According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for apparel are 205.92% higher in 2026 versus 1920 (a $37,066,378,750.24 difference in value).
Between 1920 and 2026:Apparel experienced an average inflation rate of 1.06% per year. In other words, apparel costing $18,000,000,000 in the year 1920 would cost $55,066,378,750.24 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 $18,000,000,000 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 | $18,000,000,000.00 | 28.26% |
| 1921 | $14,398,624,116.19 | -20.01% |
| 1922 | $11,210,013,376.65 | -22.15% |
| 1923 | $11,144,658,895.47 | -0.58% |
| 1924 | $11,096,502,961.97 | -0.43% |
| 1925 | $10,890,120,389.83 | -1.86% |
| 1926 | $10,735,333,460.73 | -1.42% |
| 1927 | $10,525,511,179.06 | -1.95% |
| 1928 | $10,332,887,445.06 | -1.83% |
| 1929 | $10,226,256,449.46 | -1.03% |
| 1930 | $10,095,547,487.10 | -1.28% |
| 1931 | $9,331,931,970.19 | -7.56% |
| 1932 | $8,207,146,952.04 | -12.05% |
| 1933 | $7,649,914,007.26 | -6.79% |
| 1934 | $8,450,428,226.46 | 10.46% |
| 1935 | $8,575,989,651.47 | 1.49% |
| 1936 | $8,671,507,739.35 | 1.11% |
| 1937 | $9,070,514,045.48 | 4.60% |
| 1938 | $9,073,953,755.02 | 0.04% |
| 1939 | $8,926,046,244.98 | -1.63% |
| 1940 | $9,001,719,854.77 | 0.85% |
| 1941 | $9,417,924,708.58 | 4.62% |
| 1942 | $11,020,829,352.19 | 17.02% |
| 1943 | $11,498,948,977.64 | 4.34% |
| 1944 | $12,303,841,008.98 | 7.00% |
| 1945 | $12,936,747,563.54 | 5.14% |
| 1946 | $14,195,681,253.58 | 9.73% |
| 1947 | $16,452,130,708.96 | 15.90% |
| 1948 | $17,545,958,341.30 | 6.65% |
| 1949 | $16,854,576,724.63 | -3.94% |
| 1950 | $16,627,555,895.28 | -1.35% |
| 1951 | $18,130,708,962.35 | 9.04% |
| 1952 | $17,934,645,518.82 | -1.08% |
| 1953 | $17,821,135,104.15 | -0.63% |
| 1954 | $17,755,780,622.97 | -0.37% |
| 1955 | $17,700,745,270.40 | -0.31% |
| 1956 | $18,058,475,062.11 | 2.02% |
| 1957 | $18,368,048,920.31 | 1.71% |
| 1958 | $18,440,282,820.56 | 0.39% |
| 1959 | $18,584,750,621.06 | 0.78% |
| 1960 | $18,863,367,093.45 | 1.50% |
| 1961 | $19,011,274,603.48 | 0.78% |
| 1962 | $19,117,905,599.08 | 0.56% |
| 1963 | $19,351,805,847.51 | 1.22% |
| 1964 | $19,516,911,905.22 | 0.85% |
| 1965 | $19,702,656,220.14 | 0.95% |
| 1966 | $20,232,371,488.63 | 2.69% |
| 1967 | $21,057,901,777.18 | 4.08% |
| 1968 | $22,182,686,795.34 | 5.34% |
| 1969 | $23,458,819,033.06 | 5.75% |
| 1970 | $24,425,377,412.57 | 4.12% |
| 1971 | $25,216,510,605.77 | 3.24% |
| 1972 | $25,739,346,455.19 | 2.07% |
| 1973 | $26,681,826,867.95 | 3.66% |
| 1974 | $28,659,659,850.95 | 7.41% |
| 1975 | $29,935,792,088.67 | 4.45% |
| 1976 | $31,057,137,397.29 | 3.75% |
| 1977 | $32,446,780,049.68 | 4.47% |
| 1978 | $33,585,323,905.98 | 3.51% |
| 1979 | $35,057,519,587.23 | 4.38% |
| 1980 | $37,537,550,162.43 | 7.07% |
| 1981 | $39,326,199,120.96 | 4.76% |
| 1982 | $40,358,111,981.65 | 2.62% |
| 1983 | $41,355,627,746.99 | 2.47% |
| 1984 | $42,115,803,554.37 | 1.84% |
| 1985 | $43,350,659,277.66 | 2.93% |
| 1986 | $43,718,708,197.97 | 0.85% |
| 1987 | $45,641,505,828.40 | 4.40% |
| 1988 | $47,622,778,520.92 | 4.34% |
| 1989 | $48,947,066,692.15 | 2.78% |
| 1990 | $51,217,274,985.67 | 4.64% |
| 1991 | $53,126,313,777.95 | 3.73% |
| 1992 | $54,433,403,401.49 | 2.46% |
| 1993 | $55,169,501,242.12 | 1.35% |
| 1994 | $55,062,870,246.51 | -0.19% |
| 1995 | $54,467,800,496.85 | -1.08% |
| 1996 | $54,361,169,501.24 | -0.20% |
| 1997 | $54,835,849,417.16 | 0.87% |
| 1998 | $54,908,083,317.41 | 0.13% |
| 1999 | $54,192,623,734.00 | -1.30% |
| 2000 | $53,484,043,569.65 | -1.31% |
| 2001 | $52,531,244,028.28 | -1.78% |
| 2002 | $51,193,197,018.92 | -2.55% |
| 2003 | $49,892,986,814.45 | -2.54% |
| 2004 | $49,710,682,209.06 | -0.37% |
| 2005 | $49,342,633,288.74 | -0.74% |
| 2006 | $49,304,796,483.85 | -0.08% |
| 2007 | $49,118,329,829.93 | -0.38% |
| 2008 | $49,080,630,613.41 | -0.08% |
| 2009 | $49,564,081,788.65 | 0.99% |
| 2010 | $49,326,707,433.59 | -0.48% |
| 2011 | $50,403,026,944.39 | 2.18% |
| 2012 | $52,117,618,956.62 | 3.40% |
| 2013 | $52,590,957,385.82 | 0.91% |
| 2014 | $52,633,437,798.59 | 0.08% |
| 2015 | $51,968,163,577.30 | -1.26% |
| 2016 | $52,027,120,198.74 | 0.11% |
| 2017 | $51,848,255,302.89 | -0.34% |
| 2018 | $51,865,763,424.42 | 0.03% |
| 2019 | $51,204,204,089.43 | -1.28% |
| 2020 | $48,738,757,882.67 | -4.81% |
| 2021 | $49,941,555,513.09 | 2.47% |
| 2022 | $52,454,504,108.54 | 5.03% |
| 2023 | $53,898,322,186.13 | 2.75% |
| 2024 | $54,271,461,876.55 | 0.69% |
| 2025 | $54,342,010,319.13 | 0.13% |
| 2026 | $55,066,378,750.24 | 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 |