According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for apparel are 206.98% higher in 2025 versus 1920 (a $36,222,035,630.84 difference in value).
Between 1920 and 2025: Apparel experienced an average inflation rate of 1.07% per year. In other words, apparel costing $17,500,000,000 in the year 1920 would cost $53,722,035,630.84 in 2025 for an equivalent purchase. Compared to the overall inflation rate of 2.68% during this same period, inflation for apparel was lower.
In the year 1920: Pricing changed by 13.43%, which is significantly above the average yearly change for apparel during the 1920-2025 time period. Compared to inflation for all items in 1920 (15.62%), inflation for apparel was lower.
Below are calculations of equivalent buying power for Apparel, over time, for $17,500,000,000 beginning in 1920. Each of the amounts below is equivalent in terms of what it could buy at the time:
| Year | USD Value | Inflation Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1920 | $17,500,000,000.00 | 13.43% |
| 1921 | $12,930,782,710.28 | -26.11% |
| 1922 | $10,982,476,635.51 | -15.07% |
| 1923 | $11,080,607,476.64 | 0.89% |
| 1924 | $10,941,588,785.05 | -1.25% |
| 1925 | $10,753,504,672.90 | -1.72% |
| 1926 | $10,562,694,704.05 | -1.77% |
| 1927 | $10,330,996,884.74 | -2.19% |
| 1928 | $10,208,333,333.33 | -1.19% |
| 1929 | $10,085,669,781.93 | -1.20% |
| 1930 | $9,840,342,679.13 | -2.43% |
| 1931 | $8,831,775,700.93 | -10.25% |
| 1932 | $7,850,467,289.72 | -11.11% |
| 1933 | $7,795,950,155.76 | -0.69% |
| 1934 | $8,450,155,763.24 | 8.39% |
| 1935 | $8,504,672,897.20 | 0.65% |
| 1936 | $8,600,077,881.62 | 1.12% |
| 1937 | $9,052,570,093.46 | 5.26% |
| 1938 | $8,938,084,112.15 | -1.26% |
| 1939 | $8,839,953,271.03 | -1.10% |
| 1940 | $8,919,392,523.36 | 0.90% |
| 1941 | $9,328,720,345.08 | 4.59% |
| 1942 | $10,917,056,074.77 | 17.03% |
| 1943 | $11,388,838,964.77 | 4.32% |
| 1944 | $12,187,724,658.52 | 7.01% |
| 1945 | $12,816,768,511.86 | 5.16% |
| 1946 | $14,062,275,341.48 | 9.72% |
| 1947 | $16,298,526,240.12 | 15.90% |
| 1948 | $17,380,481,667.86 | 6.64% |
| 1949 | $16,694,823,867.72 | -3.94% |
| 1950 | $16,471,513,299.78 | -1.34% |
| 1951 | $17,959,202,012.94 | 9.03% |
| 1952 | $17,767,343,637.67 | -1.07% |
| 1953 | $17,650,970,524.80 | -0.65% |
| 1954 | $17,591,211,358.73 | -0.34% |
| 1955 | $17,534,597,411.93 | -0.32% |
| 1956 | $17,886,861,969.81 | 2.01% |
| 1957 | $18,195,093,457.94 | 1.72% |
| 1958 | $18,264,288,281.81 | 0.38% |
| 1959 | $18,408,968,368.08 | 0.79% |
| 1960 | $18,685,747,663.55 | 1.50% |
| 1961 | $18,833,572,969.09 | 0.79% |
| 1962 | $18,937,365,204.89 | 0.55% |
| 1963 | $19,170,111,430.63 | 1.23% |
| 1964 | $19,333,662,832.49 | 0.85% |
| 1965 | $19,519,230,769.23 | 0.96% |
| 1966 | $20,041,337,167.51 | 2.67% |
| 1967 | $20,859,094,176.85 | 4.08% |
| 1968 | $21,972,501,797.27 | 5.34% |
| 1969 | $23,236,879,942.49 | 5.75% |
| 1970 | $24,196,171,818.84 | 4.13% |
| 1971 | $24,979,331,416.25 | 3.24% |
| 1972 | $25,495,147,375.99 | 2.06% |
| 1973 | $26,429,277,498.20 | 3.66% |
| 1974 | $28,388,749,101.37 | 7.41% |
| 1975 | $29,653,127,246.59 | 4.45% |
| 1976 | $30,763,389,647.74 | 3.74% |
| 1977 | $32,140,995,686.56 | 4.48% |
| 1978 | $33,270,129,403.31 | 3.51% |
| 1979 | $34,726,365,923.80 | 4.38% |
| 1980 | $37,182,782,171.10 | 7.07% |
| 1981 | $38,956,685,837.53 | 4.77% |
| 1982 | $39,978,882,099.21 | 2.62% |
| 1983 | $40,966,480,948.96 | 2.47% |
| 1984 | $41,721,333,572.97 | 1.84% |
| 1985 | $42,941,678,648.45 | 2.92% |
| 1986 | $43,306,524,083.39 | 0.85% |
| 1987 | $45,212,526,959.02 | 4.40% |
| 1988 | $47,175,143,781.45 | 4.34% |
| 1989 | $48,486,700,215.67 | 2.78% |
| 1990 | $50,735,531,991.37 | 4.64% |
| 1991 | $52,625,808,770.67 | 3.73% |
| 1992 | $53,921,639,108.55 | 2.46% |
| 1993 | $54,651,329,978.43 | 1.35% |
| 1994 | $54,544,392,523.36 | -0.20% |
| 1995 | $53,956,236,520.49 | -1.08% |
| 1996 | $53,849,299,065.42 | -0.20% |
| 1997 | $54,321,081,955.43 | 0.88% |
| 1998 | $54,390,276,779.30 | 0.13% |
| 1999 | $53,682,602,444.28 | -1.30% |
| 2000 | $52,981,218,547.81 | -1.31% |
| 2001 | $52,037,652,767.79 | -1.78% |
| 2002 | $50,710,370,237.24 | -2.55% |
| 2003 | $49,423,975,557.15 | -2.54% |
| 2004 | $49,241,552,839.68 | -0.37% |
| 2005 | $48,876,707,404.74 | -0.74% |
| 2006 | $48,842,109,992.81 | -0.07% |
| 2007 | $48,655,818,655.64 | -0.38% |
| 2008 | $48,618,484,902.95 | -0.08% |
| 2009 | $49,097,375,988.50 | 0.98% |
| 2010 | $48,862,239,396.12 | -0.48% |
| 2011 | $49,928,437,275.34 | 2.18% |
| 2012 | $51,626,887,131.56 | 3.40% |
| 2013 | $52,095,744,967.65 | 0.91% |
| 2014 | $52,137,828,001.44 | 0.08% |
| 2015 | $51,478,841,660.68 | -1.26% |
| 2016 | $51,537,216,930.27 | 0.11% |
| 2017 | $51,360,046,728.97 | -0.34% |
| 2018 | $51,377,376,887.13 | 0.03% |
| 2019 | $50,722,070,452.91 | -1.28% |
| 2020 | $48,279,839,144.50 | -4.81% |
| 2021 | $49,471,311,107.12 | 2.47% |
| 2022 | $51,960,594,895.76 | 5.03% |
| 2023 | $53,390,820,452.91 | 2.75% |
| 2024 | $53,760,446,621.14 | 0.69% |
| 2025 | $53,722,035,630.84 | -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 |