Meat
Ground beef, lean and extra lean, per lb
The price of lean ground beef
A pound of lean ground beef cost $2.18 in January 1991 and $8.46 in September 2026.
In Sep 2026 dollars it cost $5.47 in January 1991, so it is 55% more expensive now after inflation. The record is $8.65, in June 2026; the low was $1.97, in May 1996.
The Jan 1991 price in Sep 2026 dollars: what it cost then, in today’s money.
- In one year
- up 3.4%From $8.18 in Sep 2025
- In ten years
- up 46.8%From $5.76 in Sep 2016
- Record high
- $8.65June 2026
- Record low
- $1.97May 1996
Lean ground beef, per lb, every month since Jan 1991
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 APU0000703113 (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 2000 | $2.19 | $4.37 | up 286.2% | up 93.5% |
| Jan 2010 | $3.40 | $5.28 | up 149.1% | up 60.2% |
| Jan 2020 | $5.63 | $7.35 | up 50.3% | up 15.1% |
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 | $8.44 | up 8.7% | $8.19 Jan | $8.65 Jun |
| 202511 of 12 months | $7.76 | up 11.8% | $7.11 Jan | $8.25 Dec |
| 2024 | $6.95 | up 3.9% | $6.65 Feb | $7.22 Sep |
| 2023 | $6.68 | up 2.9% | $6.35 Mar | $6.99 Oct |
| 2022 | $6.50 | up 7.7% | $6.23 Nov | $6.68 Oct |
| 2021 | $6.03 | up 4.0% | $5.61 Feb | $6.37 Oct |
| 2020 | $5.80 | up 7.8% | $5.52 Feb | $6.31 Jun |
| 2019 | $5.38 | up 0.6% | $5.19 Mar | $5.52 Dec |
| 2018 | $5.35 | down 5.0% | $5.25 Nov | $5.52 Apr |
| 2017 | $5.63 | down 1.5% | $5.37 Oct | $5.89 Aug |
Every year back to 1991
| Year | Average | vs year before | Lowest month | Highest month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | $5.71 | down 6.4% | $5.54 Dec | $5.87 Jul |
| 2015 | $6.10 | up 9.7% | $5.88 Dec | $6.20 May |
| 2014 | $5.56 | up 14.3% | $5.02 Jan | $6.08 Dec |
| 2013 | $4.86 | up 19.6% | $4.71 Feb | $5.06 Dec |
| 2012 | $4.06 | up 7.8% | $3.88 Jan | $4.21 Dec |
| 2011 | $3.77 | up 7.7% | $3.56 Feb | $3.89 Jul |
| 2010 | $3.50 | up 3.0% | $3.40 Jan | $3.63 Oct |
| 2009 | $3.40 | up 4.2% | $3.30 Jul | $3.47 Jun |
| 2008 | $3.26 | up 6.2% | $3.13 Jan | $3.44 Dec |
| 2007 | $3.07 | up 4.7% | $2.93 Jan | $3.14 Sep |
| 2006 | $2.93 | down 1.4% | $2.89 Jul | $2.97 Nov |
| 2005 | $2.97 | up 1.4% | $2.91 Dec | $3.06 Mar |
| 2004 | $2.93 | up 7.5% | $2.86 Mar | $3.00 Sep |
| 2003 | $2.73 | up 5.7% | $2.60 Jan | $2.93 Dec |
| 2002 | $2.58 | up 4.3% | $2.46 Jan | $2.63 Oct |
| 2001 | $2.47 | up 9.2% | $2.37 Jan | $2.54 Oct |
| 2000 | $2.26 | up 6.7% | $2.19 Feb | $2.33 Dec |
| 1999 | $2.12 | up 2.8% | $2.08 Jul | $2.16 Oct |
| 1998 | $2.06 | up 0.2% | $2.04 Feb | $2.09 Oct |
| 1997 | $2.06 | up 0.9% | $2.03 Mar | $2.07 Feb |
| 1996 | $2.04 | down 2.8% | $1.97 May | $2.07 Oct |
| 1995 | $2.10 | down 3.8% | $2.02 Jul | $2.17 Mar |
| 1994 | $2.18 | down 1.8% | $2.12 Aug | $2.23 Feb |
| 1993 | $2.22 | up 3.1% | $2.19 Jun | $2.25 Dec |
| 1992 | $2.15 | down 0.3% | $2.09 Jul | $2.19 Feb |
| 1991 | $2.16 | — | $2.13 Sep | $2.19 May |
About this number
- What this number is. The average price BLS records for “Ground beef, lean and extra lean, 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 APU0000703113: Ground beef, lean and extra lean, 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
- up 7.4% from a year earlier Ground beefper lb Oldest price, 1984$1.29September 2026: $6.79
- up 2.5% from a year earlier Ground chuckper lb Oldest price, 1980$1.82September 2026: $6.48
- up 0.1% from a year earlier Whole chickenper lb Oldest price, 198069.9¢September 2026: $2.06
- up 0.7% from a year earlier Chicken breastper lb Oldest price, 2006$3.31September 2026: $4.20
- down 3.2% from a year earlier Chicken legsper lb Oldest price, 1980$1.06September 2026: $1.74
- down 7.3% from a year earlier Baconper lb Oldest price, 1980$1.45September 2026: $6.76
- down 4.2% from a year earlier Pork chopsper lb Oldest price, 1995$4.21September 2026: $4.55
- down 0.5% from a year earlier Hamper lb Oldest price, 1991$3.10September 2026: $5.45
- down 0.2% from a year earlier Sirloin steakper lb Oldest price, 1989$3.85September 2026: $14.11
- up 5.1% from a year earlier Round steakper lb Oldest price, 1980$2.72September 2026: $9.84
- down 0.5% from a year earlier Chuck roastper lb Oldest price, 1989$2.29September 2026: $9.19
- down 1.7% from a year earlier Beef stew meatper lb Oldest price, 1991$2.59September 2026: $8.53