According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for apparel are 209.88% higher in 2026 versus 1920 (a $12,327,941.30 difference in value).
Between 1920 and 2026:Apparel experienced an average inflation rate of 1.07% per year. In other words, apparel costing $5,873,837 in the year 1920 would cost $18,201,778.30 in 2026 for an equivalent purchase. Compared to the overall inflation rate of 2.67% during this same period, inflation for apparel was lower.
In the year 1920: Pricing changed by 28.26%, which is significantly above the average yearly change for apparel during the 1920-2026 time period. Compared to inflation for all items in 1920 (15.63%), inflation for apparel was much higher.
Below are calculations of equivalent buying power for Apparel, over time, for $5,873,837 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 | $5,873,837.00 | 28.26% |
| 1921 | $4,698,620.62 | -20.01% |
| 1922 | $3,658,099.52 | -22.15% |
| 1923 | $3,636,772.77 | -0.58% |
| 1924 | $3,621,058.31 | -0.43% |
| 1925 | $3,553,710.67 | -1.86% |
| 1926 | $3,503,199.94 | -1.42% |
| 1927 | $3,434,729.83 | -1.95% |
| 1928 | $3,371,872.03 | -1.83% |
| 1929 | $3,337,075.75 | -1.03% |
| 1930 | $3,294,422.24 | -1.28% |
| 1931 | $3,045,235.96 | -7.56% |
| 1932 | $2,678,191.30 | -12.05% |
| 1933 | $2,496,352.66 | -6.79% |
| 1934 | $2,757,579.89 | 10.46% |
| 1935 | $2,798,553.63 | 1.49% |
| 1936 | $2,829,723.50 | 1.11% |
| 1937 | $2,959,928.94 | 4.60% |
| 1938 | $2,961,051.41 | 0.04% |
| 1939 | $2,912,785.59 | -1.63% |
| 1940 | $2,937,479.73 | 0.85% |
| 1941 | $3,073,297.48 | 4.62% |
| 1942 | $3,596,364.18 | 17.02% |
| 1943 | $3,752,386.22 | 4.34% |
| 1944 | $4,015,042.03 | 7.00% |
| 1945 | $4,221,574.81 | 5.14% |
| 1946 | $4,632,395.43 | 9.73% |
| 1947 | $5,368,729.67 | 15.90% |
| 1948 | $5,725,672.18 | 6.65% |
| 1949 | $5,500,057.58 | -3.94% |
| 1950 | $5,425,975.17 | -1.35% |
| 1951 | $5,916,490.51 | 9.04% |
| 1952 | $5,852,510.25 | -1.08% |
| 1953 | $5,815,469.04 | -0.63% |
| 1954 | $5,794,142.29 | -0.37% |
| 1955 | $5,776,182.92 | -0.31% |
| 1956 | $5,892,918.83 | 2.02% |
| 1957 | $5,993,940.30 | 1.71% |
| 1958 | $6,017,511.97 | 0.39% |
| 1959 | $6,064,655.32 | 0.78% |
| 1960 | $6,155,574.64 | 1.50% |
| 1961 | $6,203,840.45 | 0.78% |
| 1962 | $6,238,636.74 | 0.56% |
| 1963 | $6,314,964.07 | 1.22% |
| 1964 | $6,368,842.18 | 0.85% |
| 1965 | $6,429,455.06 | 0.95% |
| 1966 | $6,602,314.01 | 2.69% |
| 1967 | $6,871,704.59 | 4.08% |
| 1968 | $7,238,749.25 | 5.34% |
| 1969 | $7,655,182.18 | 5.75% |
| 1970 | $7,970,593.64 | 4.12% |
| 1971 | $8,228,759.61 | 3.24% |
| 1972 | $8,399,373.64 | 2.07% |
| 1973 | $8,706,927.88 | 3.66% |
| 1974 | $9,352,342.80 | 7.41% |
| 1975 | $9,768,775.73 | 4.45% |
| 1976 | $10,134,697.93 | 3.75% |
| 1977 | $10,588,172.07 | 4.47% |
| 1978 | $10,959,706.57 | 3.51% |
| 1979 | $11,440,119.76 | 4.38% |
| 1980 | $12,249,413.95 | 7.07% |
| 1981 | $12,833,093.53 | 4.76% |
| 1982 | $13,169,831.74 | 2.62% |
| 1983 | $13,495,345.36 | 2.47% |
| 1984 | $13,743,409.18 | 1.84% |
| 1985 | $14,146,372.58 | 2.93% |
| 1986 | $14,266,475.88 | 0.85% |
| 1987 | $14,893,931.43 | 4.40% |
| 1988 | $15,540,468.81 | 4.34% |
| 1989 | $15,972,616.19 | 2.78% |
| 1990 | $16,713,440.27 | 4.64% |
| 1991 | $17,336,405.97 | 3.73% |
| 1992 | $17,762,941.05 | 2.46% |
| 1993 | $18,003,147.65 | 1.35% |
| 1994 | $17,968,351.37 | -0.19% |
| 1995 | $17,774,165.66 | -1.08% |
| 1996 | $17,739,369.38 | -0.20% |
| 1997 | $17,894,268.96 | 0.87% |
| 1998 | $17,917,840.63 | 0.13% |
| 1999 | $17,684,368.80 | -1.30% |
| 2000 | $17,453,141.89 | -1.31% |
| 2001 | $17,142,220.27 | -1.78% |
| 2002 | $16,705,583.04 | -2.55% |
| 2003 | $16,281,292.89 | -2.54% |
| 2004 | $16,221,802.47 | -0.37% |
| 2005 | $16,101,699.17 | -0.74% |
| 2006 | $16,089,352.10 | -0.08% |
| 2007 | $16,028,503.51 | -0.38% |
| 2008 | $16,016,201.34 | -0.08% |
| 2009 | $16,173,963.19 | 0.99% |
| 2010 | $16,096,502.18 | -0.48% |
| 2011 | $16,447,731.37 | 2.18% |
| 2012 | $17,007,244.37 | 3.40% |
| 2013 | $17,161,706.19 | 0.91% |
| 2014 | $17,175,568.58 | 0.08% |
| 2015 | $16,958,473.45 | -1.26% |
| 2016 | $16,977,712.42 | 0.11% |
| 2017 | $16,919,344.47 | -0.34% |
| 2018 | $16,925,057.79 | 0.03% |
| 2019 | $16,709,174.92 | -1.28% |
| 2020 | $15,904,639.97 | -4.81% |
| 2021 | $16,297,142.03 | 2.47% |
| 2022 | $17,117,178.17 | 5.03% |
| 2023 | $17,588,331.06 | 2.75% |
| 2024 | $17,710,095.60 | 0.69% |
| 2025 | $17,733,117.27 | 0.13% |
| 2026 | $18,201,778.30 | 2.64%* |
* 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 | 135.133 |