According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for apparel are 445.45% higher in 2026 versus 1930 (a $8,730,861,737.65 difference in value).
Between 1930 and 2026:Apparel experienced an average inflation rate of 1.78% per year. In other words, apparel costing $1,960,000,000 in the year 1930 would cost $10,690,861,737.65 in 2026 for an equivalent purchase. Compared to the overall inflation rate of 3.14% during this same period, inflation for apparel was lower.
In the year 1930: Pricing changed by -1.28%, which is significantly below the average yearly change for apparel during the 1930-2026 time period. Compared to inflation for all items in 1930 (-2.67%), inflation for apparel was higher.
Below are calculations of equivalent buying power for Apparel, over time, for $1,960,000,000 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 | $1,960,000,000.00 | -1.28% |
| 1931 | $1,811,747,870.53 | -7.56% |
| 1932 | $1,593,376,490.63 | -12.05% |
| 1933 | $1,485,192,504.26 | -6.79% |
| 1934 | $1,640,608,332.04 | 10.46% |
| 1935 | $1,664,985,454.07 | 1.49% |
| 1936 | $1,683,529,812.61 | 1.11% |
| 1937 | $1,760,994,889.27 | 4.60% |
| 1938 | $1,761,662,691.65 | 0.04% |
| 1939 | $1,732,947,189.10 | -1.63% |
| 1940 | $1,747,638,841.57 | 0.85% |
| 1941 | $1,828,442,930.15 | 4.62% |
| 1942 | $2,139,638,841.57 | 17.02% |
| 1943 | $2,232,463,373.08 | 4.34% |
| 1944 | $2,388,729,131.18 | 7.00% |
| 1945 | $2,511,604,770.02 | 5.14% |
| 1946 | $2,756,020,442.93 | 9.73% |
| 1947 | $3,194,098,807.50 | 15.90% |
| 1948 | $3,406,459,965.93 | 6.65% |
| 1949 | $3,272,231,686.54 | -3.94% |
| 1950 | $3,228,156,729.13 | -1.35% |
| 1951 | $3,519,986,371.38 | 9.04% |
| 1952 | $3,481,921,635.43 | -1.08% |
| 1953 | $3,459,884,156.73 | -0.63% |
| 1954 | $3,447,195,911.41 | -0.37% |
| 1955 | $3,436,511,073.25 | -0.31% |
| 1956 | $3,505,962,521.29 | 2.02% |
| 1957 | $3,566,064,735.95 | 1.71% |
| 1958 | $3,580,088,586.03 | 0.39% |
| 1959 | $3,608,136,286.20 | 0.78% |
| 1960 | $3,662,228,279.39 | 1.50% |
| 1961 | $3,690,943,781.94 | 0.78% |
| 1962 | $3,711,645,655.88 | 0.56% |
| 1963 | $3,757,056,218.06 | 1.22% |
| 1964 | $3,789,110,732.54 | 0.85% |
| 1965 | $3,825,172,061.33 | 0.95% |
| 1966 | $3,928,013,628.62 | 2.69% |
| 1967 | $4,088,286,201.02 | 4.08% |
| 1968 | $4,306,657,580.92 | 5.34% |
| 1969 | $4,554,412,265.76 | 5.75% |
| 1970 | $4,742,064,735.95 | 4.12% |
| 1971 | $4,895,659,284.50 | 3.24% |
| 1972 | $4,997,165,247.02 | 2.07% |
| 1973 | $5,180,143,100.51 | 3.66% |
| 1974 | $5,564,129,471.89 | 7.41% |
| 1975 | $5,811,884,156.73 | 4.45% |
| 1976 | $6,029,587,734.24 | 3.75% |
| 1977 | $6,299,379,897.79 | 4.47% |
| 1978 | $6,520,422,487.22 | 3.51% |
| 1979 | $6,806,241,908.01 | 4.38% |
| 1980 | $7,287,727,427.60 | 7.07% |
| 1981 | $7,634,984,667.80 | 4.76% |
| 1982 | $7,835,325,383.30 | 2.62% |
| 1983 | $8,028,988,074.96 | 2.47% |
| 1984 | $8,176,572,402.04 | 1.84% |
| 1985 | $8,416,313,458.26 | 2.93% |
| 1986 | $8,487,768,313.46 | 0.85% |
| 1987 | $8,861,069,846.68 | 4.40% |
| 1988 | $9,245,724,020.44 | 4.34% |
| 1989 | $9,502,827,938.67 | 2.78% |
| 1990 | $9,943,577,512.78 | 4.64% |
| 1991 | $10,314,207,836.46 | 3.73% |
| 1992 | $10,567,972,742.76 | 2.46% |
| 1993 | $10,710,882,453.15 | 1.35% |
| 1994 | $10,690,180,579.22 | -0.19% |
| 1995 | $10,574,650,766.61 | -1.08% |
| 1996 | $10,553,948,892.67 | -0.20% |
| 1997 | $10,646,105,621.81 | 0.87% |
| 1998 | $10,660,129,471.89 | 0.13% |
| 1999 | $10,521,226,575.81 | -1.30% |
| 2000 | $10,383,659,284.50 | -1.31% |
| 2001 | $10,198,678,023.85 | -1.78% |
| 2002 | $9,938,902,896.08 | -2.55% |
| 2003 | $9,686,473,594.55 | -2.54% |
| 2004 | $9,651,080,068.14 | -0.37% |
| 2005 | $9,579,625,212.95 | -0.74% |
| 2006 | $9,572,279,386.71 | -0.08% |
| 2007 | $9,536,077,819.42 | -0.38% |
| 2008 | $9,528,758,705.28 | -0.08% |
| 2009 | $9,622,618,330.49 | 0.99% |
| 2010 | $9,576,533,287.90 | -0.48% |
| 2011 | $9,785,495,332.20 | 2.18% |
| 2012 | $10,118,374,787.05 | 3.40% |
| 2013 | $10,210,271,073.25 | 0.91% |
| 2014 | $10,218,518,432.71 | 0.08% |
| 2015 | $10,089,358,773.42 | -1.26% |
| 2016 | $10,100,804,906.30 | 0.11% |
| 2017 | $10,066,079,182.28 | -0.34% |
| 2018 | $10,069,478,296.42 | 0.03% |
| 2019 | $9,941,039,863.71 | -1.28% |
| 2020 | $9,462,385,826.24 | -4.81% |
| 2021 | $9,695,902,964.22 | 2.47% |
| 2022 | $10,183,779,352.64 | 5.03% |
| 2023 | $10,464,089,403.75 | 2.75% |
| 2024 | $10,536,532,606.47 | 0.69% |
| 2025 | $10,550,229,233.39 | 0.13% |
| 2026 | $10,690,861,737.65 | 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 |