Shoe prices in 1988
What happened to U.S. shoe prices in 1988, how that year ranks, and what 1988 prices come to in September 2026 money.
at September 2026 shoe prices (all footwear). Overall inflation would make it $284.92.
Ranks 15th of 78 years since 1948, largest rise first. All items: +4.1%.
Shoes measured against everything else. Shoes got relatively dearer.
Each shoe group in 1988
- Men’s shoes +5.9% Average index 116.2 · $100 then = $139.26 now · 3rd of 47 years
- Women’s shoes +3.5% Average index 104.5 · $100 then = $135.98 now · 8th of 47 years
- Boys’ and girls’ shoes +5.2% Average index 111.1 · $100 then = $150.99 now · 5th of 47 years
- All footwear +4.6% Average index 109.9 · $100 then = $140.55 now · 15th of 78 years
1988 in context
All footwear rose 4.6% in 1988, while the consumer price index for all items rose 4.1% and clothing rose 4.3%. That left shoes 0.5% dearer relative to everything else people bought.
Men’s shoes rose 5.9% and women’s rose 3.5%, so men’s shoes rose faster by 2.4 points. Men’s vs women’s over time →
Before the store: the producer price index for footwear made in the United States rose 5.3%. Factory to store →
Ranked by yearly change, 1988 sits between 2022 (+4.6%) and 1975 (+4.5%).
Month by month in 1988 (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