U.S. Retail footwear prices rose 2.4 percent year-over-year (y/y) in March, climbing at the fastest monthly rate in 40 months, according to the latest data from the Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America (FDRA). In a statement, FDRA’s CEO Matt Priest issued a plea for tariff relief.

FDRA’s analysis shows U.S. footwear prices have now been rising in eight of the last nine months. Over the last two months, footwear prices rose 1.5 percent y/y in February and 2.0 percent in January. The FDRA found that footwear prices were flat in 2025, as brands have found ways to offset tariff costs, including bringing products in before tariffs took effect.

Among footwear categories in March:

  • Men’s footwear prices grew 1.4 percent y/y, higher in seven of the last nine months.
  • Women’s footwear prices jumped 3.2 percent y/y, up for the eighth straight month and the most in forty-one months.
  • Kids’ footwear prices rose 2.4 percent, the second fastest in fourteen months.

Gary Raines, chief economist at the FDRA, in emailed comments, said he believes the higher footwear prices are, in part, tied to the rise in overall inflation. The overall U.S. annual inflation rate jumped to 3.3 percent in March, the fastest in twenty-one months.

Another factor likely pushing up footwear prices is that the average landed, duty-paid cost per pair of footwear climbed again in March, according to Raines.

Finally, also pressuring footwear prices is the finding that year-to-date footwear spending is up while year-to-date footwear imports are down.

“Footwear demand is growing while supply is shrinking so far this year,” said Raines. “In fact, the divergence between YTD footwear spending and imports is on track to be one of the widest annual divergences on record, hinting at higher sustained prices for footwear.”

In a separate statement, Matt Priest, the FDRA’s president and CEO, urged legislators to reduce tariffs on footwear to bring down inflationary pressures on consumers.

Priest stated, “The latest inflation data confirms what the footwear industry and American families are already feeling at the checkout counter. Footwear prices rose nearly 2.5 percent in March, the sharpest increase in more than three years, as tariffs continue to stack on top of higher energy costs and global instability.

“For months, brands and retailers have done everything possible to absorb rising costs and hold prices down. But with footwear tariffs more than doubling over the past year, duties surging by more than 80 percent, and oil-driven supply chain costs climbing, that buffer has been exhausted. These price increases are no longer theoretical—they’re landing squarely on consumers.

“At a time when inflation remains elevated, and household budgets are stretched, layering more tariffs onto everyday goods like shoes only adds fuel to the inflation fire. If policymakers are serious about easing inflationary pressure, the place to start is by pulling back on punitive trade policies that raise prices for working families without fixing the underlying problems.”

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