According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for apparel are 211.56% higher in 2026 versus 1920 (a $520,449,596.79 difference in value).
Between 1920 and 2026:Apparel experienced an average inflation rate of 1.08% per year. In other words, apparel costing $246,000,000 in the year 1920 would cost $766,449,596.79 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 $246,000,000 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 | $246,000,000.00 | 28.26% |
| 1921 | $196,781,196.25 | -20.01% |
| 1922 | $153,203,516.15 | -22.15% |
| 1923 | $152,310,338.24 | -0.58% |
| 1924 | $151,652,207.15 | -0.43% |
| 1925 | $148,831,645.33 | -1.86% |
| 1926 | $146,716,223.96 | -1.42% |
| 1927 | $143,848,652.78 | -1.95% |
| 1928 | $141,216,128.42 | -1.83% |
| 1929 | $139,758,838.14 | -1.03% |
| 1930 | $137,972,482.32 | -1.28% |
| 1931 | $127,536,403.59 | -7.56% |
| 1932 | $112,164,341.68 | -12.05% |
| 1933 | $104,548,824.77 | -6.79% |
| 1934 | $115,489,185.76 | 10.46% |
| 1935 | $117,205,191.90 | 1.49% |
| 1936 | $118,510,605.77 | 1.11% |
| 1937 | $123,963,691.95 | 4.60% |
| 1938 | $124,010,701.32 | 0.04% |
| 1939 | $121,989,298.68 | -1.63% |
| 1940 | $123,023,504.68 | 0.85% |
| 1941 | $128,711,637.68 | 4.62% |
| 1942 | $150,618,001.15 | 17.02% |
| 1943 | $157,152,302.69 | 4.34% |
| 1944 | $168,152,493.79 | 7.00% |
| 1945 | $176,802,216.70 | 5.14% |
| 1946 | $194,007,643.80 | 9.73% |
| 1947 | $224,845,786.36 | 15.90% |
| 1948 | $239,794,764.00 | 6.65% |
| 1949 | $230,345,881.90 | -3.94% |
| 1950 | $227,243,263.90 | -1.35% |
| 1951 | $247,786,355.82 | 9.04% |
| 1952 | $245,106,822.09 | -1.08% |
| 1953 | $243,555,513.09 | -0.63% |
| 1954 | $242,662,335.18 | -0.37% |
| 1955 | $241,910,185.36 | -0.31% |
| 1956 | $246,799,159.18 | 2.02% |
| 1957 | $251,030,001.91 | 1.71% |
| 1958 | $252,017,198.55 | 0.39% |
| 1959 | $253,991,591.82 | 0.78% |
| 1960 | $257,799,350.28 | 1.50% |
| 1961 | $259,820,752.91 | 0.78% |
| 1962 | $261,278,043.19 | 0.56% |
| 1963 | $264,474,679.92 | 1.22% |
| 1964 | $266,731,129.37 | 0.85% |
| 1965 | $269,269,635.01 | 0.95% |
| 1966 | $276,509,077.01 | 2.69% |
| 1967 | $287,791,324.29 | 4.08% |
| 1968 | $303,163,386.20 | 5.34% |
| 1969 | $320,603,860.12 | 5.75% |
| 1970 | $333,813,491.31 | 4.12% |
| 1971 | $344,625,644.95 | 3.24% |
| 1972 | $351,771,068.22 | 2.07% |
| 1973 | $364,651,633.86 | 3.66% |
| 1974 | $391,682,017.96 | 7.41% |
| 1975 | $409,122,491.88 | 4.45% |
| 1976 | $424,447,544.43 | 3.75% |
| 1977 | $443,439,327.35 | 4.47% |
| 1978 | $458,999,426.72 | 3.51% |
| 1979 | $479,119,434.36 | 4.38% |
| 1980 | $513,013,185.55 | 7.07% |
| 1981 | $537,458,054.65 | 4.76% |
| 1982 | $551,560,863.75 | 2.62% |
| 1983 | $565,193,579.21 | 2.47% |
| 1984 | $575,582,648.58 | 1.84% |
| 1985 | $592,459,010.13 | 2.93% |
| 1986 | $597,489,012.04 | 0.85% |
| 1987 | $623,767,246.32 | 4.40% |
| 1988 | $650,844,639.79 | 4.34% |
| 1989 | $668,943,244.79 | 2.78% |
| 1990 | $699,969,424.80 | 4.64% |
| 1991 | $726,059,621.63 | 3.73% |
| 1992 | $743,923,179.82 | 2.46% |
| 1993 | $753,983,183.64 | 1.35% |
| 1994 | $752,525,893.37 | -0.19% |
| 1995 | $744,393,273.46 | -1.08% |
| 1996 | $742,935,983.18 | -0.20% |
| 1997 | $749,423,275.37 | 0.87% |
| 1998 | $750,410,472.00 | 0.13% |
| 1999 | $740,632,524.36 | -1.30% |
| 2000 | $730,948,595.45 | -1.31% |
| 2001 | $717,927,001.72 | -1.78% |
| 2002 | $699,640,359.26 | -2.55% |
| 2003 | $681,870,819.80 | -2.54% |
| 2004 | $679,379,323.52 | -0.37% |
| 2005 | $674,349,321.61 | -0.74% |
| 2006 | $673,832,218.61 | -0.08% |
| 2007 | $671,283,841.01 | -0.38% |
| 2008 | $670,768,618.38 | -0.08% |
| 2009 | $677,375,784.44 | 0.99% |
| 2010 | $674,131,668.26 | -0.48% |
| 2011 | $688,841,368.24 | 2.18% |
| 2012 | $712,274,125.74 | 3.40% |
| 2013 | $718,743,084.27 | 0.91% |
| 2014 | $719,323,649.91 | 0.08% |
| 2015 | $710,231,568.89 | -1.26% |
| 2016 | $711,037,309.38 | 0.11% |
| 2017 | $708,592,822.47 | -0.34% |
| 2018 | $708,832,100.13 | 0.03% |
| 2019 | $699,790,789.22 | -1.28% |
| 2020 | $666,096,357.73 | -4.81% |
| 2021 | $682,534,592.01 | 2.47% |
| 2022 | $716,878,222.82 | 5.03% |
| 2023 | $736,610,403.21 | 2.75% |
| 2024 | $741,709,978.98 | 0.69% |
| 2025 | $742,674,141.03 | 0.13% |
| 2026 | $766,449,596.79 | 3.20%* |
* 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 | 135.868 |