According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for apparel are 445.94% higher in 2025 versus 1930 (a $8,026,859,418.28 difference in value).
Between 1930 and 2025: Apparel experienced an average inflation rate of 1.80% per year. In other words, apparel costing $1,800,000,000 in the year 1930 would cost $9,826,859,418.28 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 $1,800,000,000 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 | $1,800,000,000.00 | -2.43% |
| 1931 | $1,615,512,465.37 | -10.25% |
| 1932 | $1,436,011,080.33 | -11.11% |
| 1933 | $1,426,038,781.16 | -0.69% |
| 1934 | $1,545,706,371.19 | 8.39% |
| 1935 | $1,555,678,670.36 | 0.65% |
| 1936 | $1,573,130,193.91 | 1.12% |
| 1937 | $1,655,900,277.01 | 5.26% |
| 1938 | $1,634,958,448.75 | -1.26% |
| 1939 | $1,617,008,310.25 | -1.10% |
| 1940 | $1,631,539,374.75 | 0.90% |
| 1941 | $1,706,413,807.80 | 4.59% |
| 1942 | $1,996,952,908.59 | 17.03% |
| 1943 | $2,083,251,651.40 | 4.32% |
| 1944 | $2,229,384,189.22 | 7.01% |
| 1945 | $2,344,449,179.63 | 5.16% |
| 1946 | $2,572,277,860.64 | 9.72% |
| 1947 | $2,981,333,901.56 | 15.90% |
| 1948 | $3,179,245,685.06 | 6.64% |
| 1949 | $3,053,824,845.51 | -3.94% |
| 1950 | $3,012,976,773.92 | -1.34% |
| 1951 | $3,285,105,476.24 | 9.03% |
| 1952 | $3,250,010,654.17 | -1.07% |
| 1953 | $3,228,723,630.94 | -0.65% |
| 1954 | $3,217,792,456.85 | -0.34% |
| 1955 | $3,207,436,607.71 | -0.32% |
| 1956 | $3,271,873,002.34 | 2.01% |
| 1957 | $3,328,254,847.65 | 1.72% |
| 1958 | $3,340,911,996.59 | 0.38% |
| 1959 | $3,367,376,944.39 | 0.79% |
| 1960 | $3,418,005,540.17 | 1.50% |
| 1961 | $3,445,045,812.91 | 0.79% |
| 1962 | $3,464,031,536.33 | 0.55% |
| 1963 | $3,506,605,582.78 | 1.23% |
| 1964 | $3,536,522,480.29 | 0.85% |
| 1965 | $3,570,466,652.46 | 0.96% |
| 1966 | $3,665,970,594.50 | 2.67% |
| 1967 | $3,815,555,082.04 | 4.08% |
| 1968 | $4,019,220,115.06 | 5.34% |
| 1969 | $4,250,500,745.79 | 5.75% |
| 1970 | $4,425,974,856.17 | 4.13% |
| 1971 | $4,569,230,769.23 | 3.24% |
| 1972 | $4,663,584,061.37 | 2.06% |
| 1973 | $4,834,455,572.13 | 3.66% |
| 1974 | $5,192,883,017.26 | 7.41% |
| 1975 | $5,424,163,647.99 | 4.45% |
| 1976 | $5,627,253,356.06 | 3.74% |
| 1977 | $5,879,245,685.06 | 4.48% |
| 1978 | $6,085,787,342.85 | 3.51% |
| 1979 | $6,352,162,795.65 | 4.38% |
| 1980 | $6,801,491,583.21 | 7.07% |
| 1981 | $7,125,974,856.17 | 4.77% |
| 1982 | $7,312,955,465.59 | 2.62% |
| 1983 | $7,493,607,500.53 | 2.47% |
| 1984 | $7,631,685,489.03 | 1.84% |
| 1985 | $7,854,911,570.42 | 2.92% |
| 1986 | $7,921,649,264.86 | 0.85% |
| 1987 | $8,270,296,185.81 | 4.40% |
| 1988 | $8,629,298,955.89 | 4.34% |
| 1989 | $8,869,209,460.90 | 2.78% |
| 1990 | $9,280,566,801.62 | 4.64% |
| 1991 | $9,626,337,097.81 | 3.73% |
| 1992 | $9,863,370,978.05 | 2.46% |
| 1993 | $9,996,846,366.93 | 1.35% |
| 1994 | $9,977,285,318.56 | -0.20% |
| 1995 | $9,869,699,552.53 | -1.08% |
| 1996 | $9,850,138,504.16 | -0.20% |
| 1997 | $9,936,437,246.96 | 0.88% |
| 1998 | $9,949,094,395.91 | 0.13% |
| 1999 | $9,819,646,281.70 | -1.30% |
| 2000 | $9,691,348,817.39 | -1.31% |
| 2001 | $9,518,751,331.77 | -1.78% |
| 2002 | $9,275,964,202.00 | -2.55% |
| 2003 | $9,040,656,296.61 | -2.54% |
| 2004 | $9,007,287,449.39 | -0.37% |
| 2005 | $8,940,549,754.95 | -0.74% |
| 2006 | $8,934,221,180.48 | -0.07% |
| 2007 | $8,900,144,683.57 | -0.38% |
| 2008 | $8,893,315,576.39 | -0.08% |
| 2009 | $8,980,914,553.59 | 0.98% |
| 2010 | $8,937,903,260.17 | -0.48% |
| 2011 | $9,132,932,665.67 | 2.18% |
| 2012 | $9,443,613,893.03 | 3.40% |
| 2013 | $9,529,377,583.64 | 0.91% |
| 2014 | $9,537,075,431.49 | 0.08% |
| 2015 | $9,416,533,347.54 | -1.26% |
| 2016 | $9,427,211,378.65 | 0.11% |
| 2017 | $9,394,803,324.10 | -0.34% |
| 2018 | $9,397,973,364.59 | 0.03% |
| 2019 | $9,278,104,410.82 | -1.28% |
| 2020 | $8,831,370,338.80 | -4.81% |
| 2021 | $9,049,314,937.14 | 2.47% |
| 2022 | $9,504,655,870.45 | 5.03% |
| 2023 | $9,766,273,385.89 | 2.75% |
| 2024 | $9,833,885,574.26 | 0.69% |
| 2025 | $9,826,859,418.28 | -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 |