Shoe prices in 1997
What happened to U.S. shoe prices in 1997, how that year ranks, and what 1997 prices come to in September 2026 money.
at September 2026 shoe prices (all footwear). Overall inflation would make it $209.91.
Ranks 52nd of 78 years since 1948, largest rise first. All items: +2.3%.
Shoes measured against everything else. Shoes got relatively cheaper.
Each shoe group in 1997
- Men’s shoes +0.1% Average index 132.1 · $100 then = $122.46 now · 33rd of 47 years
- Women’s shoes +0.8% Average index 122.0 · $100 then = $116.51 now · 23rd of 47 years
- Boys’ and girls’ shoes +1.6% Average index 131.0 · $100 then = $128.01 now · 20th of 47 years
- All footwear +0.7% Average index 127.6 · $100 then = $121.13 now · 52nd of 78 years
1997 in context
All footwear rose 0.7% in 1997, while the consumer price index for all items rose 2.3% and clothing rose 0.9%. That left shoes 1.6% cheaper relative to everything else people bought.
Men’s shoes rose 0.1% and women’s rose 0.8%, so women’s shoes rose faster by 0.7 points. Men’s vs women’s over time →
Before the store: the producer price index for footwear made in the United States rose 1.5%, and the import price index for footwear fell 0.6%. Factory to store →
Ranked by yearly change, 1997 sits between 1993 (+0.7%) and 1983 (+0.7%).
Month by month in 1997 (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