Produce
Lemons, per lb

The price of lemons

A pound of lemons cost 67.9¢ in January 1980 and $2.13 in September 2026.

In Sep 2026 dollars it cost $2.94 in January 1980, so it is 28% cheaper now after inflation. The record is $2.56, in October 2018; the low was 58.4¢, in February 1980.

Download the data (CSV)See the BLS series
Jan 198067.9¢Sep 2026$2.13
$2.94

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

In one year
up 2.5%From $2.08 in Sep 2025
In ten years
down 2.0%From $2.17 in Sep 2016
Record high
$2.56October 2018
Record low
58.4¢February 1980

Lemons, per lb, every month since Jan 1980

Price at the timeIn Sep 2026 dollars
Lemons: 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 67.9¢ in January 1980 to $2.13 in September 2026. The dashed blue line is the same price in Sep 2026 dollars, from $2.94 to $2.13. Record high $2.56 in October 2018.$0.00$1.00$2.00$3.00$4.00198020002020$2.56, 2018$2.13Lemons: 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 67.9¢ in January 1980 to $2.13 in September 2026. The dashed blue line is the same price in Sep 2026 dollars, from $2.94 to $2.13. Record high $2.56 in October 2018.$0.00$1.00$2.00$3.00$4.0019801990200020102020Record $2.56, 2018$2.13Lemons: 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 67.9¢ in January 1980 to $2.13 in September 2026. The dashed blue line is the same price in Sep 2026 dollars, from $2.94 to $2.13. Record high $2.56 in October 2018.$0.00$1.00$2.00$3.00$4.001980198519901995200020052010201520202025Record $2.56, 2018$2.13

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 APU0000711412 (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.

Lemons: January prices in past decades compared with September 2026
MonthPrice thenIn today’s $Now vs thenAfter inflation
Jan 198067.9¢$2.94up 213.4%down 27.6%
Jan 199092.5¢$2.45up 130.1%down 13.0%
Jan 2000$1.44$2.87up 48.2%down 25.8%
Jan 2010$1.63$2.53up 30.9%down 15.8%
Jan 2020$1.95$2.55up 9.2%down 16.4%

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.

Lemons: yearly average price
YearAveragevs year beforeLowest monthHighest month
20269 of 12 months$2.06up 3.0%$1.96 Feb$2.13 Sep
202511 of 12 months$2.00down 1.2%$1.88 Jun$2.08 Aug
2024$2.02down 5.3%$1.92 May$2.12 Dec
2023$2.14up 0.4%$2.03 Oct$2.24 May
202211 of 12 months$2.13—$2.03 Aug$2.26 May
2019$2.13down 5.3%$2.00 Dec$2.36 Jan
2018$2.25up 12.1%$2.04 Jan$2.56 Oct
2017$2.01down 1.5%$1.91 Mar$2.14 Aug
2016$2.04up 2.8%$1.92 Mar$2.17 Sep
2015$1.98up 0.7%$1.66 Mar$2.25 Jul
Every year back to 1980
Lemons: yearly average price
YearAveragevs year beforeLowest monthHighest month
2014$1.97up 24.4%$1.67 Feb$2.35 Sep
2013$1.58up 1.1%$1.40 Mar$1.73 Oct
2012$1.56down 1.0%$1.47 Jan$1.68 Aug
2011$1.58down 3.3%$1.47 Jun$1.68 Sep
2010$1.63up 7.5%$1.56 Mar$1.76 Oct
2009$1.52down 24.2%$1.34 Mar$1.66 Sep
2008$2.01up 8.0%$1.62 Dec$2.18 Aug
2007$1.86up 21.4%$1.71 Jan$2.05 Dec
2006$1.53up 8.4%$1.38 Apr$1.77 Oct
2005$1.41up 14.3%$1.14 Jan$1.54 Aug
2004$1.23down 6.3%$1.14 Mar$1.47 Sep
2003$1.32down 5.3%$1.14 Mar$1.46 Aug
2002$1.39up 9.9%$1.15 Mar$1.59 Sep
2001$1.26down 1.9%$1.08 Mar$1.50 Oct
2000$1.29down 3.3%$1.11 Dec$1.44 Jan
1999$1.33up 11.3%$1.16 May$1.54 Nov
1998$1.20down 4.4%94.6¢ Apr$1.46 Oct
1997$1.25up 12.4%99.0¢ Apr$1.63 Sep
1996$1.11down 1.9%89.6¢ Mar$1.35 Sep
1995$1.14up 2.5%91.2¢ Mar$1.40 Sep
1994$1.11up 2.3%83.8¢ Mar$1.50 Sep
1993$1.08up 7.7%86.8¢ Feb$1.34 Sep
1992$1.01down 18.0%90.4¢ Dec$1.14 Sep
1991$1.23up 14.2%$1.08 Mar$1.34 Jul
1990$1.07up 8.0%92.5¢ Jan$1.18 Jul
198999.5¢up 6.5%87.3¢ Feb$1.10 Sep
198893.4¢up 4.1%77.6¢ Feb$1.09 Sep
198789.7¢up 9.2%74.0¢ Jan$1.03 Sep
198682.1¢down 11.6%74.9¢ Mar91.8¢ Aug
198592.9¢up 23.5%72.9¢ Feb$1.25 Oct
198475.2¢up 0.6%63.4¢ Mar84.3¢ Sep
198374.8¢down 3.0%62.3¢ Mar89.5¢ Sep
198277.0¢up 10.2%62.0¢ Mar89.3¢ Aug
198170.0¢down 0.4%58.9¢ May86.6¢ Sep
198070.2¢—58.4¢ Feb86.0¢ Aug

About this number

  • What this number is. The average price BLS records for “Lemons, 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.
  • 18 other months without a price between Mar 2020 and Feb 2022. 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 CSV542 rows: month, price, and price in Sep 2026 dollars

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