According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for apparel are 199.68% higher in 2026 versus 1920 (a $329,470,284,731.51 difference in value).
Between 1920 and 2026:Apparel experienced an average inflation rate of 1.04% per year. In other words, apparel costing $165,000,000,000 in the year 1920 would cost $494,470,284,731.51 in 2026 for an equivalent purchase. Compared to the overall inflation rate of 2.66% 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 $165,000,000,000 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 | $165,000,000,000.00 | 28.26% |
| 1921 | $131,987,387,731.70 | -20.01% |
| 1922 | $102,758,455,952.61 | -22.15% |
| 1923 | $102,159,373,208.48 | -0.58% |
| 1924 | $101,717,943,818.08 | -0.43% |
| 1925 | $99,826,103,573.48 | -1.86% |
| 1926 | $98,407,223,390.02 | -1.42% |
| 1927 | $96,483,852,474.68 | -1.95% |
| 1928 | $94,718,134,913.05 | -1.83% |
| 1929 | $93,740,684,120.01 | -1.03% |
| 1930 | $92,542,518,631.76 | -1.28% |
| 1931 | $85,542,709,726.73 | -7.56% |
| 1932 | $75,232,180,393.66 | -12.05% |
| 1933 | $70,124,211,733.23 | -6.79% |
| 1934 | $77,462,258,742.60 | 10.46% |
| 1935 | $78,613,238,471.83 | 1.49% |
| 1936 | $79,488,820,944.01 | 1.11% |
| 1937 | $83,146,378,750.24 | 4.60% |
| 1938 | $83,177,909,420.98 | 0.04% |
| 1939 | $81,822,090,579.02 | -1.63% |
| 1940 | $82,515,765,335.37 | 0.85% |
| 1941 | $86,330,976,495.32 | 4.62% |
| 1942 | $101,024,269,061.72 | 17.02% |
| 1943 | $105,407,032,295.05 | 4.34% |
| 1944 | $112,785,209,249.00 | 7.00% |
| 1945 | $118,586,852,665.77 | 5.14% |
| 1946 | $130,127,078,157.84 | 9.73% |
| 1947 | $150,811,198,165.49 | 15.90% |
| 1948 | $160,837,951,461.88 | 6.65% |
| 1949 | $154,500,286,642.46 | -3.94% |
| 1950 | $152,419,262,373.40 | -1.35% |
| 1951 | $166,198,165,488.25 | 9.04% |
| 1952 | $164,400,917,255.88 | -1.08% |
| 1953 | $163,360,405,121.35 | -0.63% |
| 1954 | $162,761,322,377.22 | -0.37% |
| 1955 | $162,256,831,645.33 | -0.31% |
| 1956 | $165,536,021,402.64 | 2.02% |
| 1957 | $168,373,781,769.54 | 1.71% |
| 1958 | $169,035,925,855.15 | 0.39% |
| 1959 | $170,360,214,026.37 | 0.78% |
| 1960 | $172,914,198,356.58 | 1.50% |
| 1961 | $174,270,017,198.55 | 0.78% |
| 1962 | $175,247,467,991.59 | 0.56% |
| 1963 | $177,391,553,602.14 | 1.22% |
| 1964 | $178,905,025,797.82 | 0.85% |
| 1965 | $180,607,682,017.96 | 0.95% |
| 1966 | $185,463,405,312.44 | 2.69% |
| 1967 | $193,030,766,290.85 | 4.08% |
| 1968 | $203,341,295,623.93 | 5.34% |
| 1969 | $215,039,174,469.71 | 5.75% |
| 1970 | $223,899,292,948.60 | 4.12% |
| 1971 | $231,151,347,219.57 | 3.24% |
| 1972 | $235,944,009,172.56 | 2.07% |
| 1973 | $244,583,412,956.24 | 3.66% |
| 1974 | $262,713,548,633.67 | 7.41% |
| 1975 | $274,411,427,479.46 | 4.45% |
| 1976 | $284,690,426,141.79 | 3.75% |
| 1977 | $297,428,817,122.11 | 4.47% |
| 1978 | $307,865,469,138.16 | 3.51% |
| 1979 | $321,360,596,216.32 | 4.38% |
| 1980 | $344,094,209,822.28 | 7.07% |
| 1981 | $360,490,158,608.83 | 4.76% |
| 1982 | $369,949,359,831.84 | 2.62% |
| 1983 | $379,093,254,347.41 | 2.47% |
| 1984 | $386,061,532,581.69 | 1.84% |
| 1985 | $397,381,043,378.56 | 2.93% |
| 1986 | $400,754,825,148.10 | 0.85% |
| 1987 | $418,380,470,093.64 | 4.40% |
| 1988 | $436,542,136,441.81 | 4.34% |
| 1989 | $448,681,444,678.01 | 2.78% |
| 1990 | $469,491,687,368.62 | 4.64% |
| 1991 | $486,991,209,631.19 | 3.73% |
| 1992 | $498,972,864,513.66 | 2.46% |
| 1993 | $505,720,428,052.74 | 1.35% |
| 1994 | $504,742,977,259.70 | -0.19% |
| 1995 | $499,288,171,221.10 | -1.08% |
| 1996 | $498,310,720,428.05 | -0.20% |
| 1997 | $502,661,952,990.64 | 0.87% |
| 1998 | $503,324,097,076.25 | 0.13% |
| 1999 | $496,765,717,561.63 | -1.30% |
| 2000 | $490,270,399,388.50 | -1.31% |
| 2001 | $481,536,403,592.59 | -1.78% |
| 2002 | $469,270,972,673.42 | -2.55% |
| 2003 | $457,352,379,132.43 | -2.54% |
| 2004 | $455,681,253,583.03 | -0.37% |
| 2005 | $452,307,471,813.49 | -0.74% |
| 2006 | $451,960,634,435.31 | -0.08% |
| 2007 | $450,251,356,774.32 | -0.38% |
| 2008 | $449,905,780,622.97 | -0.08% |
| 2009 | $454,337,416,395.95 | 0.99% |
| 2010 | $452,161,484,807.95 | -0.48% |
| 2011 | $462,027,746,990.25 | 2.18% |
| 2012 | $477,744,840,435.70 | 3.40% |
| 2013 | $482,083,776,036.69 | 0.91% |
| 2014 | $482,473,179,820.37 | 0.08% |
| 2015 | $476,374,832,791.90 | -1.26% |
| 2016 | $476,915,268,488.44 | 0.11% |
| 2017 | $475,275,673,609.78 | -0.34% |
| 2018 | $475,436,164,723.87 | 0.03% |
| 2019 | $469,371,870,819.80 | -1.28% |
| 2020 | $446,771,947,257.79 | -4.81% |
| 2021 | $457,797,592,203.33 | 2.47% |
| 2022 | $480,832,954,328.30 | 5.03% |
| 2023 | $494,067,953,372.83 | 2.75% |
| 2024 | $497,488,400,535.07 | 0.69% |
| 2025 | $498,135,094,592.01 | 0.13% |
| 2026 | $494,470,284,731.51 | -0.74%* |
* 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 | 130.685 |