Produce
Lettuce, iceberg, per lb

The price of iceberg lettuce

A pound of iceberg lettuce cost 35.4¢ in January 1980 and $1.64 in September 2026.

In Sep 2026 dollars it cost $1.53 in January 1980, so it is 7% more expensive now after inflation. The record is $2.01, in June 2026; the low was 35.4¢, in January 1980.

Download the data (CSV)See the BLS series
Jan 198035.4¢Sep 2026$1.64
$1.53

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

In one year
down 5.5%From $1.73 in Sep 2025
In ten years
up 72.2%From 95.0¢ in Sep 2016
Record high
$2.01June 2026
Record low
35.4¢January 1980

Iceberg lettuce, per lb, every month since Jan 1980

Price at the timeIn Sep 2026 dollars
Lettuce, iceberg: 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 35.4¢ in January 1980 to $1.64 in September 2026. The dashed blue line is the same price in Sep 2026 dollars, from $1.53 to $1.64. Record high $2.01 in June 2026.$0.00$1.00$2.00$3.00$4.00198020002020$1.64Lettuce, iceberg: 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 35.4¢ in January 1980 to $1.64 in September 2026. The dashed blue line is the same price in Sep 2026 dollars, from $1.53 to $1.64. Record high $2.01 in June 2026.$0.00$0.50$1.00$1.50$2.00$2.50$3.00$3.50$4.0019801990200020102020$1.64Lettuce, iceberg: 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 35.4¢ in January 1980 to $1.64 in September 2026. The dashed blue line is the same price in Sep 2026 dollars, from $1.53 to $1.64. Record high $2.01 in June 2026.$0.00$0.50$1.00$1.50$2.00$2.50$3.00$3.50$4.001980198519901995200020052010201520202025$1.64

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 APU0000712211 (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.

Lettuce, iceberg: January prices in past decades compared with September 2026
MonthPrice thenIn today’s $Now vs thenAfter inflation
Jan 198035.4¢$1.53up 362.1%up 6.7%
Jan 199060.5¢$1.60up 170.4%up 2.2%
Jan 200074.8¢$1.49up 118.7%up 9.6%
Jan 201089.6¢$1.39up 82.6%up 17.4%
Jan 2020$1.34$1.75up 22.0%down 6.6%

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.

Lettuce, iceberg: yearly average price
YearAveragevs year beforeLowest monthHighest month
202510 of 12 months$1.59down 0.1%$1.38 Jun$1.99 Nov
2024$1.59—$1.41 Oct$1.75 Apr
2019$1.18up 25.5%$1.08 Jun$1.34 Nov
201894.4¢down 8.3%87.6¢ Sep$1.25 Dec
2017$1.03down 3.2%93.8¢ Aug$1.23 Apr
2016$1.06down 8.4%94.9¢ Oct$1.42 Jan
2015$1.16up 10.3%99.3¢ Apr$1.48 Dec
2014$1.05up 3.8%89.6¢ Apr$1.26 Nov
201311 of 12 months$1.01up 18.4%92.4¢ May$1.20 Mar
201285.7¢down 13.3%78.3¢ Apr94.2¢ Jan
Every year back to 1980
Lettuce, iceberg: yearly average price
YearAveragevs year beforeLowest monthHighest month
201198.9¢up 13.1%89.7¢ Jul$1.28 Mar
201087.5¢down 4.2%83.0¢ Apr99.2¢ Dec
200991.3¢up 0.9%80.5¢ Sep$1.19 Dec
200890.5¢down 2.5%86.0¢ Jun$1.00 Oct
200792.8¢up 7.3%84.9¢ Jul$1.07 Oct
200686.6¢down 0.5%78.3¢ Jul96.7¢ May
200587.0¢up 9.1%73.0¢ Feb$1.00 Apr
200479.8¢down 3.1%71.0¢ May87.6¢ Jan
200382.3¢down 4.4%65.5¢ Mar$1.25 Dec
200286.1¢up 8.6%67.4¢ Jul$1.54 Mar
200179.3¢up 7.7%66.3¢ Jul89.7¢ Sep
200073.6¢up 9.1%65.0¢ Feb89.7¢ Sep
199967.4¢down 10.9%62.3¢ Sep77.4¢ Mar
199875.7¢up 9.0%63.5¢ Dec$1.07 Jan
199769.4¢up 7.1%59.3¢ Jun$1.01 Nov
199664.8¢down 19.2%58.7¢ Feb76.9¢ Jan
199580.1¢up 31.9%60.2¢ Feb$1.35 May
199460.8¢down 7.4%50.6¢ Jan90.5¢ Dec
199365.6¢up 13.7%52.5¢ Dec85.4¢ Apr
199257.7¢down 4.6%49.8¢ Jun70.9¢ Sep
199160.5¢up 4.6%49.5¢ Aug86.8¢ Nov
199057.8¢down 4.5%44.1¢ Jun78.3¢ Nov
198960.5¢down 3.7%50.5¢ May79.4¢ Jan
198862.8¢up 1.6%47.1¢ Apr$1.25 Jan
198710 of 12 months61.8¢up 17.1%42.8¢ Jun$1.25 Dec
198652.8¢down 1.9%43.8¢ Mar69.1¢ Jan
198553.8¢up 5.0%40.3¢ Jun70.7¢ Dec
198451.3¢down 7.5%40.3¢ May66.5¢ Oct
198355.4¢down 3.3%43.0¢ Mar66.6¢ Dec
198257.3¢up 17.6%43.7¢ Sep96.8¢ Jan
198148.7¢up 7.8%42.3¢ Mar64.6¢ Dec
198045.2¢—35.4¢ Jan56.5¢ Apr

About this number

  • What this number is. The average price BLS records for “Lettuce, iceberg, 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 Jan 1987 and Feb 2026. 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 CSV517 rows: month, price, and price in Sep 2026 dollars

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