According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for apparel are 445.94% higher in 2025 versus 1930 (a $8,918,732,686.98 difference in value).
Between 1930 and 2025: Apparel experienced an average inflation rate of 1.80% per year. In other words, apparel costing $2,000,000,000 in the year 1930 would cost $10,918,732,686.98 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 $2,000,000,000 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 | $2,000,000,000.00 | -2.43% |
| 1931 | $1,795,013,850.42 | -10.25% |
| 1932 | $1,595,567,867.04 | -11.11% |
| 1933 | $1,584,487,534.63 | -0.69% |
| 1934 | $1,717,451,523.55 | 8.39% |
| 1935 | $1,728,531,855.96 | 0.65% |
| 1936 | $1,747,922,437.67 | 1.12% |
| 1937 | $1,839,889,196.68 | 5.26% |
| 1938 | $1,816,620,498.61 | -1.26% |
| 1939 | $1,796,675,900.28 | -1.10% |
| 1940 | $1,812,821,527.50 | 0.90% |
| 1941 | $1,896,015,342.00 | 4.59% |
| 1942 | $2,218,836,565.10 | 17.03% |
| 1943 | $2,314,724,057.11 | 4.32% |
| 1944 | $2,477,093,543.58 | 7.01% |
| 1945 | $2,604,943,532.92 | 5.16% |
| 1946 | $2,858,086,511.83 | 9.72% |
| 1947 | $3,312,593,223.95 | 15.90% |
| 1948 | $3,532,495,205.63 | 6.64% |
| 1949 | $3,393,138,717.24 | -3.94% |
| 1950 | $3,347,751,971.02 | -1.34% |
| 1951 | $3,650,117,195.82 | 9.03% |
| 1952 | $3,611,122,949.07 | -1.07% |
| 1953 | $3,587,470,701.04 | -0.65% |
| 1954 | $3,575,324,952.06 | -0.34% |
| 1955 | $3,563,818,453.02 | -0.32% |
| 1956 | $3,635,414,447.05 | 2.01% |
| 1957 | $3,698,060,941.83 | 1.72% |
| 1958 | $3,712,124,440.66 | 0.38% |
| 1959 | $3,741,529,938.21 | 0.79% |
| 1960 | $3,797,783,933.52 | 1.50% |
| 1961 | $3,827,828,681.01 | 0.79% |
| 1962 | $3,848,923,929.26 | 0.55% |
| 1963 | $3,896,228,425.31 | 1.23% |
| 1964 | $3,929,469,422.54 | 0.85% |
| 1965 | $3,967,185,169.40 | 0.96% |
| 1966 | $4,073,300,660.56 | 2.67% |
| 1967 | $4,239,505,646.71 | 4.08% |
| 1968 | $4,465,800,127.85 | 5.34% |
| 1969 | $4,722,778,606.44 | 5.75% |
| 1970 | $4,917,749,840.19 | 4.13% |
| 1971 | $5,076,923,076.92 | 3.24% |
| 1972 | $5,181,760,068.19 | 2.06% |
| 1973 | $5,371,617,302.37 | 3.66% |
| 1974 | $5,769,870,019.18 | 7.41% |
| 1975 | $6,026,848,497.76 | 4.45% |
| 1976 | $6,252,503,728.96 | 3.74% |
| 1977 | $6,532,495,205.63 | 4.48% |
| 1978 | $6,761,985,936.50 | 3.51% |
| 1979 | $7,057,958,661.84 | 4.38% |
| 1980 | $7,557,212,870.23 | 7.07% |
| 1981 | $7,917,749,840.19 | 4.77% |
| 1982 | $8,125,506,072.87 | 2.62% |
| 1983 | $8,326,230,556.15 | 2.47% |
| 1984 | $8,479,650,543.36 | 1.84% |
| 1985 | $8,727,679,522.69 | 2.92% |
| 1986 | $8,801,832,516.51 | 0.85% |
| 1987 | $9,189,217,984.23 | 4.40% |
| 1988 | $9,588,109,950.99 | 4.34% |
| 1989 | $9,854,677,178.78 | 2.78% |
| 1990 | $10,311,740,890.69 | 4.64% |
| 1991 | $10,695,930,108.67 | 3.73% |
| 1992 | $10,959,301,086.72 | 2.46% |
| 1993 | $11,107,607,074.37 | 1.35% |
| 1994 | $11,085,872,576.18 | -0.20% |
| 1995 | $10,966,332,836.14 | -1.08% |
| 1996 | $10,944,598,337.95 | -0.20% |
| 1997 | $11,040,485,829.96 | 0.88% |
| 1998 | $11,054,549,328.79 | 0.13% |
| 1999 | $10,910,718,090.77 | -1.30% |
| 2000 | $10,768,165,352.65 | -1.31% |
| 2001 | $10,576,390,368.63 | -1.78% |
| 2002 | $10,306,626,891.11 | -2.55% |
| 2003 | $10,045,173,662.90 | -2.54% |
| 2004 | $10,008,097,165.99 | -0.37% |
| 2005 | $9,933,944,172.17 | -0.74% |
| 2006 | $9,926,912,422.76 | -0.07% |
| 2007 | $9,889,049,648.41 | -0.38% |
| 2008 | $9,881,461,751.54 | -0.08% |
| 2009 | $9,978,793,948.43 | 0.98% |
| 2010 | $9,931,003,622.42 | -0.48% |
| 2011 | $10,147,702,961.86 | 2.18% |
| 2012 | $10,492,904,325.59 | 3.40% |
| 2013 | $10,588,197,315.15 | 0.91% |
| 2014 | $10,596,750,479.44 | 0.08% |
| 2015 | $10,462,814,830.60 | -1.26% |
| 2016 | $10,474,679,309.61 | 0.11% |
| 2017 | $10,438,670,360.11 | -0.34% |
| 2018 | $10,442,192,627.32 | 0.03% |
| 2019 | $10,309,004,900.92 | -1.28% |
| 2020 | $9,812,633,709.78 | -4.81% |
| 2021 | $10,054,794,374.60 | 2.47% |
| 2022 | $10,560,728,744.94 | 5.03% |
| 2023 | $10,851,414,873.22 | 2.75% |
| 2024 | $10,926,539,526.96 | 0.69% |
| 2025 | $10,918,732,686.98 | -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 |