, over time, for $1,518,815,515 beginning in 1920. Each of the amounts below is equivalent in terms of what it could buy at the time:
| Year | USD Value | Inflation Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1920 | $1,518,815,515.00 | 28.26% |
| 1921 | $1,214,936,316.80 | -20.01% |
| 1922 | $945,885,679.99 | -22.15% |
| 1923 | $940,371,157.77 | -0.58% |
| 1924 | $936,307,825.60 | -0.43% |
| 1925 | $918,893,544.91 | -1.86% |
| 1926 | $905,832,834.38 | -1.42% |
| 1927 | $888,128,315.67 | -1.95% |
| 1928 | $871,874,987.02 | -1.83% |
| 1929 | $862,877,608.66 | -1.03% |
| 1930 | $851,848,564.21 | -1.28% |
| 1931 | $787,415,725.62 | -7.56% |
| 1932 | $692,507,895.81 | -12.05% |
| 1933 | $645,489,337.92 | -6.79% |
| 1934 | $713,035,638.82 | 10.46% |
| 1935 | $723,630,341.06 | 1.49% |
| 1936 | $731,690,027.39 | 1.11% |
| 1937 | $765,357,636.74 | 4.60% |
| 1938 | $765,647,874.75 | 0.04% |
| 1939 | $753,167,640.25 | -1.63% |
| 1940 | $759,552,876.51 | 0.85% |
| 1941 | $794,671,675.92 | 4.62% |
| 1942 | $929,922,589.35 | 17.02% |
| 1943 | $970,265,672.97 | 4.34% |
| 1944 | $1,038,181,367.70 | 7.00% |
| 1945 | $1,091,585,161.84 | 5.14% |
| 1946 | $1,197,812,274.11 | 9.73% |
| 1947 | $1,388,208,409.75 | 15.90% |
| 1948 | $1,480,504,097.46 | 6.65% |
| 1949 | $1,422,166,257.12 | -3.94% |
| 1950 | $1,403,010,548.35 | -1.35% |
| 1951 | $1,529,844,559.44 | 9.04% |
| 1952 | $1,513,300,992.78 | -1.08% |
| 1953 | $1,503,723,138.39 | -0.63% |
| 1954 | $1,498,208,616.17 | -0.37% |
| 1955 | $1,493,564,807.99 | -0.31% |
| 1956 | $1,523,749,561.20 | 2.02% |
| 1957 | $1,549,870,982.25 | 1.71% |
| 1958 | $1,555,965,980.49 | 0.39% |
| 1959 | $1,568,155,976.98 | 0.78% |
| 1960 | $1,591,665,255.93 | 1.50% |
| 1961 | $1,604,145,490.43 | 0.78% |
| 1962 | $1,613,142,868.79 | 0.56% |
| 1963 | $1,632,879,053.58 | 1.22% |
| 1964 | $1,646,810,478.14 | 0.85% |
| 1965 | $1,662,483,330.77 | 0.95% |
| 1966 | $1,707,179,984.57 | 2.69% |
| 1967 | $1,776,837,107.36 | 4.08% |
| 1968 | $1,871,744,937.17 | 5.34% |
| 1969 | $1,979,423,239.50 | 5.75% |
| 1970 | $2,060,980,120.77 | 4.12% |
| 1971 | $2,127,734,863.46 | 3.24% |
| 1972 | $2,171,851,041.23 | 2.07% |
| 1973 | $2,251,376,256.42 | 3.66% |
| 1974 | $2,418,263,113.12 | 7.41% |
| 1975 | $2,525,941,415.45 | 4.45% |
| 1976 | $2,620,559,007.25 | 3.75% |
| 1977 | $2,737,815,163.96 | 4.47% |
| 1978 | $2,833,883,945.82 | 3.51% |
| 1979 | $2,958,105,814.81 | 4.38% |
| 1980 | $3,167,367,421.21 | 7.07% |
| 1981 | $3,318,291,187.27 | 4.76% |
| 1982 | $3,405,362,590.77 | 2.62% |
| 1983 | $3,489,531,614.15 | 2.47% |
| 1984 | $3,553,674,214.73 | 1.84% |
| 1985 | $3,657,869,660.91 | 2.93% |
| 1986 | $3,688,925,128.16 | 0.85% |
| 1987 | $3,851,168,176.67 | 4.40% |
| 1988 | $4,018,345,271.39 | 4.34% |
| 1989 | $4,130,086,905.88 | 2.78% |
| 1990 | $4,321,643,993.57 | 4.64% |
| 1991 | $4,482,726,090.04 | 3.73% |
| 1992 | $4,593,016,534.47 | 2.46% |
| 1993 | $4,655,127,468.96 | 1.35% |
| 1994 | $4,646,130,090.60 | -0.19% |
| 1995 | $4,595,918,914.59 | -1.08% |
| 1996 | $4,586,921,536.22 | -0.20% |
| 1997 | $4,626,974,381.83 | 0.87% |
| 1998 | $4,633,069,380.08 | 0.13% |
| 1999 | $4,572,699,873.65 | -1.30% |
| 2000 | $4,512,910,843.25 | -1.31% |
| 2001 | $4,432,514,914.02 | -1.78% |
| 2002 | $4,319,612,327.49 | -2.55% |
| 2003 | $4,209,902,359.08 | -2.54% |
| 2004 | $4,194,519,744.46 | -0.37% |
| 2005 | $4,163,464,277.22 | -0.74% |
| 2006 | $4,160,271,659.09 | -0.08% |
| 2007 | $4,144,537,856.48 | -0.38% |
| 2008 | $4,141,356,847.87 | -0.08% |
| 2009 | $4,182,149,800.41 | 0.99% |
| 2010 | $4,162,120,475.22 | -0.48% |
| 2011 | $4,252,938,851.45 | 2.18% |
| 2012 | $4,397,613,793.12 | 3.40% |
| 2013 | $4,437,553,445.90 | 0.91% |
| 2014 | $4,441,137,885.35 | 0.08% |
| 2015 | $4,385,002,951.51 | -1.26% |
| 2016 | $4,389,977,631.03 | 0.11% |
| 2017 | $4,374,885,254.43 | -0.34% |
| 2018 | $4,376,362,565.91 | 0.03% |
| 2019 | $4,320,541,089.13 | -1.28% |
| 2020 | $4,112,510,091.89 | -4.81% |
| 2021 | $4,214,000,519.81 | 2.47% |
| 2022 | $4,426,039,703.98 | 5.03% |
| 2023 | $4,547,867,109.38 | 2.75% |
| 2024 | $4,579,352,128.88 | 0.69% |
| 2025 | $4,585,304,910.50 | 0.13% |
| 2026 | $4,646,426,133.37 | 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 |