According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for apparel are 197.56% higher in 2026 versus 1920 (a $11,784,733,498.95 difference in value).
Between 1920 and 2026: Apparel experienced an average inflation rate of 1.03% per year. In other words, apparel costing $5,965,000,000 in the year 1920 would cost $17,749,733,498.95 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 $5,965,000,000 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 | $5,965,000,000.00 | 28.26% |
| 1921 | $4,771,544,047.39 | -20.01% |
| 1922 | $3,714,873,877.32 | -22.15% |
| 1923 | $3,693,216,128.42 | -0.58% |
| 1924 | $3,677,257,787.12 | -0.43% |
| 1925 | $3,608,864,895.85 | -1.86% |
| 1926 | $3,557,570,227.40 | -1.42% |
| 1927 | $3,488,037,454.61 | -1.95% |
| 1928 | $3,424,204,089.43 | -1.83% |
| 1929 | $3,388,867,762.28 | -1.03% |
| 1930 | $3,345,552,264.48 | -1.28% |
| 1931 | $3,092,498,566.79 | -7.56% |
| 1932 | $2,719,757,309.38 | -12.05% |
| 1933 | $2,535,096,502.96 | -6.79% |
| 1934 | $2,800,378,020.60 | 10.46% |
| 1935 | $2,841,987,681.72 | 1.49% |
| 1936 | $2,873,641,314.73 | 1.11% |
| 1937 | $3,005,867,571.18 | 4.60% |
| 1938 | $3,007,007,452.70 | 0.04% |
| 1939 | $2,957,992,547.30 | -1.63% |
| 1940 | $2,983,069,940.76 | 0.85% |
| 1941 | $3,120,995,604.82 | 4.62% |
| 1942 | $3,652,180,393.66 | 17.02% |
| 1943 | $3,810,623,925.09 | 4.34% |
| 1944 | $4,077,356,201.03 | 7.00% |
| 1945 | $4,287,094,400.92 | 5.14% |
| 1946 | $4,704,291,037.65 | 9.73% |
| 1947 | $5,452,053,315.50 | 15.90% |
| 1948 | $5,814,535,639.21 | 6.65% |
| 1949 | $5,585,419,453.47 | -3.94% |
| 1950 | $5,510,187,273.07 | -1.35% |
| 1951 | $6,008,315,497.80 | 9.04% |
| 1952 | $5,943,342,251.10 | -1.08% |
| 1953 | $5,905,726,160.90 | -0.63% |
| 1954 | $5,884,068,412.00 | -0.37% |
| 1955 | $5,865,830,307.66 | -0.31% |
| 1956 | $5,984,377,985.86 | 2.02% |
| 1957 | $6,086,967,322.76 | 1.71% |
| 1958 | $6,110,904,834.70 | 0.39% |
| 1959 | $6,158,779,858.59 | 0.78% |
| 1960 | $6,251,110,261.80 | 1.50% |
| 1961 | $6,300,125,167.21 | 0.78% |
| 1962 | $6,335,461,494.36 | 0.56% |
| 1963 | $6,412,973,437.80 | 1.22% |
| 1964 | $6,467,687,750.81 | 0.85% |
| 1965 | $6,529,241,352.95 | 0.95% |
| 1966 | $6,704,783,107.20 | 2.69% |
| 1967 | $6,978,354,672.27 | 4.08% |
| 1968 | $7,351,095,929.68 | 5.34% |
| 1969 | $7,773,991,974.01 | 5.75% |
| 1970 | $8,094,298,681.44 | 4.12% |
| 1971 | $8,356,471,431.30 | 3.24% |
| 1972 | $8,529,733,422.51 | 2.07% |
| 1973 | $8,842,060,959.30 | 3.66% |
| 1974 | $9,497,492,833.94 | 7.41% |
| 1975 | $9,920,388,878.27 | 4.45% |
| 1976 | $10,291,990,254.16 | 3.75% |
| 1977 | $10,752,502,388.69 | 4.47% |
| 1978 | $11,129,803,172.18 | 3.51% |
| 1979 | $11,617,672,463.21 | 4.38% |
| 1980 | $12,439,527,039.94 | 7.07% |
| 1981 | $13,032,265,430.92 | 4.76% |
| 1982 | $13,374,229,887.25 | 2.62% |
| 1983 | $13,704,795,528.38 | 2.47% |
| 1984 | $13,956,709,344.54 | 1.84% |
| 1985 | $14,365,926,810.62 | 2.93% |
| 1986 | $14,487,894,133.38 | 0.85% |
| 1987 | $15,125,087,903.69 | 4.40% |
| 1988 | $15,781,659,659.85 | 4.34% |
| 1989 | $16,220,514,045.48 | 2.78% |
| 1990 | $16,972,835,849.42 | 4.64% |
| 1991 | $17,605,470,093.64 | 3.73% |
| 1992 | $18,038,625,071.66 | 2.46% |
| 1993 | $18,282,559,717.18 | 1.35% |
| 1994 | $18,247,223,390.02 | -0.19% |
| 1995 | $18,050,023,886.87 | -1.08% |
| 1996 | $18,014,687,559.72 | -0.20% |
| 1997 | $18,171,991,209.63 | 0.87% |
| 1998 | $18,195,928,721.57 | 0.13% |
| 1999 | $17,958,833,365.18 | -1.30% |
| 2000 | $17,724,017,771.83 | -1.31% |
| 2001 | $17,408,270,590.48 | -1.78% |
| 2002 | $16,964,856,678.77 | -2.55% |
| 2003 | $16,533,981,463.79 | -2.54% |
| 2004 | $16,473,567,743.17 | -0.37% |
| 2005 | $16,351,600,420.41 | -0.74% |
| 2006 | $16,339,061,723.68 | -0.08% |
| 2007 | $16,277,268,746.42 | -0.38% |
| 2008 | $16,264,775,644.95 | -0.08% |
| 2009 | $16,424,985,992.74 | 0.99% |
| 2010 | $16,346,322,768.97 | -0.48% |
| 2011 | $16,703,003,095.74 | 2.18% |
| 2012 | $17,271,199,837.57 | 3.40% |
| 2013 | $17,428,058,933.69 | 0.91% |
| 2014 | $17,442,136,470.48 | 0.08% |
| 2015 | $17,221,671,985.48 | -1.26% |
| 2016 | $17,241,209,554.75 | 0.11% |
| 2017 | $17,181,935,715.65 | -0.34% |
| 2018 | $17,187,737,712.59 | 0.03% |
| 2019 | $16,968,504,299.64 | -1.28% |
| 2020 | $16,151,482,820.56 | -4.81% |
| 2021 | $16,550,076,590.87 | 2.47% |
| 2022 | $17,382,839,833.75 | 5.03% |
| 2023 | $17,861,305,102.24 | 2.75% |
| 2024 | $17,984,959,449.65 | 0.69% |
| 2025 | $18,052,253,909.63 | 0.37% |
| 2026 | $17,749,733,498.95 | -1.68%* |
* 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 | 131.975 | 129.763 |