7 Best Shoes For Walking And Standing All Day in 2024

How we test walking shoes

When we are busy at the RunRepeat shoe lab, we can spend up to 8 hours walking and standing on our feet. This is a perfect ground for testing what each walking shoe feels like before we approve it for all-day wear. But it is only part of the equation.

We put each shoe through a series of lab tests and measurements to get the objective numbers on its flexibility, durability, breathability, and more. We even cut the shoes with a saw to further measure their stack height, drop, and midsole softness.

Last but not least, we buy every pair of shoes with our own funds to avoid bias towards any brands.

Not every shoe can handle all-day wear

Do your day-to-day chores keep you on your feet for hours? Or does your work environment require prolonged standing? In both cases, a high-quality pair of shoes becomes more than just a luxury - it is absolutely essential for your health and well-being!

Working in healthcare, food industry, factories, warehouses, delivery, etc. involves very long bouts of walking and standing which can result in a wide range of unpleasant symptoms in the long run - from fatigue and discomfort to acute musculoskeletal disorders! Research shows that the lower back and feet become the affected areas of the latter.

If you hope to avoid that, we recommend choosing your next pair of daily footwear very carefully.

Just because a shoe has a pleasant step-in comfort and feels nice at try-on, it doesn’t mean that it can support your 10-hour shifts five times a week. There are a few more important characteristics to consider:

• Does the shoe’s cushioning provide enough shock absorption? How soft or firm do you want it to be?
• Does the shoe have enough support, structure, and platform width to keep the foot steady?
• Are there any foot conditions that you need to address with footwear? Flat feet, overpronation, plantar fasciitis, etc.?
• Are you sure that the size and fit are on point? Does the shoe accommodate your foot shape (narrow/wide) or deformities (bunions/Morton’s toe)?
• Does it meet your special workplace requirements (slip-resistant outsole/leather upper)?
• Is it durable enough for the price? Do you need extra thick and wear-resistant materials for longevity?
• Is the shoe breathable enough to keep you sweat-free throughout the day?

That’s a lot to consider…But we’ll take it step-by-step.

Let’s start with the meat and potatoes of a proper walking shoe which is cushioning and support.

Cushioning: how much do you need for hours of walking and standing?

By cushioning, we imply the shoe’s foam midsole and insole that provide shock absorption underfoot. The foam in the upper (around the collar and in the tongue) is referred to as padding.

Having lab-tested hundreds of shoes, we found that a heel stack height of 30 mm or more can maintain impact protection for hours. You can opt for maximum stack heights (up to 45 mm) but keep in mind that taller platforms can also make some people feel tippy and disconnected from the ground.

The midsole softness of walking shoes varies greatly going from extra plush to more balanced and very firm options.

• 20 HA or less: soft
• 20-30 HA: balanced
• 30 HA or more: firm

You are free to choose how soft or firm you want your walking shoe to be. But there are a few reasons why you may prefer one over the other.

Go for softer cushioning if:

• you prefer that cloud-like experience
• you have neutral pronation (no excessive inward rolling of the foot)
• you work on a hard surface like concrete and your facility doesn’t have anti-fatigue rubber mats

Choose firmer cushioning if:

• you want to feel more stable and supported
• you have rubber mats at the workplace

The table below provides an overview of the best-rated walking shoes for all-day wear along with their heel stack height and midsole softness. You can see that it’s not just thick and plush shoes that earn the most favor.

How much shoe support is enough for all-day wear

Look at the two videos below. Which of these shoes would you choose for your work shift?

Of course, we are showing two extremes here and there are a lot of shoes that sit in between these two options.

So what are some of the characteristics that make some shoes more supportive than others?

• torsional rigidity
• heel counter stiffness
• midsole width

Torsional rigidity indicates how difficult it is to twist the shoe because of its stiffness.

We perform a manual twist test to assess each shoe’s torsional rigidity on a 1-5 scale (5 is the stiffest).

Here is a simple rule: if you can wring a shoe out like a towel, it’s not supportive enough for hours of standing. That’s why we only recommend shoes with a torsional rigidity score of at least 3 out of 5 for all-day use.

Example of a shoe with the lowest torsional rigidity score (1 out of 5).

The shoe’s heel counter stiffness is another important contributor to support and stability. When the heel counter is stiff, structured, and well-padded, it forms a firm hold around the heel and ankle and locks them down in place. This minimizes wobbling and in-shoe play of the foot and prevents the heel from sliding down the inner side of the shoe.

We assess the shoe’s heel counter stiffness manually on a 1-5 scale with a push-and-squeeze test.

A wide platform is also an integral component of a supportive walking shoe. Having a sufficient landing base to plant your foot not only makes you feel significantly more surefooted but also lowers the risk of rolling the ankle.

Most walking shoes that made it to our all-day wear shoe list have a heel width of 90 to 100 mm and a forefoot width of 112 to 120 mm in the forefoot (all measured in a men’s US size 9).

