According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for apparel are 199.68% higher in 2026 versus 1920 (a $3,993,579,208.87 difference in value).
Between 1920 and 2026:Apparel experienced an average inflation rate of 1.04% per year. In other words, apparel costing $2,000,000,000 in the year 1920 would cost $5,993,579,208.87 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 $2,000,000,000 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 | $2,000,000,000.00 | 28.26% |
| 1921 | $1,599,847,124.02 | -20.01% |
| 1922 | $1,245,557,041.85 | -22.15% |
| 1923 | $1,238,295,432.83 | -0.58% |
| 1924 | $1,232,944,773.55 | -0.43% |
| 1925 | $1,210,013,376.65 | -1.86% |
| 1926 | $1,192,814,828.97 | -1.42% |
| 1927 | $1,169,501,242.12 | -1.95% |
| 1928 | $1,148,098,605.01 | -1.83% |
| 1929 | $1,136,250,716.61 | -1.03% |
| 1930 | $1,121,727,498.57 | -1.28% |
| 1931 | $1,036,881,330.02 | -7.56% |
| 1932 | $911,905,216.89 | -12.05% |
| 1933 | $849,990,445.25 | -6.79% |
| 1934 | $938,936,469.61 | 10.46% |
| 1935 | $952,887,739.05 | 1.49% |
| 1936 | $963,500,859.93 | 1.11% |
| 1937 | $1,007,834,893.94 | 4.60% |
| 1938 | $1,008,217,083.89 | 0.04% |
| 1939 | $991,782,916.11 | -1.63% |
| 1940 | $1,000,191,094.97 | 0.85% |
| 1941 | $1,046,436,078.73 | 4.62% |
| 1942 | $1,224,536,594.69 | 17.02% |
| 1943 | $1,277,660,997.52 | 4.34% |
| 1944 | $1,367,093,445.44 | 7.00% |
| 1945 | $1,437,416,395.95 | 5.14% |
| 1946 | $1,577,297,917.06 | 9.73% |
| 1947 | $1,828,014,523.22 | 15.90% |
| 1948 | $1,949,550,926.81 | 6.65% |
| 1949 | $1,872,730,747.18 | -3.94% |
| 1950 | $1,847,506,210.59 | -1.35% |
| 1951 | $2,014,523,218.04 | 9.04% |
| 1952 | $1,992,738,390.98 | -1.08% |
| 1953 | $1,980,126,122.68 | -0.63% |
| 1954 | $1,972,864,513.66 | -0.37% |
| 1955 | $1,966,749,474.49 | -0.31% |
| 1956 | $2,006,497,229.12 | 2.02% |
| 1957 | $2,040,894,324.48 | 1.71% |
| 1958 | $2,048,920,313.40 | 0.39% |
| 1959 | $2,064,972,291.23 | 0.78% |
| 1960 | $2,095,929,677.05 | 1.50% |
| 1961 | $2,112,363,844.83 | 0.78% |
| 1962 | $2,124,211,733.23 | 0.56% |
| 1963 | $2,150,200,649.72 | 1.22% |
| 1964 | $2,168,545,767.25 | 0.85% |
| 1965 | $2,189,184,024.46 | 0.95% |
| 1966 | $2,248,041,276.51 | 2.69% |
| 1967 | $2,339,766,864.13 | 4.08% |
| 1968 | $2,464,742,977.26 | 5.34% |
| 1969 | $2,606,535,448.12 | 5.75% |
| 1970 | $2,713,930,823.62 | 4.12% |
| 1971 | $2,801,834,511.75 | 3.24% |
| 1972 | $2,859,927,383.91 | 2.07% |
| 1973 | $2,964,647,429.77 | 3.66% |
| 1974 | $3,184,406,650.11 | 7.41% |
| 1975 | $3,326,199,120.96 | 4.45% |
| 1976 | $3,450,793,044.14 | 3.75% |
| 1977 | $3,605,197,783.30 | 4.47% |
| 1978 | $3,731,702,656.22 | 3.51% |
| 1979 | $3,895,279,954.14 | 4.38% |
| 1980 | $4,170,838,906.94 | 7.07% |
| 1981 | $4,369,577,680.11 | 4.76% |
| 1982 | $4,484,234,664.63 | 2.62% |
| 1983 | $4,595,069,749.67 | 2.47% |
| 1984 | $4,679,533,728.26 | 1.84% |
| 1985 | $4,816,739,919.74 | 2.93% |
| 1986 | $4,857,634,244.22 | 0.85% |
| 1987 | $5,071,278,425.38 | 4.40% |
| 1988 | $5,291,419,835.66 | 4.34% |
| 1989 | $5,438,562,965.79 | 2.78% |
| 1990 | $5,690,808,331.74 | 4.64% |
| 1991 | $5,902,923,753.11 | 3.73% |
| 1992 | $6,048,155,933.50 | 2.46% |
| 1993 | $6,129,944,582.46 | 1.35% |
| 1994 | $6,118,096,694.06 | -0.19% |
| 1995 | $6,051,977,832.98 | -1.08% |
| 1996 | $6,040,129,944.58 | -0.20% |
| 1997 | $6,092,872,157.46 | 0.87% |
| 1998 | $6,100,898,146.38 | 0.13% |
| 1999 | $6,021,402,637.11 | -1.30% |
| 2000 | $5,942,671,507.74 | -1.31% |
| 2001 | $5,836,804,892.03 | -1.78% |
| 2002 | $5,688,133,002.10 | -2.55% |
| 2003 | $5,543,665,201.61 | -2.54% |
| 2004 | $5,523,409,134.34 | -0.37% |
| 2005 | $5,482,514,809.86 | -0.74% |
| 2006 | $5,478,310,720.43 | -0.08% |
| 2007 | $5,457,592,203.33 | -0.38% |
| 2008 | $5,453,403,401.49 | -0.08% |
| 2009 | $5,507,120,198.74 | 0.99% |
| 2010 | $5,480,745,270.40 | -0.48% |
| 2011 | $5,600,336,327.15 | 2.18% |
| 2012 | $5,790,846,550.74 | 3.40% |
| 2013 | $5,843,439,709.54 | 0.91% |
| 2014 | $5,848,159,755.40 | 0.08% |
| 2015 | $5,774,240,397.48 | -1.26% |
| 2016 | $5,780,791,133.19 | 0.11% |
| 2017 | $5,760,917,255.88 | -0.34% |
| 2018 | $5,762,862,602.71 | 0.03% |
| 2019 | $5,689,356,009.94 | -1.28% |
| 2020 | $5,415,417,542.52 | -4.81% |
| 2021 | $5,549,061,723.68 | 2.47% |
| 2022 | $5,828,278,234.28 | 5.03% |
| 2023 | $5,988,702,465.13 | 2.75% |
| 2024 | $6,030,162,430.73 | 0.69% |
| 2025 | $6,038,001,146.57 | 0.13% |
| 2026 | $5,993,579,208.87 | -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 |