Pantry
Bread, white, per lb

The price of white bread

A pound of white bread cost 50.1¢ in January 1980 and $1.83 in September 2026.

In Sep 2026 dollars it cost $2.17 in January 1980, so it is 16% cheaper now after inflation. The record is $2.03, in January 2024; the low was 50.1¢, in January 1980.

Download the data (CSV)See the BLS series
Jan 198050.1¢Sep 2026$1.83
$2.17

The Jan 1980 price in Sep 2026 dollars: what it cost then, in today’s money.

In one year
down 2.0%From $1.87 in Sep 2025
In ten years
up 37.7%From $1.33 in Sep 2016
Record high
$2.03January 2024
Record low
50.1¢January 1980

White bread, per lb, every month since Jan 1980

Price at the timeIn Sep 2026 dollars
Bread, white: monthly U.S. average price, Jan 1980 to Sep 2026Two lines. The solid line over the yellow area is the price at the time, from 50.1¢ in January 1980 to $1.83 in September 2026. The dashed blue line is the same price in Sep 2026 dollars, from $2.17 to $1.83. Record high $2.03 in January 2024.$0.00$0.50$1.00$1.50$2.00$2.50198020002020$2.03, 2024$1.83Bread, white: monthly U.S. average price, Jan 1980 to Sep 2026Two lines. The solid line over the yellow area is the price at the time, from 50.1¢ in January 1980 to $1.83 in September 2026. The dashed blue line is the same price in Sep 2026 dollars, from $2.17 to $1.83. Record high $2.03 in January 2024.$0.00$0.50$1.00$1.50$2.00$2.5019801990200020102020Record $2.03, 2024$1.83Bread, white: monthly U.S. average price, Jan 1980 to Sep 2026Two lines. The solid line over the yellow area is the price at the time, from 50.1¢ in January 1980 to $1.83 in September 2026. The dashed blue line is the same price in Sep 2026 dollars, from $2.17 to $1.83. Record high $2.03 in January 2024.$0.00$0.50$1.00$1.50$2.00$2.501980198519901995200020052010201520202025Record $2.03, 2024$1.83

Solid line, yellow area: the average price in each month, in the dollars of that month. Dashed blue line: the same price restated in Sep 2026 dollars using the Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers (CPI-U). Where the dashed line falls, the item got cheaper compared with everything else. Months with no published price are left as gaps when they are long, and bridged when they are a single month. Hover, tap or use the arrow keys to read any month.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, average price series APU0000702111 (U.S. city average); CPI-U CUUR0000SA0.

A January in every decade

“Now vs then” is the plain change on the shelf. “After inflation” compares the old price in Sep 2026 dollars with today’s: negative means it takes less of today’s money than it did.

Bread, white: January prices in past decades compared with September 2026
MonthPrice thenIn today’s $Now vs thenAfter inflation
Jan 198050.1¢$2.17up 265.3%down 15.7%
Jan 199068.9¢$1.82up 165.6%up 0.4%
Jan 200090.7¢$1.81up 101.8%up 1.1%
Jan 2010$1.36$2.12up 34.6%down 13.5%
Jan 2020$1.35$1.76up 35.5%up 3.7%

Year by year

Averages of the monthly prices in each calendar year, newest first. Years with fewer than nine published months are left out; partial years are marked.

Bread, white: yearly average price
YearAveragevs year beforeLowest monthHighest month
20269 of 12 months$1.83down 2.0%$1.81 Mar$1.87 Apr
202511 of 12 months$1.87down 5.1%$1.79 Nov$1.93 Jan
2024$1.97up 0.5%$1.91 Dec$2.03 Jan
2023$1.96up 15.3%$1.89 Jan$2.02 Dec
2022$1.70up 11.6%$1.55 Jan$1.87 Dec
2021$1.52up 5.0%$1.47 Aug$1.58 Sep
2020$1.45up 11.9%$1.35 Jan$1.54 Dec
2019$1.30up 0.9%$1.26 Mar$1.36 Dec
2018$1.29down 3.5%$1.26 Feb$1.31 Mar
2017$1.33down 2.8%$1.29 Nov$1.36 Feb
Every year back to 1980
Bread, white: yearly average price
YearAveragevs year beforeLowest monthHighest month
2016$1.37down 4.8%$1.33 Sep$1.43 Jan
2015$1.44up 2.8%$1.41 Nov$1.48 Jan
2014$1.40down 0.4%$1.36 Mar$1.47 Dec
2013$1.41down 0.8%$1.36 Oct$1.44 Jun
2012$1.42down 1.9%$1.40 Mar$1.44 Feb
2011$1.44up 5.2%$1.40 Feb$1.51 Jul
2010$1.37down 1.0%$1.36 May$1.41 Oct
2009$1.39up 1.5%$1.34 Sep$1.41 May
2008$1.37up 13.2%$1.28 Jan$1.42 Dec
2007$1.21up 11.7%$1.15 Jan$1.28 Dec
2006$1.08up 3.9%$1.03 Feb$1.14 Nov
2005$1.04up 7.3%98.2¢ Feb$1.09 Jun
200496.9¢down 3.1%94.3¢ Feb99.6¢ Aug
2003$1.00down 1.5%95.3¢ Nov$1.05 Feb
2002$1.02up 1.7%$1.00 Jan$1.05 Nov
200199.9¢up 7.4%98.2¢ Jan$1.02 Mar
200093.0¢up 4.9%90.7¢ Jan98.7¢ Dec
199988.7¢up 3.1%87.2¢ Jan89.9¢ Nov
199886.0¢down 1.4%84.9¢ Oct86.9¢ Aug
199787.2¢down 0.4%85.4¢ May89.9¢ Oct
199687.6¢up 10.7%85.2¢ Mar91.5¢ Aug
199579.1¢up 4.0%76.7¢ Jan83.7¢ Dec
199476.1¢up 1.1%74.8¢ Dec77.6¢ Sep
199375.2¢up 0.3%74.2¢ Mar77.1¢ Nov
199275.0¢up 5.6%72.6¢ Jan77.6¢ Aug
199171.0¢up 2.2%70.0¢ Jul73.1¢ Nov
199069.5¢up 4.4%67.8¢ May71.3¢ Aug
198966.6¢up 8.6%65.2¢ Feb68.8¢ Dec
198861.3¢up 12.0%58.6¢ Jan65.7¢ Dec
198754.7¢down 3.1%53.3¢ Jun57.1¢ Dec
198656.5¢up 2.1%56.0¢ Mar57.0¢ Aug
198555.3¢up 2.2%54.2¢ May56.8¢ Dec
198454.1¢down 0.1%53.6¢ Apr54.4¢ Dec
198354.2¢up 1.8%53.5¢ Oct54.7¢ Nov
198253.2¢up 1.3%52.5¢ Jun53.7¢ Jan
198152.5¢up 3.2%51.9¢ Apr53.8¢ Mar
198050.9¢—50.1¢ Jan51.9¢ Nov

About this number

  • What this number is. The average price BLS records for “Bread, white, pan, per lb. (453.6 gm)” across U.S. cities, collected for the Consumer Price Index. It is an average across many stores and brands, not a price at any one store.
  • No price for October 2025. BLS did not publish one: data unavailable due to the 2025 lapse in appropriations.
  • Today’s dollars. Prices are restated in Sep 2026 dollars by multiplying by CPI-U for Sep 2026 (336.94) and dividing by CPI-U for the month in question.

Sources

Download CSV560 rows: month, price, and price in Sep 2026 dollars

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