Shoe prices in 1996
What happened to U.S. shoe prices in 1996, how that year ranks, and what 1996 prices come to in September 2026 money.
at September 2026 shoe prices (all footwear). Overall inflation would make it $214.82.
Ranks 47th of 78 years since 1948, largest rise first. All items: +2.9%.
Shoes measured against everything else. Shoes got relatively cheaper.
Each shoe group in 1996
- Men’s shoes −1.8% Average index 132.0 · $100 then = $122.55 now · 44th of 47 years
- Women’s shoes +1.4% Average index 121.0 · $100 then = $117.41 now · 18th of 47 years
- Boys’ and girls’ shoes +4.3% Average index 128.9 · $100 then = $130.12 now · 8th of 47 years
- All footwear +1.0% Average index 126.6 · $100 then = $122.02 now · 47th of 78 years
1996 in context
All footwear rose 1.0% in 1996, while the consumer price index for all items rose 2.9% and clothing fell 0.2%. That left shoes 1.9% cheaper relative to everything else people bought.
Men’s shoes fell 1.8% and women’s rose 1.4%, so women’s shoes rose faster by 3.2 points. Men’s vs women’s over time →
Before the store: the producer price index for footwear made in the United States rose 1.7%, and the import price index for footwear rose 1.6%. Factory to store →
Ranked by yearly change, 1996 sits between 2015 (+1.0%) and 2010 (+0.9%).
Month by month in 1996 (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