According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for apparel are 511.73% higher in 2026 versus 1940 (a $1,023,463,507,833,397 difference in value).
Between 1940 and 2026:Apparel experienced an average inflation rate of 2.13% per year. This rate of change indicates significant inflation. In other words, apparel costing $200,000,000,000,000 in the year 1940 would cost $1,223,463,507,833,397 in 2026 for an equivalent purchase. Compared to the overall inflation rate of 3.73% during this same period, inflation for apparel was lower.
In the year 1940: Pricing changed by 0.85%, which is below the average yearly change for apparel during the 1940-2026 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 $200,000,000,000,000 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 | $200,000,000,000,000.00 | 0.85% |
| 1941 | $209,247,229,652,273.59 | 4.62% |
| 1942 | $244,860,527,321,360.31 | 17.02% |
| 1943 | $255,483,377,913,641.59 | 4.34% |
| 1944 | $273,366,450,133,740.97 | 7.00% |
| 1945 | $287,428,353,076,041.25 | 5.14% |
| 1946 | $315,399,312,189,530.00 | 9.73% |
| 1947 | $365,533,053,114,252.94 | 15.90% |
| 1948 | $389,835,689,721,054.56 | 6.65% |
| 1949 | $374,474,589,224,302.56 | -3.94% |
| 1950 | $369,430,645,777,608.00 | -1.35% |
| 1951 | $402,827,665,265,571.25 | 9.04% |
| 1952 | $398,471,532,288,880.38 | -1.08% |
| 1953 | $395,949,560,565,533.13 | -0.63% |
| 1954 | $394,497,516,239,969.50 | -0.37% |
| 1955 | $393,274,742,071,073.75 | -0.31% |
| 1956 | $401,222,774,168,895.69 | 2.02% |
| 1957 | $408,100,878,868,933.94 | 1.71% |
| 1958 | $409,705,769,965,609.50 | 0.39% |
| 1959 | $412,915,552,158,960.63 | 0.78% |
| 1960 | $419,105,846,388,995.06 | 1.50% |
| 1961 | $422,392,051,967,902.06 | 0.78% |
| 1962 | $424,761,176,920,137.50 | 0.56% |
| 1963 | $429,957,967,137,944.19 | 1.22% |
| 1964 | $433,626,289,644,631.25 | 0.85% |
| 1965 | $437,753,152,464,654.06 | 0.95% |
| 1966 | $449,522,353,840,275.13 | 2.69% |
| 1967 | $467,863,966,373,710.38 | 4.08% |
| 1968 | $492,854,413,450,515.94 | 5.34% |
| 1969 | $521,207,489,491,784.56 | 5.75% |
| 1970 | $542,682,460,833,014.88 | 4.12% |
| 1971 | $560,259,839,510,890.38 | 3.24% |
| 1972 | $571,876,194,115,399.25 | 2.07% |
| 1973 | $592,816,201,757,737.88 | 3.66% |
| 1974 | $636,759,648,452,426.50 | 7.41% |
| 1975 | $665,112,724,493,695.00 | 4.45% |
| 1976 | $690,026,748,184,944.50 | 3.75% |
| 1977 | $720,901,795,949,560.50 | 4.47% |
| 1978 | $746,197,936,568,589.88 | 3.51% |
| 1979 | $778,907,145,586,549.50 | 4.38% |
| 1980 | $834,008,406,572,411.00 | 7.07% |
| 1981 | $873,748,567,061,521.00 | 4.76% |
| 1982 | $896,675,582,728,314.88 | 2.62% |
| 1983 | $918,838,364,539,549.00 | 2.47% |
| 1984 | $935,727,932,747,420.75 | 1.84% |
| 1985 | $963,163,928,162,017.63 | 2.93% |
| 1986 | $971,341,230,416,507.50 | 0.85% |
| 1987 | $1,014,061,902,942,300.50 | 4.40% |
| 1988 | $1,058,081,773,022,545.00 | 4.34% |
| 1989 | $1,087,504,776,461,597.13 | 2.78% |
| 1990 | $1,137,944,210,928,544.00 | 4.64% |
| 1991 | $1,180,359,189,912,113.25 | 3.73% |
| 1992 | $1,209,400,076,423,385.50 | 2.46% |
| 1993 | $1,225,754,680,932,365.00 | 1.35% |
| 1994 | $1,223,385,555,980,130.00 | -0.19% |
| 1995 | $1,210,164,310,278,945.50 | -1.08% |
| 1996 | $1,207,795,185,326,710.25 | -0.20% |
| 1997 | $1,218,341,612,533,435.25 | 0.87% |
| 1998 | $1,219,946,503,630,110.75 | 0.13% |
| 1999 | $1,204,050,439,434,467.00 | -1.30% |
| 2000 | $1,188,307,222,009,935.25 | -1.31% |
| 2001 | $1,167,137,944,210,928.50 | -1.78% |
| 2002 | $1,137,409,247,229,652.25 | -2.55% |
| 2003 | $1,108,521,207,489,491.88 | -2.54% |
| 2004 | $1,104,470,768,055,025.00 | -0.37% |
| 2005 | $1,096,293,465,800,535.00 | -0.74% |
| 2006 | $1,095,452,808,559,419.00 | -0.08% |
| 2007 | $1,091,309,896,828,429.50 | -0.38% |
| 2008 | $1,090,472,296,522,736.13 | -0.08% |
| 2009 | $1,101,213,603,362,629.13 | 0.99% |
| 2010 | $1,095,939,625,525,410.88 | -0.48% |
| 2011 | $1,119,853,267,099,732.50 | 2.18% |
| 2012 | $1,157,948,032,097,822.00 | 3.40% |
| 2013 | $1,168,464,654,184,180.50 | 0.91% |
| 2014 | $1,169,408,482,995,796.75 | 0.08% |
| 2015 | $1,154,627,435,995,414.50 | -1.26% |
| 2016 | $1,155,937,332,823,844.00 | 0.11% |
| 2017 | $1,151,963,316,774,933.00 | -0.34% |
| 2018 | $1,152,352,311,807,413.00 | 0.03% |
| 2019 | $1,137,653,802,063,431.25 | -1.28% |
| 2020 | $1,082,876,576,232,327.00 | -4.81% |
| 2021 | $1,109,600,305,693,542.13 | 2.47% |
| 2022 | $1,165,432,938,479,174.50 | 5.03% |
| 2023 | $1,197,511,654,566,297.25 | 2.75% |
| 2024 | $1,205,802,063,431,410.00 | 0.69% |
| 2025 | $1,207,369,507,069,163.25 | 0.13% |
| 2026 | $1,223,463,507,833,397.00 | 1.33%* |
* 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 | 133.409 |