According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for apparel are 205.92% higher in 2026 versus 1920 (a $113,258,379,514.62 difference in value).
Between 1920 and 2026:Apparel experienced an average inflation rate of 1.06% per year. In other words, apparel costing $55,000,000,000 in the year 1920 would cost $168,258,379,514.62 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 $55,000,000,000 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 | $55,000,000,000.00 | 28.26% |
| 1921 | $43,995,795,910.57 | -20.01% |
| 1922 | $34,252,818,650.87 | -22.15% |
| 1923 | $34,053,124,402.83 | -0.58% |
| 1924 | $33,905,981,272.69 | -0.43% |
| 1925 | $33,275,367,857.83 | -1.86% |
| 1926 | $32,802,407,796.67 | -1.42% |
| 1927 | $32,161,284,158.23 | -1.95% |
| 1928 | $31,572,711,637.68 | -1.83% |
| 1929 | $31,246,894,706.67 | -1.03% |
| 1930 | $30,847,506,210.59 | -1.28% |
| 1931 | $28,514,236,575.58 | -7.56% |
| 1932 | $25,077,393,464.55 | -12.05% |
| 1933 | $23,374,737,244.41 | -6.79% |
| 1934 | $25,820,752,914.20 | 10.46% |
| 1935 | $26,204,412,823.94 | 1.49% |
| 1936 | $26,496,273,648.00 | 1.11% |
| 1937 | $27,715,459,583.41 | 4.60% |
| 1938 | $27,725,969,806.99 | 0.04% |
| 1939 | $27,274,030,193.01 | -1.63% |
| 1940 | $27,505,255,111.79 | 0.85% |
| 1941 | $28,776,992,165.11 | 4.62% |
| 1942 | $33,674,756,353.91 | 17.02% |
| 1943 | $35,135,677,431.68 | 4.34% |
| 1944 | $37,595,069,749.67 | 7.00% |
| 1945 | $39,528,950,888.59 | 5.14% |
| 1946 | $43,375,692,719.28 | 9.73% |
| 1947 | $50,270,399,388.50 | 15.90% |
| 1948 | $53,612,650,487.29 | 6.65% |
| 1949 | $51,500,095,547.49 | -3.94% |
| 1950 | $50,806,420,791.13 | -1.35% |
| 1951 | $55,399,388,496.08 | 9.04% |
| 1952 | $54,800,305,751.96 | -1.08% |
| 1953 | $54,453,468,373.78 | -0.63% |
| 1954 | $54,253,774,125.74 | -0.37% |
| 1955 | $54,085,610,548.44 | -0.31% |
| 1956 | $55,178,673,800.88 | 2.02% |
| 1957 | $56,124,593,923.18 | 1.71% |
| 1958 | $56,345,308,618.38 | 0.39% |
| 1959 | $56,786,738,008.79 | 0.78% |
| 1960 | $57,638,066,118.86 | 1.50% |
| 1961 | $58,090,005,732.85 | 0.78% |
| 1962 | $58,415,822,663.86 | 0.56% |
| 1963 | $59,130,517,867.38 | 1.22% |
| 1964 | $59,635,008,599.27 | 0.85% |
| 1965 | $60,202,560,672.65 | 0.95% |
| 1966 | $61,821,135,104.15 | 2.69% |
| 1967 | $64,343,588,763.62 | 4.08% |
| 1968 | $67,780,431,874.64 | 5.34% |
| 1969 | $71,679,724,823.24 | 5.75% |
| 1970 | $74,633,097,649.53 | 4.12% |
| 1971 | $77,050,449,073.19 | 3.24% |
| 1972 | $78,648,003,057.52 | 2.07% |
| 1973 | $81,527,804,318.75 | 3.66% |
| 1974 | $87,571,182,877.89 | 7.41% |
| 1975 | $91,470,475,826.49 | 4.45% |
| 1976 | $94,896,808,713.93 | 3.75% |
| 1977 | $99,142,939,040.70 | 4.47% |
| 1978 | $102,621,823,046.05 | 3.51% |
| 1979 | $107,120,198,738.77 | 4.38% |
| 1980 | $114,698,069,940.76 | 7.07% |
| 1981 | $120,163,386,202.94 | 4.76% |
| 1982 | $123,316,453,277.28 | 2.62% |
| 1983 | $126,364,418,115.80 | 2.47% |
| 1984 | $128,687,177,527.23 | 1.84% |
| 1985 | $132,460,347,792.85 | 2.93% |
| 1986 | $133,584,941,716.03 | 0.85% |
| 1987 | $139,460,156,697.88 | 4.40% |
| 1988 | $145,514,045,480.60 | 4.34% |
| 1989 | $149,560,481,559.34 | 2.78% |
| 1990 | $156,497,229,122.87 | 4.64% |
| 1991 | $162,330,403,210.40 | 3.73% |
| 1992 | $166,324,288,171.22 | 2.46% |
| 1993 | $168,573,476,017.58 | 1.35% |
| 1994 | $168,247,659,086.57 | -0.19% |
| 1995 | $166,429,390,407.03 | -1.08% |
| 1996 | $166,103,573,476.02 | -0.20% |
| 1997 | $167,553,984,330.21 | 0.87% |
| 1998 | $167,774,699,025.42 | 0.13% |
| 1999 | $165,588,572,520.54 | -1.30% |
| 2000 | $163,423,466,462.83 | -1.31% |
| 2001 | $160,512,134,530.86 | -1.78% |
| 2002 | $156,423,657,557.81 | -2.55% |
| 2003 | $152,450,793,044.14 | -2.54% |
| 2004 | $151,893,751,194.34 | -0.37% |
| 2005 | $150,769,157,271.16 | -0.74% |
| 2006 | $150,653,544,811.77 | -0.08% |
| 2007 | $150,083,785,591.44 | -0.38% |
| 2008 | $149,968,593,540.99 | -0.08% |
| 2009 | $151,445,805,465.32 | 0.99% |
| 2010 | $150,720,494,935.98 | -0.48% |
| 2011 | $154,009,248,996.75 | 2.18% |
| 2012 | $159,248,280,145.23 | 3.40% |
| 2013 | $160,694,592,012.23 | 0.91% |
| 2014 | $160,824,393,273.46 | 0.08% |
| 2015 | $158,791,610,930.63 | -1.26% |
| 2016 | $158,971,756,162.81 | 0.11% |
| 2017 | $158,425,224,536.59 | -0.34% |
| 2018 | $158,478,721,574.62 | 0.03% |
| 2019 | $156,457,290,273.27 | -1.28% |
| 2020 | $148,923,982,419.26 | -4.81% |
| 2021 | $152,599,197,401.11 | 2.47% |
| 2022 | $160,277,651,442.77 | 5.03% |
| 2023 | $164,689,317,790.94 | 2.75% |
| 2024 | $165,829,466,845.02 | 0.69% |
| 2025 | $166,045,031,530.67 | 0.13% |
| 2026 | $168,258,379,514.62 | 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 |