Shoe prices in 1994
What happened to U.S. shoe prices in 1994, how that year ranks, and what 1994 prices come to in September 2026 money.
at September 2026 shoe prices (all footwear). Overall inflation would make it $227.32.
Ranks 62nd of 78 years since 1948, largest rise first. All items: +2.6%.
Shoes measured against everything else. Shoes got relatively cheaper.
Each shoe group in 1994
- Men’s shoes +0.4% Average index 133.2 · $100 then = $121.45 now · 30th of 47 years
- Women’s shoes −1.3% Average index 120.4 · $100 then = $118.01 now · 41st of 47 years
- Boys’ and girls’ shoes +3.0% Average index 125.6 · $100 then = $133.54 now · 15th of 47 years
- All footwear +0.1% Average index 126.0 · $100 then = $122.62 now · 62nd of 78 years
1994 in context
All footwear rose 0.1% in 1994, while the consumer price index for all items rose 2.6% and clothing fell 0.2%. That left shoes 2.4% cheaper relative to everything else people bought.
Men’s shoes rose 0.4% and women’s fell 1.3%, so men’s shoes rose faster by 1.7 points. Men’s vs women’s over time →
Before the store: the producer price index for footwear made in the United States rose 0.8%. Factory to store →
Ranked by yearly change, 1994 sits between 2023 (+0.2%) and 2025 (−0.0%).
Month by month in 1994 (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