Pantry
Bread, whole wheat, per lb

The price of whole wheat bread

A pound of whole wheat bread cost 71.5¢ in January 1980 and $2.81 in May 2026.

In Sep 2026 dollars it cost $3.10 in January 1980, so it is 9% cheaper now after inflation. The record is $2.83, in October 2024; the low was 69.6¢, in March 1980. BLS has not yet published a price for this item after May 2026.

Download the data (CSV)See the BLS series
Jan 198071.5¢May 2026$2.81
$3.10

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

In one year
up 8.1%From $2.60 in May 2025
In ten years
up 43.4%From $1.96 in May 2016
Record high
$2.83October 2024
Record low
69.6¢March 1980

Whole wheat bread, per lb, every month since Jan 1980

Price at the timeIn Sep 2026 dollars
Bread, whole wheat: monthly U.S. average price, Jan 1980 to May 2026Two lines. The solid line over the yellow area is the price at the time, from 71.5¢ in January 1980 to $2.81 in May 2026. The dashed blue line is the same price in Sep 2026 dollars, from $3.10 to $2.83. Record high $2.83 in October 2024.$0.00$1.00$2.00$3.00$4.00198020002020$2.83, 2024$2.83$2.81Bread, whole wheat: monthly U.S. average price, Jan 1980 to May 2026Two lines. The solid line over the yellow area is the price at the time, from 71.5¢ in January 1980 to $2.81 in May 2026. The dashed blue line is the same price in Sep 2026 dollars, from $3.10 to $2.83. Record high $2.83 in October 2024.$0.00$0.50$1.00$1.50$2.00$2.50$3.00$3.5019801990200020102020Record $2.83, 2024$2.83$2.81Bread, whole wheat: monthly U.S. average price, Jan 1980 to May 2026Two lines. The solid line over the yellow area is the price at the time, from 71.5¢ in January 1980 to $2.81 in May 2026. The dashed blue line is the same price in Sep 2026 dollars, from $3.10 to $2.83. Record high $2.83 in October 2024.$0.00$0.50$1.00$1.50$2.00$2.50$3.00$3.501980198519901995200020052010201520202025Record $2.83, 2024$2.83$2.81

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 APU0000702212 (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, whole wheat: January prices in past decades compared with May 2026
MonthPrice thenIn today’s $Now vs thenAfter inflation
Jan 198071.5¢$3.10up 293.6%down 8.7%
Jan 2000$1.30$2.60up 116.5%up 9.0%
Jan 2010$1.76$2.73up 60.0%up 3.4%
Jan 2020$1.96$2.56up 43.5%up 10.5%

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, whole wheat: yearly average price
YearAveragevs year beforeLowest monthHighest month
202511 of 12 months$2.70unchanged 0.0%$2.60 May$2.77 Sep
2024$2.70up 5.7%$2.58 Mar$2.83 Oct
2023$2.56up 13.4%$2.45 Jan$2.67 Oct
2022$2.26up 5.7%$2.03 Feb$2.42 Nov
2021$2.13up 2.0%$2.03 Jun$2.21 Apr
2020$2.09up 7.5%$1.96 Jan$2.21 Nov
2019$1.94down 0.8%$1.91 Jun$1.96 Dec
2018$1.96down 1.5%$1.90 Jun$2.04 Mar
2017$1.99up 1.3%$1.93 Mar$2.03 Jun
2016$1.96down 1.4%$1.91 Mar$2.02 Nov
Every year back to 1980
Bread, whole wheat: yearly average price
YearAveragevs year beforeLowest monthHighest month
2015$1.99down 2.1%$1.95 Jan$2.04 Mar
2014$2.03down 0.4%$1.92 Nov$2.09 Apr
2013$2.04up 2.7%$1.98 Oct$2.08 Jan
2012$1.99up 1.4%$1.91 Aug$2.06 Mar
2011$1.96up 10.0%$1.85 Jul$2.09 Nov
2010$1.78down 5.2%$1.68 Aug$1.88 Nov
2009$1.88down 2.9%$1.76 Dec$1.97 Jan
2008$1.94up 13.4%$1.81 Jan$2.02 Nov
2007$1.71up 20.5%$1.60 Jan$1.81 Dec
2006$1.42up 4.7%$1.32 Feb$1.62 Dec
2005$1.35—$1.28 Oct$1.41 Sep
20039 of 12 months$1.43down 2.4%$1.35 Aug$1.48 Feb
2002$1.46up 1.5%$1.42 Nov$1.51 Jun
2001$1.44up 6.0%$1.37 Jan$1.47 Mar
2000$1.36up 2.0%$1.30 Jan$1.38 Apr
1999$1.33up 2.8%$1.27 Apr$1.37 Oct
1998$1.29up 0.9%$1.27 Oct$1.32 Dec
1997$1.28up 2.4%$1.24 May$1.32 Jan
1996$1.25up 9.2%$1.18 Jan$1.31 Aug
1995$1.15up 1.1%$1.09 Feb$1.18 Oct
1994$1.14up 5.3%$1.12 Nov$1.16 Jun
1993$1.08up 1.6%$1.06 Apr$1.12 Dec
1992$1.06down 0.7%$1.04 Mar$1.09 Dec
1991$1.07—$1.04 Nov$1.11 Feb
198788.0¢up 1.4%85.7¢ Jul90.0¢ Oct
198686.8¢up 1.0%85.0¢ Feb88.5¢ Nov
198585.9¢down 1.9%85.0¢ Feb86.7¢ Nov
198487.6¢up 3.9%85.1¢ Aug89.5¢ Jun
198384.3¢up 3.2%82.4¢ Feb87.0¢ Dec
198281.6¢up 5.3%80.4¢ Aug83.0¢ Dec
198177.6¢up 6.8%75.0¢ Feb80.8¢ Dec
198072.6¢—69.6¢ Mar74.7¢ Dec

About this number

  • What this number is. The average price BLS records for “Bread, whole wheat, 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.
  • 43 other months without a price between Apr 1988 and Sep 2004. BLS publishes an average only when it has enough price quotes; the yearly table skips thin years.
  • Newest price: May 2026. BLS has not published this series for later months yet, so its changes run to May 2026.
  • 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 CSV513 rows: month, price, and price in Sep 2026 dollars

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