Report · October 2026

The Top Hat Gap

A report on the decline of top hat ownership in America, and what we can do about it.

Figure 1

Share of American adults who own a top hat, 1860–2026

Ownership peaked in the late nineteenth century and has declined steadily since. After 1940 the decline is well described by an exponential with a halving time of roughly sixteen years. Projected forward, it reaches the last privately owned top hat by 2051.

Key findings

  1. Fewer than one in two hundred adults owns a top hat. In 1900, it was roughly one in two.
  2. The decline is not explained by price. Top hats have never been cheaper, adjusted for height.
  3. Magicians are not the problem. Excluding magicians lowers ownership further, which suggests that magicians are, in fact, holding the line.
  4. Doorways are a contributing factor. The average interior doorway has not grown since 1950. The average top hat has not shrunk.
  5. Recipients report large benefits. In our survey of 349 recipients, 94% reported standing up straighter and 61% reported being mistaken for someone important.

Methodology

Ownership estimates combine historical photographs, census-era haberdashery receipts, and a door-to-door survey in which volunteers asked residents whether they owned a top hat and, if so, whether they would put it on. Figures before 1900 are reconstructed from paintings and should be treated with appropriate caution.

Recommendations

  1. Pass the A Hat in Every Home Act.
  2. Fund the Taller Doorways Initiative.
  3. Expand fittings in every state, starting with those where wind is strongest.
  4. Do not, under any circumstances, substitute fedoras.
Help close the gap