52 years ago

Shoe prices in 1974

What happened to U.S. shoe prices in 1974, how that year ranks, and what 1974 prices come to in September 2026 money.

$100 of shoes in 1974

$231.88

at September 2026 shoe prices (all footwear). Overall inflation would make it $683.34.

1974 vs 1973

+6.1%

Ranks 6th of 78 years since 1948, largest rise first. All items: +11.1%.

Real change in 1974

−4.5%

Shoes measured against everything else. Shoes got relatively cheaper.

Have a price from 1974? Open 1974 in the calculator →

Each shoe group in 1974

All footwear +6.1% Average index 66.6 · $100 then = $231.88 now · 6th of 78 years

BLS began separate men’s, women’s, and boys’ and girls’ footwear indexes in December 1977, so 1974 has the all-footwear index only.

1974 in context

All footwear rose 6.1% in 1974, while the consumer price index for all items rose 11.1% and clothing rose 7.4%. That left shoes 4.5% cheaper relative to everything else people bought.

Before the store: the producer price index for footwear made in the United States rose 7.3%. Factory to store →

Ranked by yearly change, 1974 sits between 1969 (+6.2%) and 1966 (+6.0%).

Month by month in 1974 (January = 100)

All footwear

Not seasonally adjusted BLS CPI indexes.

Neighboring years

1970+5.2%1971+3.3%1972+2.8%1973+4.2%1975+4.5%1976+4.0%1977+4.6%1978+4.4%1979+7.9%

← 1973 · 1975 →

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