According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for apparel are 445.94% higher in 2025 versus 1930 (a $67,349,363,949.10 difference in value).
Between 1930 and 2025: Apparel experienced an average inflation rate of 1.80% per year. In other words, apparel costing $15,102,900,000 in the year 1930 would cost $82,452,263,949.10 in 2025 for an equivalent purchase. Compared to the overall inflation rate of 3.16% during this same period, inflation for apparel was lower.
In the year 1930: Pricing changed by -2.43%, which is significantly below the average yearly change for apparel during the 1930-2025 time period. Compared to inflation for all items in 1930 (-2.65%), inflation for apparel was higher.
Below are calculations of equivalent buying power for Apparel, over time, for $15,102,900,000 beginning in 1930. Each of the amounts below is equivalent in terms of what it could buy at the time:
| Year | USD Value | Inflation Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1930 | $15,102,900,000.00 | -2.43% |
| 1931 | $13,554,957,340.72 | -10.25% |
| 1932 | $12,048,850,969.53 | -11.11% |
| 1933 | $11,965,178,393.35 | -0.69% |
| 1934 | $12,969,249,307.48 | 8.39% |
| 1935 | $13,052,921,883.66 | 0.65% |
| 1936 | $13,199,348,891.97 | 1.12% |
| 1937 | $13,893,831,274.24 | 5.26% |
| 1938 | $13,718,118,864.27 | -1.26% |
| 1939 | $13,567,508,227.15 | -1.10% |
| 1940 | $13,689,431,123.86 | 0.90% |
| 1941 | $14,317,665,054.34 | 4.59% |
| 1942 | $16,755,433,379.50 | 17.03% |
| 1943 | $17,479,522,981.04 | 4.32% |
| 1944 | $18,705,648,039.63 | 7.01% |
| 1945 | $19,671,100,841.68 | 5.16% |
| 1946 | $21,582,697,389.73 | 9.72% |
| 1947 | $25,014,882,101.00 | 15.90% |
| 1948 | $26,675,460,920.52 | 6.64% |
| 1949 | $25,623,117,366.29 | -3.94% |
| 1950 | $25,280,381,621.56 | -1.34% |
| 1951 | $27,563,677,498.40 | 9.03% |
| 1952 | $27,269,214,393.78 | -1.07% |
| 1953 | $27,090,605,625.40 | -0.65% |
| 1954 | $26,998,887,609.21 | -0.34% |
| 1955 | $26,911,996,857.02 | -0.32% |
| 1956 | $27,452,650,426.17 | 2.01% |
| 1957 | $27,925,722,299.17 | 1.72% |
| 1958 | $28,031,922,107.39 | 0.38% |
| 1959 | $28,253,976,251.86 | 0.79% |
| 1960 | $28,678,775,484.76 | 1.50% |
| 1961 | $28,905,656,893.25 | 0.79% |
| 1962 | $29,064,956,605.58 | 0.55% |
| 1963 | $29,422,174,142.34 | 1.23% |
| 1964 | $29,673,191,870.87 | 0.85% |
| 1965 | $29,958,000,447.47 | 0.96% |
| 1966 | $30,759,326,273.17 | 2.67% |
| 1967 | $32,014,414,915.83 | 4.08% |
| 1968 | $33,723,266,375.45 | 5.34% |
| 1969 | $35,663,826,507.56 | 5.75% |
| 1970 | $37,136,142,030.68 | 4.13% |
| 1971 | $38,338,130,769.23 | 3.24% |
| 1972 | $39,129,802,066.91 | 2.06% |
| 1973 | $40,563,499,477.95 | 3.66% |
| 1974 | $43,570,884,956.32 | 7.41% |
| 1975 | $45,511,445,088.43 | 4.45% |
| 1976 | $47,215,469,284.04 | 3.74% |
| 1977 | $49,329,810,920.52 | 4.48% |
| 1978 | $51,062,798,700.19 | 3.51% |
| 1979 | $53,297,821,936.93 | 4.38% |
| 1980 | $57,067,915,128.92 | 7.07% |