The table below features the most supportive walking shoes for walking and standing.

Consider your foot condition (if any)

If you have any footwear recommendations from a doctor or hope to alleviate a nagging foot discomfort, your pair of walking shoes must meet certain criteria.

For example, a shoe for flat feet and overpronation will have additional stability components that prevent the foot from sliding and rolling inwards. A shoe for plantar fasciitis will have a firmer midsole to prevent tendon aggravation. People with obesity will need thicker and firmer cushioning, and so on.

Learn more about the proper type of shoes for different foot conditions in our in-depth guides:

• best walking shoes for flat feet and overpronation
• best walking shoes for plantar fasciitis

A note on rockered shoes

Following the trend of rockered running shoes, some brands have also experimented with the shape of their walking shoes.

To be honest, we thoroughly enjoyed “rocking” shoes like the KEEN WK400. Our heel-to-toe transitions were extremely smooth and it felt like the shoe forced us to keep going forward. But because of their unconventional design, we can’t include these shoes in our top recommendations for walking and standing.

Can you imagine standing in a shoe like this?

We would also recommend skipping rockered walking shoes if you have any of the following conditions:

• flat feet, overpronation
• plantar fasciitis
• heavy weight/obesity

Studies show that rocker-bottom shoes increase overload in the heel and midfoot areas which makes matters even worse.

This video clearly shows how a rockered sole puts peak pressure on the foot arch.

Can you wear running shoes for walking and standing?

Yes, if the brand recommends them for daily wear. Because a carbon-plated race shoe is a no-no for walking.

Popular running shoe brands like Hoka, Brooks, ASICS, Nike, Adidas, and others tag some of their daily running shoes as suitable for all-day walking, lifestyle, or casual wear.

With decades of experience in underfoot cushioning and support, these shoes are an ideal choice for tackling long hours of repeated forward motion (be it running or walking).

In the table below, we’ve gathered the best running shoes that have all the features you news for prolonged walking and standing.

Choosing the right size and fit in shoes for walking and standing

When your long-term comfort and even foot health are at stake, it’s worth investing extra time and effort in finding a truly well-fitting shoe. Especially if you are planning to wear it for 40 hours or more a week!

It is important to consider both the size (length) and width of your next walking shoe.

1. Size: Before you order your usual shoe size, we highly recommend measuring your foot length precisely in millimeters or inches.

That’s because our feet continue to change and grow even in adulthood and a few extra millimeters can actually require sizing up! Once you have the measurement, consult the corresponding size chart to see what size matches your foot length the best in a given brand.

1. Width: If you are someone with wide feet or foot deformities like bunions, you should consider a wide or extra wide width in a walking shoe.

Unfortunately, not all shoes are offered in alternative widths but you can rely on brands like Hoka, New Balance, Brooks, and Skechers to find wider options. Hoka and New Balance even provide detailed measurements for each width in each size to increase your chances of getting the right fit.

The stretchiness of the upper matters as well. Especially if you have those painful hallux valgus (bunion) bumps under the big toe. Research shows that people with bunions found shoes with stretchy uppers even more comfortable than shoes with wide toeboxes.

Special requirements for work shoes

This guide does not cover advanced occupational footwear like steel-toe or comp-toe shoes. But we do include shoes with special features that may be a requirement or a necessity in your workplace.

If you work in healthcare or food/restaurant industry, you may benefit from a pair of shoes with slip-resistant outsoles. These are tackier than standard rubber and can be identified by a certification of slip resistance (i.e. from SATRA)

Some facilities may require shoes with leather uppers, either for their more protective nature (compared to fabric mesh) or formal appearance.

All-day wear calls for more durable shoes

Especially if you walk on abrasive surfaces like concrete or if you work in delivery and cover many miles per day on urban surfaces like asphalt.

To test how well each shoe is equipped for the demands of all-day walking and standing, we perform a series of durability tests using a Dremel.

With a sandpaper tip attached to it, we apply the tool to each shoe’s toebox, heel padding, and outsole. The exposure time, pressure, and Dremel speed are consistent.

Now here is an interesting question - are more durable shoes always more expensive? Let’s have a look at the table below where we gathered walking shoes with the best durability scores along with their retail price (MSRP).

As you can see, a higher price doesn’t always guarantee better shoe longevity.

Consider breathability as well

Wearing the same shoe for 8-10 hours without change as you move or stand for prolonged periods of time can turn any shoe into a real sweatbox.

You want to make sure that the shoe you choose for all-day wear has at least some degree of ventilation.

We perform a series of breathability tests on each shoe to let you know which ones have better airflow. This includes pumping smoke into the shoe’s upper, hovering it over the LED light, and examining the fabric under a microscope. In the end, we give each shoe a breathability score of 1-5 where 5 is the most breathable.