A pound of white bread cost $1.83 in September 2026, down 2.0% from a year earlier. In 2000 the average was $0.93, about $1.82 in today's dollars.
Adjust any amount for inflation
Every year since 1980
- Price at the time
- In September 2026 dollars
| Year | Average price | In today's dollars |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1.87 | $1.96 |
| 2024 | $1.97 | $2.12 |
| 2023 | $1.96 | $2.17 |
| 2022 | $1.70 | $1.96 |
| 2021 | $1.52 | $1.90 |
| 2020 | $1.45 | $1.89 |
| 2019 | $1.30 | $1.71 |
| 2018 | $1.29 | $1.73 |
| 2017 | $1.33 | $1.83 |
| 2016 | $1.37 | $1.92 |
| 2015 | $1.44 | $2.05 |
| 2014 | $1.40 | $1.99 |
| 2013 | $1.41 | $2.04 |
| 2012 | $1.42 | $2.08 |
| 2011 | $1.45 | $2.16 |
| 2010 | $1.37 | $2.12 |
| 2009 | $1.39 | $2.18 |
| 2008 | $1.37 | $2.14 |
| 2007 | $1.21 | $1.96 |
| 2006 | $1.08 | $1.81 |
| 2005 | $1.04 | $1.79 |
| 2004 | $0.97 | $1.73 |
| 2003 | $1.00 | $1.83 |
| 2002 | $1.02 | $1.90 |
| 2001 | $1.00 | $1.90 |
| 2000 | $0.93 | $1.82 |
| 1999 | $0.89 | $1.79 |
| 1998 | $0.86 | $1.78 |
| 1997 | $0.87 | $1.83 |
| 1996 | $0.88 | $1.88 |
| 1995 | $0.79 | $1.75 |
| 1994 | $0.76 | $1.73 |
| 1993 | $0.75 | $1.75 |
| 1992 | $0.75 | $1.80 |
| 1991 | $0.71 | $1.76 |
| 1990 | $0.70 | $1.79 |
| 1989 | $0.67 | $1.81 |
| 1988 | $0.61 | $1.75 |
| 1987 | $0.55 | $1.62 |
| 1986 | $0.57 | $1.74 |
| 1985 | $0.55 | $1.73 |
| 1984 | $0.54 | $1.75 |
| 1983 | $0.54 | $1.83 |
| 1982 | $0.53 | $1.86 |
| 1981 | $0.53 | $1.95 |
| 1980 | $0.51 | $2.08 |
Yearly averages of monthly U.S. city average prices; a year counts once BLS published at least 10 of its months. Today's dollars use the all-items CPI to September 2026.
Against inflation
| Since | White bread prices | All prices |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | up 97% | up 96% |
| 1980 | up 260% | up 309% |
Since 2000, white bread prices outpaced inflation; since 1980, white bread prices lagged behind it.
Biggest yearly jumps
- 2023: up 15.3% from 2022 ($1.70 to $1.96)
- 2008: up 13.2% from 2007 ($1.21 to $1.37)
- 1988: up 12.1% from 1987 ($0.55 to $0.61)
Minutes of work
At the average hourly wage of production and nonsupervisory workers, a pound of white bread took 4.5 minutes of work in 1980 ($6.84 an hour) and 3.4 minutes in September 2026 ($32.54 an hour).
What moved white bread prices
White bread rose 15.3% in 2023, the largest yearly gain in this series. BLS says wheat prices neared their spring 2008 record by May 2022, pushed by fertilizer costs, drought and the Russia-Ukraine war. Bakery prices kept rising through 2023 even as wheat fell, as sugar, flavorings, eggs and wages cost more. In 2008 (+13.2%), wheat prices had climbed 36.9% from July 2007 to July 2008, which BLS tied to poor weather in 2006 and 2007 that lowered stockpiles. In 1988 (+12.1%), BLS said a summer drought cut wheat yields and raised cereal and bakery prices. Bread was down 2.0% over the year to September 2026.
Reviewed October 17, 2026. Sources:
- BLS: data series APU0000702111
- BLS: Beyond the Numbers, "What is behind the rise in prices for bakery products?" (April 2025)
- BLS: "Grain Prices and Our Grocery Bill" (PPI Current Price Topics, May 2011)
- BLS: Monthly Labor Review, "Price highlights of 1988" (May 1989, scanned PDF, p. 4)
Sources
- BLS series APU0000702111: White bread (U.S. city average, to September 2026)
- BLS Consumer Price Index, all items (CPI-U)
- BLS average price data and average hourly earnings of production and nonsupervisory workers (CEU0500000008)
- How we use these figures: our methodology
General information, not financial advice.