According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for apparel are 205.92% higher in 2026 versus 1920 (a $3,706,637,875.02 difference in value).
Between 1920 and 2026:Apparel experienced an average inflation rate of 1.06% per year. In other words, apparel costing $1,800,000,000 in the year 1920 would cost $5,506,637,875.02 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 $1,800,000,000 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 | $1,800,000,000.00 | 28.26% |
| 1921 | $1,439,862,411.62 | -20.01% |
| 1922 | $1,121,001,337.66 | -22.15% |
| 1923 | $1,114,465,889.55 | -0.58% |
| 1924 | $1,109,650,296.20 | -0.43% |
| 1925 | $1,089,012,038.98 | -1.86% |
| 1926 | $1,073,533,346.07 | -1.42% |
| 1927 | $1,052,551,117.91 | -1.95% |
| 1928 | $1,033,288,744.51 | -1.83% |
| 1929 | $1,022,625,644.95 | -1.03% |
| 1930 | $1,009,554,748.71 | -1.28% |
| 1931 | $933,193,197.02 | -7.56% |
| 1932 | $820,714,695.20 | -12.05% |
| 1933 | $764,991,400.73 | -6.79% |
| 1934 | $845,042,822.65 | 10.46% |
| 1935 | $857,598,965.15 | 1.49% |
| 1936 | $867,150,773.93 | 1.11% |
| 1937 | $907,051,404.55 | 4.60% |
| 1938 | $907,395,375.50 | 0.04% |
| 1939 | $892,604,624.50 | -1.63% |
| 1940 | $900,171,985.48 | 0.85% |
| 1941 | $941,792,470.86 | 4.62% |
| 1942 | $1,102,082,935.22 | 17.02% |
| 1943 | $1,149,894,897.76 | 4.34% |
| 1944 | $1,230,384,100.90 | 7.00% |
| 1945 | $1,293,674,756.35 | 5.14% |
| 1946 | $1,419,568,125.36 | 9.73% |
| 1947 | $1,645,213,070.90 | 15.90% |
| 1948 | $1,754,595,834.13 | 6.65% |
| 1949 | $1,685,457,672.46 | -3.94% |
| 1950 | $1,662,755,589.53 | -1.35% |
| 1951 | $1,813,070,896.24 | 9.04% |
| 1952 | $1,793,464,551.88 | -1.08% |
| 1953 | $1,782,113,510.41 | -0.63% |
| 1954 | $1,775,578,062.30 | -0.37% |
| 1955 | $1,770,074,527.04 | -0.31% |
| 1956 | $1,805,847,506.21 | 2.02% |
| 1957 | $1,836,804,892.03 | 1.71% |
| 1958 | $1,844,028,282.06 | 0.39% |
| 1959 | $1,858,475,062.11 | 0.78% |
| 1960 | $1,886,336,709.34 | 1.50% |
| 1961 | $1,901,127,460.35 | 0.78% |
| 1962 | $1,911,790,559.91 | 0.56% |
| 1963 | $1,935,180,584.75 | 1.22% |
| 1964 | $1,951,691,190.52 | 0.85% |
| 1965 | $1,970,265,622.01 | 0.95% |
| 1966 | $2,023,237,148.86 | 2.69% |
| 1967 | $2,105,790,177.72 | 4.08% |
| 1968 | $2,218,268,679.53 | 5.34% |
| 1969 | $2,345,881,903.31 | 5.75% |
| 1970 | $2,442,537,741.26 | 4.12% |
| 1971 | $2,521,651,060.58 | 3.24% |
| 1972 | $2,573,934,645.52 | 2.07% |
| 1973 | $2,668,182,686.80 | 3.66% |
| 1974 | $2,865,965,985.09 | 7.41% |
| 1975 | $2,993,579,208.87 | 4.45% |
| 1976 | $3,105,713,739.73 | 3.75% |
| 1977 | $3,244,678,004.97 | 4.47% |
| 1978 | $3,358,532,390.60 | 3.51% |
| 1979 | $3,505,751,958.72 | 4.38% |
| 1980 | $3,753,755,016.24 | 7.07% |
| 1981 | $3,932,619,912.10 | 4.76% |
| 1982 | $4,035,811,198.17 | 2.62% |
| 1983 | $4,135,562,774.70 | 2.47% |
| 1984 | $4,211,580,355.44 | 1.84% |
| 1985 | $4,335,065,927.77 | 2.93% |
| 1986 | $4,371,870,819.80 | 0.85% |
| 1987 | $4,564,150,582.84 | 4.40% |
| 1988 | $4,762,277,852.09 | 4.34% |
| 1989 | $4,894,706,669.21 | 2.78% |
| 1990 | $5,121,727,498.57 | 4.64% |
| 1991 | $5,312,631,377.79 | 3.73% |
| 1992 | $5,443,340,340.15 | 2.46% |
| 1993 | $5,516,950,124.21 | 1.35% |
| 1994 | $5,506,287,024.65 | -0.19% |
| 1995 | $5,446,780,049.68 | -1.08% |
| 1996 | $5,436,116,950.12 | -0.20% |
| 1997 | $5,483,584,941.72 | 0.87% |
| 1998 | $5,490,808,331.74 | 0.13% |
| 1999 | $5,419,262,373.40 | -1.30% |
| 2000 | $5,348,404,356.97 | -1.31% |
| 2001 | $5,253,124,402.83 | -1.78% |
| 2002 | $5,119,319,701.89 | -2.55% |
| 2003 | $4,989,298,681.44 | -2.54% |
| 2004 | $4,971,068,220.91 | -0.37% |
| 2005 | $4,934,263,328.87 | -0.74% |
| 2006 | $4,930,479,648.39 | -0.08% |
| 2007 | $4,911,832,982.99 | -0.38% |
| 2008 | $4,908,063,061.34 | -0.08% |
| 2009 | $4,956,408,178.86 | 0.99% |
| 2010 | $4,932,670,743.36 | -0.48% |
| 2011 | $5,040,302,694.44 | 2.18% |
| 2012 | $5,211,761,895.66 | 3.40% |
| 2013 | $5,259,095,738.58 | 0.91% |
| 2014 | $5,263,343,779.86 | 0.08% |
| 2015 | $5,196,816,357.73 | -1.26% |
| 2016 | $5,202,712,019.87 | 0.11% |
| 2017 | $5,184,825,530.29 | -0.34% |
| 2018 | $5,186,576,342.44 | 0.03% |
| 2019 | $5,120,420,408.94 | -1.28% |
| 2020 | $4,873,875,788.27 | -4.81% |
| 2021 | $4,994,155,551.31 | 2.47% |
| 2022 | $5,245,450,410.85 | 5.03% |
| 2023 | $5,389,832,218.61 | 2.75% |
| 2024 | $5,427,146,187.66 | 0.69% |
| 2025 | $5,434,201,031.91 | 0.13% |
| 2026 | $5,506,637,875.02 | 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 |