According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for apparel are 502.31% higher in 2025 versus 1940 (a $1,918,808,889.98 difference in value).
Between 1940 and 2025: Apparel experienced an average inflation rate of 2.13% per year. This rate of change indicates significant inflation. In other words, apparel costing $382,000,000 in the year 1940 would cost $2,300,808,889.98 in 2025 for an equivalent purchase. Compared to the overall inflation rate of 3.75% 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 1940-2025 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 $382,000,000 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 | $382,000,000.00 | 0.90% |
| 1941 | $399,530,703.74 | 4.59% |
| 1942 | $467,555,992.14 | 17.03% |
| 1943 | $487,761,523.35 | 4.32% |
| 1944 | $521,976,222.86 | 7.01% |
| 1945 | $548,916,931.14 | 5.16% |
| 1946 | $602,259,533.52 | 9.72% |
| 1947 | $698,033,751.45 | 15.90% |
| 1948 | $744,371,769.68 | 6.64% |
| 1949 | $715,006,397.66 | -3.94% |
| 1950 | $705,442,446.22 | -1.34% |
| 1951 | $769,157,221.30 | 9.03% |
| 1952 | $760,940,305.27 | -1.07% |
| 1953 | $755,956,274.24 | -0.65% |
| 1954 | $753,396,906.96 | -0.34% |
| 1955 | $750,972,243.21 | -0.32% |
| 1956 | $766,059,039.85 | 2.01% |
| 1957 | $779,259,986.90 | 1.72% |
| 1958 | $782,223,464.81 | 0.38% |
| 1959 | $788,419,827.72 | 0.79% |
| 1960 | $800,273,739.36 | 1.50% |
| 1961 | $806,604,805.80 | 0.79% |
| 1962 | $811,050,022.67 | 0.55% |
| 1963 | $821,018,084.73 | 1.23% |
| 1964 | $828,022,668.88 | 0.85% |
| 1965 | $835,970,177.82 | 0.96% |
| 1966 | $858,330,965.69 | 2.67% |
| 1967 | $893,353,886.45 | 4.08% |
| 1968 | $941,038,940.10 | 5.34% |
| 1969 | $995,189,763.74 | 5.75% |
| 1970 | $1,036,274,343.86 | 4.13% |
| 1971 | $1,069,815,525.67 | 3.24% |
| 1972 | $1,091,906,906.45 | 2.06% |
| 1973 | $1,131,913,858.24 | 3.66% |
| 1974 | $1,215,834,164.53 | 7.41% |
| 1975 | $1,269,984,988.16 | 4.45% |
| 1976 | $1,317,535,338.27 | 3.74% |
| 1977 | $1,376,535,489.40 | 4.48% |
| 1978 | $1,424,894,060.75 | 3.51% |
| 1979 | $1,487,261,800.41 | 4.38% |
| 1980 | $1,592,465,266.23 | 7.07% |
| 1981 | $1,668,438,063.57 | 4.77% |
| 1982 | $1,712,216,714.52 | 2.62% |
| 1983 | $1,754,513,626.52 | 2.47% |
| 1984 | $1,786,842,476.45 | 1.84% |
| 1985 | $1,839,107,450.51 | 2.92% |
| 1986 | $1,854,733,061.31 | 0.85% |
| 1987 | $1,936,363,407.39 | 4.40% |
| 1988 | $2,020,418,417.21 | 4.34% |
| 1989 | $2,076,589,793.97 | 2.78% |
| 1990 | $2,172,902,826.05 | 4.64% |
| 1991 | $2,253,859,654.43 | 3.73% |
| 1992 | $2,309,357,513.48 | 2.46% |
| 1993 | $2,340,608,735.08 | 1.35% |
| 1994 | $2,336,028,814.67 | -0.20% |
| 1995 | $2,310,839,252.43 | -1.08% |
| 1996 | $2,306,259,332.02 | -0.20% |
| 1997 | $2,326,464,863.23 | 0.88% |
| 1998 | $2,329,428,341.14 | 0.13% |
| 1999 | $2,299,120,044.33 | -1.30% |
| 2000 | $2,269,081,154.60 | -1.31% |
| 2001 | $2,228,670,092.19 | -1.78% |
| 2002 | $2,171,825,197.72 | -2.55% |
| 2003 | $2,116,731,449.30 | -2.54% |
| 2004 | $2,108,918,643.90 | -0.37% |
| 2005 | $2,093,293,033.10 | -0.74% |
| 2006 | $2,091,811,294.14 | -0.07% |
| 2007 | $2,083,832,803.39 | -0.38% |
| 2008 | $2,082,233,872.35 | -0.08% |
| 2009 | $2,102,743,833.56 | 0.98% |
| 2010 | $2,092,673,396.81 | -0.48% |
| 2011 | $2,138,336,550.30 | 2.18% |
| 2012 | $2,211,077,809.68 | 3.40% |
| 2013 | $2,231,158,066.60 | 0.91% |
| 2014 | $2,232,960,399.98 | 0.08% |
| 2015 | $2,204,737,313.99 | -1.26% |
| 2016 | $2,207,237,411.72 | 0.11% |
| 2017 | $2,199,649,561.23 | -0.34% |
| 2018 | $2,200,391,777.74 | 0.03% |
| 2019 | $2,172,326,294.90 | -1.28% |
| 2020 | $2,067,730,342.05 | -4.81% |
| 2021 | $2,118,758,737.60 | 2.47% |
| 2022 | $2,225,369,855.42 | 5.03% |
| 2023 | $2,286,623,596.80 | 2.75% |
| 2024 | $2,302,453,956.98 | 0.69% |
| 2025 | $2,300,808,889.98 | -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 |