Dairy & eggs
Ice cream, per half gallon

The price of ice cream

A half gallon of ice cream cost $1.75 in January 1980 and $5.93 in September 2026.

In Sep 2026 dollars it cost $7.60 in January 1980, so it is 22% cheaper now after inflation. The record is $6.50, in August 2025; the low was $1.72, in March 1980.

Download the data (CSV)See the BLS series
Jan 1980$1.75Sep 2026$5.93
$7.60

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

In one year
down 7.3%From $6.40 in Sep 2025
In ten years
up 26.3%From $4.70 in Sep 2016
Record high
$6.50August 2025
Record low
$1.72March 1980

Ice cream, per half gallon, every month since Jan 1980

Price at the timeIn Sep 2026 dollars
Ice cream: 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 $1.75 in January 1980 to $5.93 in September 2026. The dashed blue line is the same price in Sep 2026 dollars, from $7.60 to $5.93. Record high $6.50 in August 2025.$0.00$2.00$4.00$6.00$8.00198020002020$6.50, 2025$5.93Ice cream: 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 $1.75 in January 1980 to $5.93 in September 2026. The dashed blue line is the same price in Sep 2026 dollars, from $7.60 to $5.93. Record high $6.50 in August 2025.$0.00$2.00$4.00$6.00$8.0019801990200020102020Record $6.50, 2025$5.93Ice cream: 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 $1.75 in January 1980 to $5.93 in September 2026. The dashed blue line is the same price in Sep 2026 dollars, from $7.60 to $5.93. Record high $6.50 in August 2025.$0.00$2.00$4.00$6.00$8.001980198519901995200020052010201520202025Record $6.50, 2025$5.93

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 APU0000710411 (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.

Ice cream: January prices in past decades compared with September 2026
MonthPrice thenIn today’s $Now vs thenAfter inflation
Jan 1980$1.75$7.60up 237.9%down 22.0%
Jan 1990$2.72$7.19up 118.1%down 17.5%
Jan 2000$3.32$6.63up 78.4%down 10.6%
Jan 2010$4.48$6.97up 32.3%down 14.9%
Jan 2020$4.82$6.30up 22.9%down 5.9%

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.

Ice cream: yearly average price
YearAveragevs year beforeLowest monthHighest month
20269 of 12 months$6.06down 4.8%$5.84 Jul$6.26 Feb
202511 of 12 months$6.37up 3.8%$6.14 Nov$6.50 Aug
2024$6.13up 3.9%$5.73 Mar$6.45 Nov
2023$5.90up 8.7%$5.72 Feb$6.04 Oct
2022$5.43up 10.9%$4.99 Jan$5.75 Oct
2021$4.89down 0.6%$4.68 May$5.01 Jan
2020$4.92up 2.3%$4.82 Jan$5.09 Jun
2019$4.81up 1.6%$4.63 Jun$4.98 Feb
2018$4.74up 1.0%$4.59 May$4.86 Oct
2017$4.69down 1.4%$4.57 Nov$4.87 Feb
Every year back to 1980
Ice cream: yearly average price
YearAveragevs year beforeLowest monthHighest month
2016$4.76up 0.4%$4.62 Nov$4.92 Apr
2015$4.74down 3.0%$4.47 Jul$5.09 Jan
2014$4.89down 2.1%$4.69 Jun$5.04 Dec
2013$4.99down 0.9%$4.79 Sep$5.26 Jan
2012$5.04up 2.3%$4.85 Aug$5.29 Jan
2011$4.93up 10.4%$4.61 May$5.25 Dec
2010$4.46up 3.3%$4.31 Mar$4.60 Oct
2009$4.32up 2.6%$4.17 Mar$4.62 Oct
2008$4.21up 6.5%$4.04 Feb$4.42 Sep
2007$3.95up 5.4%$3.79 Apr$4.22 Nov
2006$3.75up 0.1%$3.60 Aug$3.90 Dec
2005$3.74down 2.4%$3.51 Nov$3.95 May
2004$3.84up 0.8%$3.65 Mar$4.05 Aug
2003$3.81up 2.0%$3.30 Apr$3.98 Aug
2002$3.73up 0.8%$3.34 Oct$3.90 Sep
2001$3.70up 7.4%$3.46 Nov$3.84 Aug
2000$3.45up 4.6%$3.27 Mar$3.66 Dec
1999$3.30up 5.4%$3.19 May$3.40 Dec
1998$3.13up 7.2%$2.97 Mar$3.37 Nov
1997$2.92up 1.9%$2.84 Jul$3.02 Dec
1996$2.86up 7.8%$2.67 Jan$3.08 Oct
1995$2.65up 1.1%$2.55 Feb$2.73 Oct
1994$2.63up 3.6%$2.52 Feb$2.71 Oct
1993$2.53down 1.9%$2.41 May$2.61 Oct
1992$2.58up 0.2%$2.49 Dec$2.64 Feb
1991$2.58down 1.0%$2.52 Apr$2.63 Dec
1990$2.60up 0.2%$2.54 Dec$2.72 Jan
1989$2.60up 5.7%$2.55 Jan$2.67 Dec
1988$2.46unchanged 0.0%$2.41 Mar$2.54 Dec
198711 of 12 months$2.46up 4.3%$2.43 Jun$2.49 Oct
1986$2.36up 2.6%$2.32 Jan$2.40 Dec
1985$2.30up 3.6%$2.27 Aug$2.35 Oct
1984$2.22up 2.8%$2.17 Mar$2.30 Sep
1983$2.16up 2.6%$2.09 Mar$2.25 Oct
1982$2.10up 4.3%$2.04 May$2.19 Nov
1981$2.02up 10.6%$1.94 Jan$2.06 Dec
1980$1.82—$1.72 Mar$1.92 Dec

About this number

  • What this number is. The average price BLS records for “Ice cream, prepackaged, bulk, regular, per 1/2 gal. (1.9 lit)” 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.
  • 1 other month without a price between Jan 1987 and Jan 1987. BLS publishes an average only when it has enough price quotes; the yearly table skips thin years.
  • 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 CSV559 rows: month, price, and price in Sep 2026 dollars

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