According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for apparel are 501.40% higher in 2024 versus 1940 (a $5,013,964,199.96 difference in value).
Between 1940 and 2024: Apparel experienced an average inflation rate of 2.16% per year. This rate of change indicates significant inflation. In other words, apparel costing $1,000,000,000 in the year 1940 would cost $6,013,964,199.96 in 2024 for an equivalent purchase. Compared to the overall inflation rate of 3.76% during this same period, inflation for apparel was lower.
In the year 1940: Pricing changed by 0.90%, which is below the average yearly change for apparel during the 1940-2024 time period. Compared to inflation for all items in 1940 (0.72%), inflation for apparel was higher.
Below are calculations of equivalent buying power for Apparel, over time, for $1,000,000,000 beginning in 1940. Each of the amounts below is equivalent in terms of what it could buy at the time:
Year | USD Value | Inflation Rate |
---|---|---|
1940 | $1,000,000,000.00 | 0.90% |
1941 | $1,045,891,894.61 | 4.59% |
1942 | $1,223,968,565.82 | 17.03% |
1943 | $1,276,862,626.57 | 4.32% |
1944 | $1,366,429,902.78 | 7.01% |
1945 | $1,436,955,317.11 | 5.16% |
1946 | $1,576,595,637.50 | 9.72% |
1947 | $1,827,313,485.47 | 15.90% |
1948 | $1,948,617,198.13 | 6.64% |
1949 | $1,871,744,496.50 | -3.94% |
1950 | $1,846,707,974.41 | -1.34% |
1951 | $2,013,500,579.32 | 9.03% |
1952 | $1,991,990,327.94 | -1.07% |
1953 | $1,978,943,126.29 | -0.65% |
1954 | $1,972,243,211.93 | -0.34% |
1955 | $1,965,895,924.64 | -0.32% |
1956 | $2,005,390,156.67 | 2.01% |
1957 | $2,039,947,609.69 | 1.72% |
1958 | $2,047,705,405.27 | 0.38% |
1959 | $2,063,926,250.57 | 0.79% |
1960 | $2,094,957,432.87 | 1.50% |
1961 | $2,111,530,905.24 | 0.79% |
1962 | $2,123,167,598.61 | 0.55% |
1963 | $2,149,262,001.91 | 1.23% |
1964 | $2,167,598,609.64 | 0.85% |
1965 | $2,188,403,606.87 | 0.96% |
1966 | $2,246,939,700.77 | 2.67% |
1967 | $2,338,622,739.41 | 4.08% |
1968 | $2,463,452,722.78 | 5.34% |
1969 | $2,605,208,805.60 | 5.75% |
1970 | $2,712,760,062.47 | 4.13% |
1971 | $2,800,564,203.31 | 3.24% |
1972 | $2,858,395,043.07 | 2.06% |
1973 | $2,963,125,283.36 | 3.66% |
1974 | $3,182,811,949.02 | 7.41% |
1975 | $3,324,568,031.84 | 4.45% |
1976 | $3,449,045,388.14 | 3.74% |
1977 | $3,603,496,045.54 | 4.48% |
1978 | $3,730,089,164.27 | 3.51% |
1979 | $3,893,355,498.46 | 4.38% |
1980 | $4,168,757,241.45 | 7.07% |
1981 | $4,367,638,909.88 | 4.77% |
1982 | $4,482,242,708.18 | 2.62% |
1983 | $4,592,967,608.68 | 2.47% |
1984 | $4,677,598,105.89 | 1.84% |
1985 | $4,814,417,409.70 | 2.92% |
1986 | $4,855,322,150.02 | 0.85% |
1987 | $5,069,014,155.46 | 4.40% |
1988 | $5,289,053,448.19 | 4.34% |
1989 | $5,436,098,937.08 | 2.78% |
1990 | $5,688,227,293.34 | 4.64% |
1991 | $5,900,156,163.42 | 3.73% |
1992 | $6,045,438,516.95 | 2.46% |
1993 | $6,127,247,997.58 | 1.35% |
1994 | $6,115,258,677.14 | -0.20% |
1995 | $6,049,317,414.74 | -1.08% |
1996 | $6,037,328,094.30 | -0.20% |
1997 | $6,090,222,155.06 | 0.88% |
1998 | $6,097,979,950.63 | 0.13% |
1999 | $6,018,638,859.50 | -1.30% |
2000 | $5,940,003,022.52 | -1.31% |
2001 | $5,834,214,901.01 | -1.78% |
2002 | $5,685,406,276.76 | -2.55% |
2003 | $5,541,181,804.44 | -2.54% |
2004 | $5,520,729,434.29 | -0.37% |
2005 | $5,479,824,693.97 | -0.74% |
2006 | $5,475,945,796.18 | -0.07% |
2007 | $5,455,059,694.73 | -0.38% |
2008 | $5,450,874,011.38 | -0.08% |
2009 | $5,504,565,009.32 | 0.98% |
2010 | $5,478,202,609.44 | -0.48% |
2011 | $5,597,739,660.47 | 2.18% |
2012 | $5,788,161,805.45 | 3.40% |
2013 | $5,840,727,923.03 | 0.91% |
2014 | $5,845,446,073.25 | 0.08% |
2015 | $5,771,563,649.19 | -1.26% |
2016 | $5,778,108,407.64 | 0.11% |
2017 | $5,758,244,924.69 | -0.34% |
2018 | $5,760,187,899.85 | 0.03% |
2019 | $5,686,718,049.47 | -1.28% |
2020 | $5,412,906,654.58 | -4.81% |
2021 | $5,546,488,841.87 | 2.47% |
2022 | $5,825,575,537.76 | 5.03% |
2023 | $5,985,925,646.06 | 2.75% |
2024 | $6,013,964,199.96 | 0.47%* |
* 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 |
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 | 131.190 |