Dairy & eggs
Butter, stick, per lb
The price of butter
A pound of butter cost $4.15 in April 2018 and $3.96 in September 2026.
In Sep 2026 dollars it cost $5.58 in April 2018, so it is 29% cheaper now after inflation. The record is $5.00, in September 2024; the low was $3.33, in November 2020.
The Apr 2018 price in Sep 2026 dollars: what it cost then, in today’s money.
- In one year
- down 17.3%From $4.79 in Sep 2025
- Since 2018
- down 4.7%From $4.15 in Apr 2018
- Record high
- $5.00September 2024
- Record low
- $3.33November 2020
Butter, per lb, every month since Apr 2018
Price at the timeIn Sep 2026 dollarsSolid 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 APU0000FS1101 (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.
| Month | Price then | In today’s $ | Now vs then | After inflation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2020 | $3.86 | $5.05 | up 2.5% | down 21.6% |
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.
| Year | Average | vs year before | Lowest month | Highest month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20269 of 12 months | $4.09 | down 14.0% | $3.82 Jun | $4.38 Jan |
| 202511 of 12 months | $4.76 | up 0.4% | $4.31 Nov | $4.95 May |
| 2024 | $4.74 | up 3.9% | $4.48 Mar | $5.00 Sep |
| 2023 | $4.56 | up 4.0% | $4.41 Sep | $4.88 Jan |
| 2022 | $4.38 | up 22.3% | $3.67 Jan | $4.85 Oct |
| 2021 | $3.58 | down 1.0% | $3.47 Dec | $3.66 Feb |
| 2020 | $3.62 | down 9.1% | $3.33 Nov | $3.86 Jan |
| 2019 | $3.98 | down 2.1% | $3.62 Dec | $4.26 Mar |
| 20189 of 12 months | $4.07 | — | $3.93 Dec | $4.15 Apr |
About this number
- What this number is. The average price BLS records for “Butter, stick, 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
- BLS series APU0000FS1101: Butter, stick, per lb. (453.6 gm)U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. city average, monthly
- Average price data: what it is and how it is collectedU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Average price data filesdownload.bls.gov, files updated Oct 14, 2026
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- down 7.3% from a year earlier Ice creamper half gallon Oldest price, 1980$1.75September 2026: $5.93
- up 2.9% from a year earlier Yogurtper 8 oz Oldest price, 2018$1.06September 2026: $1.58