Shoe prices in 1991
What happened to U.S. shoe prices in 1991, how that year ranks, and what 1991 prices come to in September 2026 money.
at September 2026 shoe prices (all footwear). Overall inflation would make it $247.40.
Ranks 28th of 78 years since 1948, largest rise first. All items: +4.2%.
Shoes measured against everything else. Shoes got relatively cheaper.
Each shoe group in 1991
- Men’s shoes +3.5% Average index 128.9 · $100 then = $125.53 now · 10th of 47 years
- Women’s shoes +3.6% Average index 114.5 · $100 then = $124.05 now · 7th of 47 years
- Boys’ and girls’ shoes +1.0% Average index 121.3 · $100 then = $138.32 now · 25th of 47 years
- All footwear +3.0% Average index 120.9 · $100 then = $127.81 now · 28th of 78 years
1991 in context
All footwear rose 3.0% in 1991, while the consumer price index for all items rose 4.2% and clothing rose 3.7%. That left shoes 1.2% cheaper relative to everything else people bought.
Men’s shoes rose 3.5% and women’s rose 3.6%, so women’s shoes rose faster by 0.1 points. Men’s vs women’s over time →
Before the store: the producer price index for footwear made in the United States rose 2.4%. Factory to store →
Ranked by yearly change, 1991 sits between 1987 (+3.1%) and 2005 (+2.8%).
Month by month in 1991 (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