Other · BLS CPI-U · 1997–2026
Apparel Inflation — U.S. Consumer Price Index
As of July 2026, the CPI-U index for Apparel is up 3.9% from a year earlier. Clothing prices.
Data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U). pumsdata is an independent product and is not affiliated with or endorsed by BLS.
Apparel: year-over-year inflation, 1998–2026
Percent change from the same month a year earlier, from the not-seasonally-adjusted CPI-U index.
October 2025 is missing from every CPI series — the federal government shutdown halted collection and the month was never published. Charts show a gap, and year-over-year and month-over-month figures skip any comparison touching the missing month; values are never interpolated.
Apparel: annual averages
BLS annual-average index (the CPI file’s M13 rows, shown verbatim) and the year-over-year change in that average — the standard “annual inflation” figure.
| Year | Annual avg. index | Annual inflation |
|---|---|---|
| 2025* | 131.3 | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 131.5 | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 130.6 | +2.8% |
| 2022 | 127.1 | +5.0% |
| 2021 | 121.0 | +2.5% |
| 2020 | 118.1 | -4.8% |
| 2019 | 124.1 | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 125.7 | 0.0% |
| 2017 | 125.6 | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 126.0 | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 125.9 | -1.3% |
| 2014 | 127.5 | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 127.4 | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 126.3 | +3.4% |
| 2011 | 122.1 | +2.2% |
| 2010 | 119.5 | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 120.1 | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 118.9 | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 119.0 | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 119.5 | 0.0% |
| 2005 | 119.5 | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 120.4 | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 120.9 | -2.5% |
| 2002 | 124.0 | -2.6% |
| 2001 | 127.3 | -1.8% |
| 2000 | 129.6 | -1.3% |
| 1999 | 131.3 | -1.3% |
| 1998 | 133.0 | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 132.9 | — |
*The 2025 annual average reflects the eleven published months — October 2025 was never collected because of the federal government shutdown.
Apparel inflation by region & metro area
Latest year-over-year change in each area’s own index. Many metro series are published bimonthly, so the “as of” month can trail the national index. Index levels are not comparable across areas — each series measures change over time from its own base period.
| Area | Year over year | As of |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. city average | +3.9% | July 2026 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | -2.0% | June 2026 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | +5.0% | June 2026 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | -6.9% | July 2026 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | +12.4% | July 2026 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | -0.8% | July 2026 |
| Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO | +11.3% | July 2026 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | -0.9% | June 2026 |
| East North Central | +6.2% | July 2026 |
| East South Central | +5.6% | July 2026 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | +4.7% | June 2026 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | -0.4% | July 2026 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | -2.3% | June 2026 |
| Middle Atlantic | +0.9% | July 2026 |
| Midwest | +6.4% | July 2026 |
| Midwest - Size Class A | +8.4% | July 2026 |
| Midwest - Size Class B/C | +5.0% | July 2026 |
| Minneapolis-St.Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | +3.3% | July 2026 |
| Mountain | +5.6% | July 2026 |
| New England | -2.6% | July 2026 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | +0.5% | July 2026 |
| Northeast | -0.2% | July 2026 |
| Northeast - Size Class A | -0.5% | July 2026 |
| Northeast - Size Class B/C | +0.4% | July 2026 |
| Pacific | +3.7% | July 2026 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | +5.3% | June 2026 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ | +8.6% | June 2026 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | +7.5% | July 2026 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad, CA | +8.0% | July 2026 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA | +1.0% | June 2026 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | +14.7% | June 2026 |
| Size Class A | +3.4% | July 2026 |
| Size Class B/C | +4.3% | July 2026 |
| South | +4.5% | July 2026 |
| South - Size Class A | +2.7% | July 2026 |
| South - Size Class B/C | +6.1% | July 2026 |
| South Atlantic | +4.2% | July 2026 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | +8.7% | June 2026 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | +7.3% | July 2026 |
| Urban Alaska | +9.4% | June 2026 |
| Urban Hawaii | +12.6% | July 2026 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | +7.8% | July 2026 |
| West | +4.3% | July 2026 |
| West - Size Class A | +4.5% | July 2026 |
| West - Size Class B/C | +4.2% | July 2026 |
| West North Central | +6.6% | July 2026 |
| West South Central | +4.6% | July 2026 |
Apparel inflation — FAQ
What is the current Apparel inflation rate?+
As of July 2026, the CPI-U index for Apparel is up 3.9% from a year earlier (not seasonally adjusted). Month over month, the seasonally adjusted index moved +0.1% in July 2026.
When was Apparel inflation highest since 1997?+
By annual averages, the biggest increase since 1997 came in 2022, when the Apparel index rose 5.0% over 2021.
Is Apparel inflation higher than overall inflation?+
As of July 2026, the Apparel index is up 3.9% year over year, versus up 3.4% for overall inflation (all items CPI-U). That is a faster increase than overall inflation (all items CPI-U).
Why is October 2025 missing from the Apparel data?+
October 2025 is missing from every CPI series — the federal government shutdown halted collection and the month was never published. Charts show a gap, and year-over-year and month-over-month figures skip any comparison touching the missing month; values are never interpolated.
Data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U). pumsdata is an independent product and is not affiliated with or endorsed by BLS.