Men's suits, sport coats, and outerwear priced at $20 in 1978 $21.15 in 2024

Men's Suits, Sport Coats, And Outerwear Inflation Calculator

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Prices for Men's Suits, Sport Coats, And Outerwear, 1978-2024 ($20)

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for men's suits, sport coats, and outerwear are 5.74% higher in 2024 versus 1978 (a $1.15 difference in value).

Between 1978 and 2024: Men's suits, sport coats, and outerwear experienced an average inflation rate of 0.12% per year. In other words, men's suits, sport coats, and outerwear costing $20 in the year 1978 would cost $21.15 in 2024 for an equivalent purchase. Compared to the overall inflation rate of 3.47% during this same period, inflation for men's suits, sport coats, and outerwear was significantly lower.

Price Inflation for Men's suits, sport coats, and outerwear since 1978

Consumer Price Index, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Years with the largest changes in pricing: 2022 (14.06%), 2020 (-13.06%), and 2024 (-6.21%).

View price changes for other categories
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Buying power of $20.00 since 1978

Below are calculations of equivalent buying power for Men's suits, sport coats, and outerwear, over time, for $20 beginning in 1978. Each of the amounts below is equivalent in terms of what it could buy at the time:

YearUSD ValueInflation Rate
1978$20.00-
1979$19.83-0.86%
1980$20.242.09%
1981$20.923.36%
1982$21.432.44%
1983$21.942.39%
1984$22.231.30%
1985$22.651.88%
1986$23.252.66%
1987$24.344.70%
1988$25.313.97%
1989$26.474.57%
1990$27.654.46%
1991$28.814.20%
1992$28.920.39%
1993$29.923.47%
1994$29.89-0.11%
1995$29.22-2.24%
1996$29.330.37%
1997$29.530.69%
1998$29.961.46%
1999$29.62-1.16%
2000$29.09-1.78%
2001$28.11-3.37%
2002$28.130.08%
2003$27.75-1.37%
2004$27.45-1.07%
2005$27.610.59%
2006$26.56-3.83%
2007$26.29-1.00%
2008$26.390.40%
2009$25.05-5.09%
2010$25.421.46%
2011$25.16-0.99%
2012$25.672.01%
2013$25.971.17%
2014$25.32-2.52%
2015$24.56-2.97%
2016$24.30-1.10%
2017$23.87-1.73%
2018$23.15-3.02%
2019$23.712.40%
2020$20.61-13.06%
2021$19.93-3.28%
2022$22.7414.06%
2023$22.55-0.83%
2024$21.15-6.21%*

* 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 Men's suits, sport coats, and outerwear:

Year19781979198019811982198319841985198619871988198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
CPI91.45490.66992.56295.66998.000100.338101.646103.554106.308111.308115.731121.023126.415131.723132.231136.823136.677133.615134.108135.038137.015135.423133.008128.531128.638126.877125.523126.262121.431120.212120.694114.545116.218115.062117.380118.757115.763112.327111.094109.168105.867108.40394.24791.154103.972103.10696.703

Adjust men's suits, sport coats, and outerwear prices for inflation

Start with the inflation rate formula:

CPI in 2024 / CPI in 1978 * 1978 USD value = 2024 USD value

Then plug in historical CPI values from above. The CPI for Men's suits, sport coats, and outerwear was 91.454 in the year 1978 and 96.703 in 2024:

96.703 / 91.454 * $20 = $21.15

Therefore, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, $20 in 1978 has the same "purchasing power" as $21.15 in 2024 (in the CPI category of Men's suits, sport coats, and outerwear).


Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking the Consumer Price Index for Men's suits, sport coats, and outerwear in 1978. In addition to men's suits, sport coats, and outerwear, the index produces monthly data on changes in prices paid by urban consumers for a variety of goods and services.

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