According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for apparel are 455.51% higher in 2026 versus 1930 (a $11,752,160,277.73 difference in value).
Between 1930 and 2026:Apparel experienced an average inflation rate of 1.80% per year. In other words, apparel costing $2,580,006,000 in the year 1930 would cost $14,332,166,277.73 in 2026 for an equivalent purchase. Compared to the overall inflation rate of 3.15% 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 $2,580,006,000 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 | $2,580,006,000.00 | -1.28% |
| 1931 | $2,384,857,334.92 | -7.56% |
| 1932 | $2,097,408,625.55 | -12.05% |
| 1933 | $1,955,002,842.93 | -6.79% |
| 1934 | $2,159,581,296.08 | 10.46% |
| 1935 | $2,191,669,623.17 | 1.49% |
| 1936 | $2,216,080,111.07 | 1.11% |
| 1937 | $2,318,049,683.82 | 4.60% |
| 1938 | $2,318,928,731.86 | 0.04% |
| 1939 | $2,281,129,666.10 | -1.63% |
| 1940 | $2,300,468,723.00 | 0.85% |
| 1941 | $2,406,833,535.95 | 4.62% |
| 1942 | $2,816,469,923.00 | 17.02% |
| 1943 | $2,938,657,600.68 | 4.34% |
| 1944 | $3,144,354,842.25 | 7.00% |
| 1945 | $3,306,099,681.77 | 5.14% |
| 1946 | $3,627,831,264.74 | 9.73% |
| 1947 | $4,204,486,779.56 | 15.90% |
| 1948 | $4,484,024,056.56 | 6.65% |
| 1949 | $4,307,335,400.34 | -3.94% |
| 1950 | $4,249,318,229.64 | -1.35% |
| 1951 | $4,633,462,223.51 | 9.04% |
| 1952 | $4,583,356,485.18 | -1.08% |
| 1953 | $4,554,347,899.83 | -0.63% |
| 1954 | $4,537,645,987.05 | -0.37% |
| 1955 | $4,523,581,218.40 | -0.31% |
| 1956 | $4,615,002,214.65 | 2.02% |
| 1957 | $4,694,116,538.33 | 1.71% |
| 1958 | $4,712,576,547.19 | 0.39% |
| 1959 | $4,749,496,564.91 | 0.78% |
| 1960 | $4,820,699,456.22 | 1.50% |
| 1961 | $4,858,498,521.98 | 0.78% |
| 1962 | $4,885,749,011.24 | 0.56% |
| 1963 | $4,945,524,278.02 | 1.22% |
| 1964 | $4,987,718,583.99 | 0.85% |
| 1965 | $5,035,187,178.19 | 0.95% |
| 1966 | $5,170,560,576.49 | 2.69% |
| 1967 | $5,381,532,106.30 | 4.08% |
| 1968 | $5,668,980,815.67 | 5.34% |
| 1969 | $5,995,107,638.84 | 5.75% |
| 1970 | $6,242,120,138.33 | 4.12% |
| 1971 | $6,444,301,187.73 | 3.24% |
| 1972 | $6,577,916,489.95 | 2.07% |
| 1973 | $6,818,775,653.15 | 3.66% |
| 1974 | $7,324,228,276.66 | 7.41% |
| 1975 | $7,650,355,099.83 | 4.45% |
| 1976 | $7,936,924,761.16 | 3.75% |
| 1977 | $8,292,060,169.68 | 4.47% |
| 1978 | $8,583,025,071.21 | 3.51% |
| 1979 | $8,959,257,632.71 | 4.38% |
| 1980 | $9,593,051,270.19 | 7.07% |
| 1981 | $10,050,156,251.45 | 4.76% |
| 1982 | $10,313,870,663.71 | 2.62% |
| 1983 | $10,568,794,595.57 | 2.47% |
| 1984 | $10,763,064,212.61 | 1.84% |
| 1985 | $11,078,642,459.28 | 2.93% |
| 1986 | $11,172,700,599.66 | 0.85% |
| 1987 | $11,664,088,454.51 | 4.40% |
| 1988 | $12,170,420,126.06 | 4.34% |
| 1989 | $12,508,853,621.81 | 2.78% |
| 1990 | $13,089,025,328.79 | 4.64% |
| 1991 | $13,576,896,991.48 | 3.73% |
| 1992 | $13,910,935,247.02 | 2.46% |
| 1993 | $14,099,051,527.77 | 1.35% |
| 1994 | $14,071,801,038.50 | -0.19% |
| 1995 | $13,919,725,727.43 | -1.08% |
| 1996 | $13,892,475,238.16 | -0.20% |
| 1997 | $14,013,783,867.80 | 0.87% |
| 1998 | $14,032,243,876.66 | 0.13% |
| 1999 | $13,849,401,884.16 | -1.30% |
| 2000 | $13,668,317,987.73 | -1.31% |
| 2001 | $13,424,821,680.41 | -1.78% |
| 2002 | $13,082,871,992.50 | -2.55% |
| 2003 | $12,750,591,833.05 | -2.54% |
| 2004 | $12,704,002,286.88 | -0.37% |
| 2005 | $12,609,944,146.51 | -0.74% |
| 2006 | $12,600,274,618.06 | -0.08% |
| 2007 | $12,552,621,423.76 | -0.38% |
| 2008 | $12,542,987,057.23 | -0.08% |
| 2009 | $12,666,537,259.38 | 0.99% |
| 2010 | $12,605,874,154.08 | -0.48% |
| 2011 | $12,880,937,076.55 | 2.18% |
| 2012 | $13,319,116,153.49 | 3.40% |
| 2013 | $13,440,081,954.40 | 0.91% |
| 2014 | $13,450,938,197.70 | 0.08% |
| 2015 | $13,280,921,516.12 | -1.26% |
| 2016 | $13,295,988,399.54 | 0.11% |
| 2017 | $13,250,277,901.41 | -0.34% |
| 2018 | $13,254,752,255.94 | 0.03% |
| 2019 | $13,085,684,946.24 | -1.28% |
| 2020 | $12,455,618,472.45 | -4.81% |
| 2021 | $12,763,003,991.39 | 2.47% |
| 2022 | $13,405,210,118.62 | 5.03% |
| 2023 | $13,774,190,533.78 | 2.75% |
| 2024 | $13,869,549,665.25 | 0.69% |
| 2025 | $13,887,578,940.57 | 0.13% |
| 2026 | $14,332,166,277.73 | 3.20%* |
* 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 | 135.868 |