55 years ago

Shoe prices in 1971

What happened to U.S. shoe prices in 1971, how that year ranks, and what 1971 prices come to in September 2026 money.

$100 of shoes in 1971

$263.59

at September 2026 shoe prices (all footwear). Overall inflation would make it $832.11.

1971 vs 1970

+3.3%

Ranks 26th of 78 years since 1948, largest rise first. All items: +4.3%.

Real change in 1971

−1.0%

Shoes measured against everything else. Shoes got relatively cheaper.

Have a price from 1971? Open 1971 in the calculator →

Each shoe group in 1971

All footwear +3.3% Average index 58.6 · $100 then = $263.59 now · 26th of 78 years

BLS began separate men’s, women’s, and boys’ and girls’ footwear indexes in December 1977, so 1971 has the all-footwear index only.

1971 in context

All footwear rose 3.3% in 1971, while the consumer price index for all items rose 4.3% and clothing rose 3.2%. That left shoes 1.0% cheaper relative to everything else people bought.

Before the store: the producer price index for footwear made in the United States rose 3.0%. Factory to store →

Ranked by yearly change, 1971 sits between 1957 (+3.3%) and 1987 (+3.1%).

Month by month in 1971 (January = 100)

All footwear

Not seasonally adjusted BLS CPI indexes.

Neighboring years

1970+5.2%1972+2.8%1973+4.2%1974+6.1%1975+4.5%1976+4.0%1977+4.6%1978+4.4%1979+7.9%

← 1970 · 1972 →

Yearly figures are averages of the twelve monthly BLS CPI-U values; 2026 uses the months published so far. How we calculate