Apparel data in fashion

Though this year's New York Fashion Week styles have yet to hit most local stores, spending on clothes—from haute couture, and ready-to-wear, to factory outlet and discount store bargains—is a must for many. In 2023, household spending on women's apparel averaged $655, compared with $406 for men's apparel. Spending on girls' and boys' apparel was $87 and $96, respectively. Of course, everyone knows that shoes make the outfit. Households spent an average of $208 for women's footwear, and $147 for men's, in 2023.

What do prices and fashion trends have in common? They change. Prices for apparel were about 5 times higher than they were a century ago.

Apparel prices more than doubled, increasing by a factor of 2.6, from 1924 to 1974. Over the next five decades, from 1974 to 2024, apparel prices increased by a factor of 1.9, with most of the increase occurring prior to 1994. Apparel prices in 2024 were essentially the same as in 1994.

Overall, the price index for all items purchased by consumers in 2024 was 18.3 times higher than its 1924 level and 6.4 times higher than in 1974.

These data are from the Consumer Expenditure Surveys and the Consumer Price Index. The consumer expenditure data are averages for all consumer units (households). Because not all consumer units purchase each item, the average expenditure for an item is generally considerably lower than the expenditure by those consumer units that purchased that item.