Shoe prices in 1979
What happened to U.S. shoe prices in 1979, how that year ranks, and what 1979 prices come to in September 2026 money.
at September 2026 shoe prices (all footwear). Overall inflation would make it $464.26.
Ranks 3rd of 78 years since 1948, largest rise first. All items: +11.3%.
Shoes measured against everything else. Shoes got relatively cheaper.
Each shoe group in 1979
- Men’s shoes +9.7% Average index 84.1 · $100 then = $192.31 now · 1st of 47 years
- Women’s shoes +6.3% Average index 86.9 · $100 then = $163.55 now · 1st of 47 years
- Boys’ and girls’ shoes +8.1% Average index 84.1 · $100 then = $199.32 now · 2nd of 47 years
- All footwear +7.9% Average index 85.2 · $100 then = $181.27 now · 3rd of 78 years
1979 in context
All footwear rose 7.9% in 1979, while the consumer price index for all items rose 11.3% and clothing rose 4.4%. That left shoes 3.0% cheaper relative to everything else people bought.
Men’s shoes rose 9.7% and women’s rose 6.3%, so men’s shoes rose faster by 3.4 points. Men’s vs women’s over time →
Before the store: the producer price index for footwear made in the United States rose 19.2%. Factory to store →
Ranked by yearly change, 1979 sits between 1948 (+9.2%) and 1980 (+7.7%).
Month by month in 1979 (January = 100)
- Men’s shoes
- Women’s shoes
- Boys’ and girls’ shoes
Neighboring years
Yearly figures are averages of the twelve monthly BLS CPI-U values; 2026 uses the months published so far. How we calculate