According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for apparel are 205.92% higher in 2026 versus 1920 (a $115,317,622,778.52 difference in value).
Between 1920 and 2026:Apparel experienced an average inflation rate of 1.06% per year. In other words, apparel costing $56,000,000,000 in the year 1920 would cost $171,317,622,778.52 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 $56,000,000,000 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 | $56,000,000,000.00 | 28.26% |
| 1921 | $44,795,719,472.58 | -20.01% |
| 1922 | $34,875,597,171.79 | -22.15% |
| 1923 | $34,672,272,119.24 | -0.58% |
| 1924 | $34,522,453,659.47 | -0.43% |
| 1925 | $33,880,374,546.15 | -1.86% |
| 1926 | $33,398,815,211.16 | -1.42% |
| 1927 | $32,746,034,779.29 | -1.95% |
| 1928 | $32,146,760,940.19 | -1.83% |
| 1929 | $31,815,020,064.97 | -1.03% |
| 1930 | $31,408,369,959.87 | -1.28% |
| 1931 | $29,032,677,240.59 | -7.56% |
| 1932 | $25,533,346,073.00 | -12.05% |
| 1933 | $23,799,732,467.04 | -6.79% |
| 1934 | $26,290,221,149.00 | 10.46% |
| 1935 | $26,680,856,693.47 | 1.49% |
| 1936 | $26,978,024,077.97 | 1.11% |
| 1937 | $28,219,377,030.38 | 4.60% |
| 1938 | $28,230,078,348.94 | 0.04% |
| 1939 | $27,769,921,651.06 | -1.63% |
| 1940 | $28,005,350,659.28 | 0.85% |
| 1941 | $29,300,210,204.47 | 4.62% |
| 1942 | $34,287,024,651.25 | 17.02% |
| 1943 | $35,774,507,930.44 | 4.34% |
| 1944 | $38,278,616,472.39 | 7.00% |
| 1945 | $40,247,659,086.57 | 5.14% |
| 1946 | $44,164,341,677.81 | 9.73% |
| 1947 | $51,184,406,650.11 | 15.90% |
| 1948 | $54,587,425,950.70 | 6.65% |
| 1949 | $52,436,460,921.08 | -3.94% |
| 1950 | $51,730,173,896.43 | -1.35% |
| 1951 | $56,406,650,105.10 | 9.04% |
| 1952 | $55,796,674,947.45 | -1.08% |
| 1953 | $55,443,531,435.12 | -0.63% |
| 1954 | $55,240,206,382.57 | -0.37% |
| 1955 | $55,068,985,285.69 | -0.31% |
| 1956 | $56,181,922,415.44 | 2.02% |
| 1957 | $57,145,041,085.42 | 1.71% |
| 1958 | $57,369,768,775.08 | 0.39% |
| 1959 | $57,819,224,154.40 | 0.78% |
| 1960 | $58,686,030,957.39 | 1.50% |
| 1961 | $59,146,187,655.26 | 0.78% |
| 1962 | $59,477,928,530.48 | 0.56% |
| 1963 | $60,205,618,192.24 | 1.22% |
| 1964 | $60,719,281,482.90 | 0.85% |
| 1965 | $61,297,152,684.88 | 0.95% |
| 1966 | $62,945,155,742.40 | 2.69% |
| 1967 | $65,513,472,195.68 | 4.08% |
| 1968 | $69,012,803,363.27 | 5.34% |
| 1969 | $72,982,992,547.30 | 5.75% |
| 1970 | $75,990,063,061.34 | 4.12% |
| 1971 | $78,451,366,329.07 | 3.24% |
| 1972 | $80,077,966,749.47 | 2.07% |
| 1973 | $83,010,128,033.63 | 3.66% |
| 1974 | $89,163,386,202.94 | 7.41% |
| 1975 | $93,133,575,386.97 | 4.45% |
| 1976 | $96,622,205,236.00 | 3.75% |
| 1977 | $100,945,537,932.35 | 4.47% |
| 1978 | $104,487,674,374.16 | 3.51% |
| 1979 | $109,067,838,715.84 | 4.38% |
| 1980 | $116,783,489,394.23 | 7.07% |
| 1981 | $122,348,175,043.00 | 4.76% |
| 1982 | $125,558,570,609.59 | 2.62% |
| 1983 | $128,661,952,990.64 | 2.47% |
| 1984 | $131,026,944,391.36 | 1.84% |
| 1985 | $134,868,717,752.72 | 2.93% |
| 1986 | $136,013,758,838.14 | 0.85% |
| 1987 | $141,995,795,910.57 | 4.40% |
| 1988 | $148,159,755,398.43 | 4.34% |
| 1989 | $152,279,763,042.23 | 2.78% |
| 1990 | $159,342,633,288.74 | 4.64% |
| 1991 | $165,281,865,086.95 | 3.73% |
| 1992 | $169,348,366,137.97 | 2.46% |
| 1993 | $171,638,448,308.81 | 1.35% |
| 1994 | $171,306,707,433.59 | -0.19% |
| 1995 | $169,455,379,323.52 | -1.08% |
| 1996 | $169,123,638,448.31 | -0.20% |
| 1997 | $170,600,420,408.94 | 0.87% |
| 1998 | $170,825,148,098.61 | 0.13% |
| 1999 | $168,599,273,839.10 | -1.30% |
| 2000 | $166,394,802,216.70 | -1.31% |
| 2001 | $163,430,536,976.88 | -1.78% |
| 2002 | $159,267,724,058.86 | -2.55% |
| 2003 | $155,222,625,644.95 | -2.54% |
| 2004 | $154,655,455,761.51 | -0.37% |
| 2005 | $153,510,414,676.09 | -0.74% |
| 2006 | $153,392,700,171.99 | -0.08% |
| 2007 | $152,812,581,693.10 | -0.38% |
| 2008 | $152,695,295,241.74 | -0.08% |
| 2009 | $154,199,365,564.69 | 0.99% |
| 2010 | $153,460,867,571.18 | -0.48% |
| 2011 | $156,809,417,160.33 | 2.18% |
| 2012 | $162,143,703,420.60 | 3.40% |
| 2013 | $163,616,311,867.00 | 0.91% |
| 2014 | $163,748,473,151.16 | 0.08% |
| 2015 | $161,678,731,129.37 | -1.26% |
| 2016 | $161,862,151,729.41 | 0.11% |
| 2017 | $161,305,683,164.53 | -0.34% |
| 2018 | $161,360,152,875.98 | 0.03% |
| 2019 | $159,301,968,278.23 | -1.28% |
| 2020 | $151,631,691,190.52 | -4.81% |
| 2021 | $155,373,728,262.95 | 2.47% |
| 2022 | $163,191,790,559.91 | 5.03% |
| 2023 | $167,683,669,023.50 | 2.75% |
| 2024 | $168,844,548,060.39 | 0.69% |
| 2025 | $169,064,032,103.96 | 0.13% |
| 2026 | $171,317,622,778.52 | 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 |