According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for apparel are 445.94% higher in 2025 versus 1930 (a $22,296,831,717.45 difference in value).
Between 1930 and 2025: Apparel experienced an average inflation rate of 1.80% per year. In other words, apparel costing $5,000,000,000 in the year 1930 would cost $27,296,831,717.45 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 $5,000,000,000 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 | $5,000,000,000.00 | -2.43% |
| 1931 | $4,487,534,626.04 | -10.25% |
| 1932 | $3,988,919,667.59 | -11.11% |
| 1933 | $3,961,218,836.57 | -0.69% |
| 1934 | $4,293,628,808.86 | 8.39% |
| 1935 | $4,321,329,639.89 | 0.65% |
| 1936 | $4,369,806,094.18 | 1.12% |
| 1937 | $4,599,722,991.69 | 5.26% |
| 1938 | $4,541,551,246.54 | -1.26% |
| 1939 | $4,491,689,750.69 | -1.10% |
| 1940 | $4,532,053,818.76 | 0.90% |
| 1941 | $4,740,038,355.00 | 4.59% |
| 1942 | $5,547,091,412.74 | 17.03% |
| 1943 | $5,786,810,142.77 | 4.32% |
| 1944 | $6,192,733,858.94 | 7.01% |
| 1945 | $6,512,358,832.30 | 5.16% |
| 1946 | $7,145,216,279.57 | 9.72% |
| 1947 | $8,281,483,059.88 | 15.90% |
| 1948 | $8,831,238,014.06 | 6.64% |
| 1949 | $8,482,846,793.10 | -3.94% |
| 1950 | $8,369,379,927.55 | -1.34% |
| 1951 | $9,125,292,989.56 | 9.03% |
| 1952 | $9,027,807,372.68 | -1.07% |
| 1953 | $8,968,676,752.61 | -0.65% |
| 1954 | $8,938,312,380.14 | -0.34% |
| 1955 | $8,909,546,132.54 | -0.32% |
| 1956 | $9,088,536,117.62 | 2.01% |
| 1957 | $9,245,152,354.57 | 1.72% |
| 1958 | $9,280,311,101.64 | 0.38% |
| 1959 | $9,353,824,845.51 | 0.79% |
| 1960 | $9,494,459,833.80 | 1.50% |
| 1961 | $9,569,571,702.54 | 0.79% |
| 1962 | $9,622,309,823.14 | 0.55% |
| 1963 | $9,740,571,063.29 | 1.23% |
| 1964 | $9,823,673,556.36 | 0.85% |
| 1965 | $9,917,962,923.50 | 0.96% |
| 1966 | $10,183,251,651.40 | 2.67% |
| 1967 | $10,598,764,116.77 | 4.08% |
| 1968 | $11,164,500,319.62 | 5.34% |
| 1969 | $11,806,946,516.09 | 5.75% |
| 1970 | $12,294,374,600.47 | 4.13% |
| 1971 | $12,692,307,692.31 | 3.24% |
| 1972 | $12,954,400,170.47 | 2.06% |
| 1973 | $13,429,043,255.91 | 3.66% |
| 1974 | $14,424,675,047.94 | 7.41% |
| 1975 | $15,067,121,244.41 | 4.45% |
| 1976 | $15,631,259,322.40 | 3.74% |
| 1977 | $16,331,238,014.06 | 4.48% |
| 1978 | $16,904,964,841.25 | 3.51% |
| 1979 | $17,644,896,654.59 | 4.38% |
| 1980 | $18,893,032,175.58 | 7.07% |
| 1981 | $19,794,374,600.47 | 4.77% |
| 1982 | $20,313,765,182.19 | 2.62% |
| 1983 | $20,815,576,390.37 | 2.47% |
| 1984 | $21,199,126,358.41 | 1.84% |
| 1985 | $21,819,198,806.73 | 2.92% |
| 1986 | $22,004,581,291.28 | 0.85% |
| 1987 | $22,973,044,960.58 | 4.40% |
| 1988 | $23,970,274,877.48 | 4.34% |
| 1989 | $24,636,692,946.94 | 2.78% |
| 1990 | $25,779,352,226.72 | 4.64% |
| 1991 | $26,739,825,271.68 | 3.73% |
| 1992 | $27,398,252,716.81 | 2.46% |
| 1993 | $27,769,017,685.92 | 1.35% |
| 1994 | $27,714,681,440.44 | -0.20% |
| 1995 | $27,415,832,090.35 | -1.08% |
| 1996 | $27,361,495,844.88 | -0.20% |
| 1997 | $27,601,214,574.90 | 0.88% |
| 1998 | $27,636,373,321.97 | 0.13% |
| 1999 | $27,276,795,226.93 | -1.30% |
| 2000 | $26,920,413,381.63 | -1.31% |
| 2001 | $26,440,975,921.59 | -1.78% |
| 2002 | $25,766,567,227.79 | -2.55% |
| 2003 | $25,112,934,157.26 | -2.54% |
| 2004 | $25,020,242,914.98 | -0.37% |
| 2005 | $24,834,860,430.43 | -0.74% |
| 2006 | $24,817,281,056.89 | -0.07% |
| 2007 | $24,722,624,121.03 | -0.38% |
| 2008 | $24,703,654,378.86 | -0.08% |
| 2009 | $24,946,984,871.08 | 0.98% |
| 2010 | $24,827,509,056.04 | -0.48% |
| 2011 | $25,369,257,404.65 | 2.18% |
| 2012 | $26,232,260,813.98 | 3.40% |
| 2013 | $26,470,493,287.88 | 0.91% |
| 2014 | $26,491,876,198.59 | 0.08% |
| 2015 | $26,157,037,076.50 | -1.26% |
| 2016 | $26,186,698,274.03 | 0.11% |
| 2017 | $26,096,675,900.28 | -0.34% |
| 2018 | $26,105,481,568.29 | 0.03% |
| 2019 | $25,772,512,252.29 | -1.28% |
| 2020 | $24,531,584,274.45 | -4.81% |
| 2021 | $25,136,985,936.50 | 2.47% |
| 2022 | $26,401,821,862.35 | 5.03% |
| 2023 | $27,128,537,183.04 | 2.75% |
| 2024 | $27,316,348,817.39 | 0.69% |
| 2025 | $27,296,831,717.45 | -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 |