According to a new survey released by the US National Sporting Goods Association (NGSA) the average price point for sports footwear rose 2% in 2005—with advances in average prices outnumbering declines more than two to one for the 22 categories of athletic and sports footwear surveyed.

In 2005, the average price rose to $40.33 versus $39.32 in 2004 and $38.88 in 2003. In 2004, the average price rose 1.7%; in 2003, it had declined 0.3%.

Many major categories posted increase in excess of 2% including jogging/running (+4.2%), gym shoes/sneakers (+2.6%), and walking shoes (+2.4%), led the increase. Among major categories, only tennis shoes (down 1.7%) and basketball shoes (down 1.0%) showed declines.

The 2% increase in 2005 and the 1.1% increase in 2004 followed downturns in the three previous years, 0.3%, 3.0% and 0.4% respectively. However, the year’s overall average matched the 2000 average price of $40.32, the highest in the history of the NSGA survey.

With a 5.4% increase in their average price, hunting boots held the Number one position as the most expensive shoe in the 2005 sports footwear market. The $67.33 average hunting boot price point placed it ahead of golf, running/jogging and basketball shoes, the average prices of which were $61.48 (+1.9%), $53.55 (+2.6%) and $52.58 (-1.0%), respectively.

The information on average shoe prices will be included in the NSGA report ‘The Sporting Goods Market in 2006’, which will be published by the association in May.