According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for apparel are 502.31% higher in 2025 versus 1940 (a $6,027,671,905.70 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 $1,200,000,000 in the year 1940 would cost $7,227,671,905.70 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 $1,200,000,000 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 | $1,200,000,000.00 | 0.90% |
| 1941 | $1,255,070,273.54 | 4.59% |
| 1942 | $1,468,762,278.98 | 17.03% |
| 1943 | $1,532,235,151.88 | 4.32% |
| 1944 | $1,639,715,883.33 | 7.01% |
| 1945 | $1,724,346,380.53 | 5.16% |
| 1946 | $1,891,914,765.00 | 9.72% |
| 1947 | $2,192,776,182.56 | 15.90% |
| 1948 | $2,338,340,637.75 | 6.64% |
| 1949 | $2,246,093,395.80 | -3.94% |
| 1950 | $2,216,049,569.29 | -1.34% |
| 1951 | $2,416,200,695.18 | 9.03% |
| 1952 | $2,390,388,393.53 | -1.07% |
| 1953 | $2,374,731,751.55 | -0.65% |
| 1954 | $2,366,691,854.31 | -0.34% |
| 1955 | $2,359,075,109.57 | -0.32% |
| 1956 | $2,406,468,188.00 | 2.01% |
| 1957 | $2,447,937,131.63 | 1.72% |
| 1958 | $2,457,246,486.32 | 0.38% |
| 1959 | $2,476,711,500.68 | 0.79% |
| 1960 | $2,513,948,919.45 | 1.50% |
| 1961 | $2,533,837,086.29 | 0.79% |
| 1962 | $2,547,801,118.33 | 0.55% |
| 1963 | $2,579,114,402.30 | 1.23% |
| 1964 | $2,601,118,331.57 | 0.85% |
| 1965 | $2,626,084,328.25 | 0.96% |
| 1966 | $2,696,327,640.92 | 2.67% |
| 1967 | $2,806,347,287.29 | 4.08% |
| 1968 | $2,956,143,267.34 | 5.34% |
| 1969 | $3,126,250,566.72 | 5.75% |
| 1970 | $3,255,312,074.96 | 4.13% |
| 1971 | $3,360,677,043.98 | 3.24% |
| 1972 | $3,430,074,051.69 | 2.06% |
| 1973 | $3,555,750,340.03 | 3.66% |
| 1974 | $3,819,374,338.82 | 7.41% |
| 1975 | $3,989,481,638.20 | 4.45% |
| 1976 | $4,138,854,465.77 | 3.74% |
| 1977 | $4,324,195,254.65 | 4.48% |
| 1978 | $4,476,106,997.13 | 3.51% |
| 1979 | $4,672,026,598.16 | 4.38% |
| 1980 | $5,002,508,689.74 | 7.07% |
| 1981 | $5,241,166,691.85 | 4.77% |
| 1982 | $5,378,691,249.81 | 2.62% |
| 1983 | $5,511,561,130.42 | 2.47% |
| 1984 | $5,613,117,727.07 | 1.84% |
| 1985 | $5,777,300,891.64 | 2.92% |
| 1986 | $5,826,386,580.02 | 0.85% |
| 1987 | $6,082,816,986.55 | 4.40% |
| 1988 | $6,346,864,137.83 | 4.34% |
| 1989 | $6,523,318,724.50 | 2.78% |
| 1990 | $6,825,872,752.00 | 4.64% |
| 1991 | $7,080,187,396.10 | 3.73% |
| 1992 | $7,254,526,220.34 | 2.46% |
| 1993 | $7,352,697,597.10 | 1.35% |
| 1994 | $7,338,310,412.57 | -0.20% |
| 1995 | $7,259,180,897.69 | -1.08% |
| 1996 | $7,244,793,713.16 | -0.20% |
| 1997 | $7,308,266,586.07 | 0.88% |
| 1998 | $7,317,575,940.76 | 0.13% |
| 1999 | $7,222,366,631.40 | -1.30% |
| 2000 | $7,128,003,627.02 | -1.31% |
| 2001 | $7,001,057,881.22 | -1.78% |
| 2002 | $6,822,487,532.11 | -2.55% |
| 2003 | $6,649,418,165.33 | -2.54% |
| 2004 | $6,624,875,321.14 | -0.37% |
| 2005 | $6,575,789,632.76 | -0.74% |
| 2006 | $6,571,134,955.42 | -0.07% |
| 2007 | $6,546,071,633.67 | -0.38% |
| 2008 | $6,541,048,813.66 | -0.08% |
| 2009 | $6,605,478,011.18 | 0.98% |
| 2010 | $6,573,843,131.33 | -0.48% |
| 2011 | $6,717,287,592.56 | 2.18% |
| 2012 | $6,945,794,166.54 | 3.40% |
| 2013 | $7,008,873,507.63 | 0.91% |
| 2014 | $7,014,535,287.89 | 0.08% |
| 2015 | $6,925,876,379.02 | -1.26% |
| 2016 | $6,933,730,089.16 | 0.11% |
| 2017 | $6,909,893,909.63 | -0.34% |
| 2018 | $6,912,225,479.82 | 0.03% |
| 2019 | $6,824,061,659.36 | -1.28% |
| 2020 | $6,495,487,985.49 | -4.81% |
| 2021 | $6,655,786,610.25 | 2.47% |
| 2022 | $6,990,690,645.31 | 5.03% |
| 2023 | $7,183,110,775.28 | 2.75% |
| 2024 | $7,232,839,655.43 | 0.69% |
| 2025 | $7,227,671,905.70 | -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 |