According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for apparel are 445.94% higher in 2025 versus 1930 (a $2,385,760,993.77 difference in value).
Between 1930 and 2025: Apparel experienced an average inflation rate of 1.80% per year. In other words, apparel costing $535,000,000 in the year 1930 would cost $2,920,760,993.77 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 $535,000,000 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 | $535,000,000.00 | -2.43% |
| 1931 | $480,166,204.99 | -10.25% |
| 1932 | $426,814,404.43 | -11.11% |
| 1933 | $423,850,415.51 | -0.69% |
| 1934 | $459,418,282.55 | 8.39% |
| 1935 | $462,382,271.47 | 0.65% |
| 1936 | $467,569,252.08 | 1.12% |
| 1937 | $492,170,360.11 | 5.26% |
| 1938 | $485,945,983.38 | -1.26% |
| 1939 | $480,610,803.32 | -1.10% |
| 1940 | $484,929,758.61 | 0.90% |
| 1941 | $507,184,103.98 | 4.59% |
| 1942 | $593,538,781.16 | 17.03% |
| 1943 | $619,188,685.28 | 4.32% |
| 1944 | $662,622,522.91 | 7.01% |
| 1945 | $696,822,395.06 | 5.16% |
| 1946 | $764,538,141.91 | 9.72% |
| 1947 | $886,118,687.41 | 15.90% |
| 1948 | $944,942,467.50 | 6.64% |
| 1949 | $907,664,606.86 | -3.94% |
| 1950 | $895,523,652.25 | -1.34% |
| 1951 | $976,406,349.88 | 9.03% |
| 1952 | $965,975,388.88 | -1.07% |
| 1953 | $959,648,412.53 | -0.65% |
| 1954 | $956,399,424.68 | -0.34% |
| 1955 | $953,321,436.18 | -0.32% |
| 1956 | $972,473,364.59 | 2.01% |
| 1957 | $989,231,301.94 | 1.72% |
| 1958 | $992,993,287.88 | 0.38% |
| 1959 | $1,000,859,258.47 | 0.79% |
| 1960 | $1,015,907,202.22 | 1.50% |
| 1961 | $1,023,944,172.17 | 0.79% |
| 1962 | $1,029,587,151.08 | 0.55% |
| 1963 | $1,042,241,103.77 | 1.23% |
| 1964 | $1,051,133,070.53 | 0.85% |
| 1965 | $1,061,222,032.81 | 0.96% |
| 1966 | $1,089,607,926.70 | 2.67% |
| 1967 | $1,134,067,760.49 | 4.08% |
| 1968 | $1,194,601,534.20 | 5.34% |
| 1969 | $1,263,343,277.22 | 5.75% |
| 1970 | $1,315,498,082.25 | 4.13% |
| 1971 | $1,358,076,923.08 | 3.24% |
| 1972 | $1,386,120,818.24 | 2.06% |
| 1973 | $1,436,907,628.38 | 3.66% |
| 1974 | $1,543,440,230.13 | 7.41% |
| 1975 | $1,612,181,973.15 | 4.45% |
| 1976 | $1,672,544,747.50 | 3.74% |
| 1977 | $1,747,442,467.50 | 4.48% |
| 1978 | $1,808,831,238.01 | 3.51% |
| 1979 | $1,888,003,942.04 | 4.38% |
| 1980 | $2,021,554,442.79 | 7.07% |
| 1981 | $2,117,998,082.25 | 4.77% |
| 1982 | $2,173,572,874.49 | 2.62% |
| 1983 | $2,227,266,673.77 | 2.47% |
| 1984 | $2,268,306,520.35 | 1.84% |
| 1985 | $2,334,654,272.32 | 2.92% |
| 1986 | $2,354,490,198.17 | 0.85% |
| 1987 | $2,458,115,810.78 | 4.40% |
| 1988 | $2,564,819,411.89 | 4.34% |
| 1989 | $2,636,126,145.32 | 2.78% |
| 1990 | $2,758,390,688.26 | 4.64% |
| 1991 | $2,861,161,304.07 | 3.73% |
| 1992 | $2,931,613,040.70 | 2.46% |
| 1993 | $2,971,284,892.39 | 1.35% |
| 1994 | $2,965,470,914.13 | -0.20% |
| 1995 | $2,933,494,033.67 | -1.08% |
| 1996 | $2,927,680,055.40 | -0.20% |
| 1997 | $2,953,329,959.51 | 0.88% |
| 1998 | $2,957,091,945.45 | 0.13% |
| 1999 | $2,918,617,089.28 | -1.30% |
| 2000 | $2,880,484,231.83 | -1.31% |
| 2001 | $2,829,184,423.61 | -1.78% |
| 2002 | $2,757,022,693.37 | -2.55% |
| 2003 | $2,687,083,954.83 | -2.54% |
| 2004 | $2,677,165,991.90 | -0.37% |
| 2005 | $2,657,330,066.06 | -0.74% |
| 2006 | $2,655,449,073.09 | -0.07% |
| 2007 | $2,645,320,780.95 | -0.38% |
| 2008 | $2,643,291,018.54 | -0.08% |
| 2009 | $2,669,327,381.21 | 0.98% |
| 2010 | $2,656,543,469.00 | -0.48% |
| 2011 | $2,714,510,542.30 | 2.18% |
| 2012 | $2,806,851,907.10 | 3.40% |
| 2013 | $2,832,342,781.80 | 0.91% |
| 2014 | $2,834,630,753.25 | 0.08% |
| 2015 | $2,798,802,967.19 | -1.26% |
| 2016 | $2,801,976,715.32 | 0.11% |
| 2017 | $2,792,344,321.33 | -0.34% |
| 2018 | $2,793,286,527.81 | 0.03% |
| 2019 | $2,757,658,811.00 | -1.28% |
| 2020 | $2,624,879,517.37 | -4.81% |
| 2021 | $2,689,657,495.21 | 2.47% |
| 2022 | $2,824,994,939.27 | 5.03% |
| 2023 | $2,902,753,478.59 | 2.75% |
| 2024 | $2,922,849,323.46 | 0.69% |
| 2025 | $2,920,760,993.77 | -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 |