| 1981 | $59,790,492,030.68 | 4.77% |
| 1982 | $61,359,352,834.01 | 2.62% |
| 1983 | $62,875,113,733.22 | 2.47% |
| 1984 | $64,033,657,095.67 | 1.84% |
| 1985 | $65,906,635,531.64 | 2.92% |
| 1986 | $66,466,598,156.83 | 0.85% |
| 1987 | $69,391,920,147.03 | 4.40% |
| 1988 | $72,404,132,889.41 | 4.34% |
| 1989 | $74,417,101,981.67 | 2.78% |
| 1990 | $77,868,595,748.99 | 4.64% |
| 1991 | $80,769,781,419.13 | 3.73% |
| 1992 | $82,758,614,191.35 | 2.46% |
| 1993 | $83,878,539,441.72 | 1.35% |
| 1994 | $83,714,412,465.37 | -0.20% |
| 1995 | $82,811,714,095.46 | -1.08% |
| 1996 | $82,647,587,119.11 | -0.20% |
| 1997 | $83,371,676,720.65 | 0.88% |
| 1998 | $83,477,876,528.87 | 0.13% |
| 1999 | $82,391,742,126.57 | -1.30% |
| 2000 | $81,315,262,252.29 | -1.31% |
| 2001 | $79,867,083,049.22 | -1.78% |
| 2002 | $77,829,977,636.91 | -2.55% |
| 2003 | $75,855,626,656.72 | -2.54% |
| 2004 | $75,575,645,344.13 | -0.37% |
| 2005 | $75,015,682,718.94 | -0.74% |
| 2006 | $74,962,582,814.83 | -0.07% |
| 2007 | $74,676,663,967.50 | -0.38% |
| 2008 | $74,619,364,343.70 | -0.08% |
| 2009 | $75,354,363,561.90 | 0.98% |
| 2010 | $74,993,477,304.50 | -0.48% |
| 2011 | $76,629,871,531.32 | 2.18% |
| 2012 | $79,236,642,369.49 | 3.40% |
| 2013 | $79,956,242,615.49 | 0.91% |
| 2014 | $80,020,831,407.95 | 0.08% |
| 2015 | $79,009,423,052.53 | -1.26% |
| 2016 | $79,099,017,072.55 | 0.11% |
| 2017 | $78,827,097,290.86 | -0.34% |
| 2018 | $78,853,695,515.56 | 0.03% |
| 2019 | $77,847,935,059.02 | -1.28% |
| 2020 | $74,099,612,827.72 | -4.81% |
| 2021 | $75,928,276,980.08 | 2.47% |
| 2022 | $79,748,815,080.97 | 5.03% |
| 2023 | $81,943,916,844.34 | 2.75% |
| 2024 | $82,511,216,910.82 | 0.69% |
| 2025 | $82,452,263,949.10 | -0.07%* |
* 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 | 1913 | 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 |
| CPI | 14.900 | 15.000 | 15.450 | 17.350 | 21.200 | 29.550 | 37.733 | 42.800 | 31.625 | 26.860 | 27.100 | 26.760 | 26.300 | 25.833 | 25.267 | 24.967 | 24.667 | 24.067 | 21.600 | 19.200 | 19.067 | 20.667 | 20.800 | 21.033 | 22.140 | 21.860 | 21.620 | 21.814 | 22.815 | 26.700 | 27.854 | 29.808 | 31.346 | 34.392 | 39.862 | 42.508 | 40.831 | 40.285 | 43.923 | 43.454 | 43.169 | 43.023 | 42.885 | 43.746 | 44.500 | 44.669 | 45.023 | 45.700 | 46.062 | 46.315 | 46.885 | 47.285 | 47.738 | 49.015 | 51.015 | 53.738 | 56.831 | 59.177 | 61.092 | 62.354 | 64.638 | 69.431 | 72.523 | 75.238 | 78.608 | 81.369 | 84.931 | 90.938 | 95.277 | 97.777 | 100.192 | 102.038 | 105.023 | 105.915 | 110.577 | 115.377 | 118.585 | 124.085 | 128.708 | 131.877 | 133.662 | 133.400 | 131.962 | 131.700 | 132.854 | 133.023 | 131.292 | 129.577 | 127.269 | 124.023 | 120.877 | 120.431 | 119.538 | 119.454 | 118.998 | 118.907 | 120.078 | 119.503 | 122.111 | 126.265 | 127.411 | 127.514 | 125.903 | 126.045 | 125.612 | 125.654 | 124.052 | 118.079 | 120.993 | 127.081 | 130.579 | 131.483 | 131.389 |