Pantry
Sugar, white, per lb

The price of sugar

A pound of sugar cost 27.3¢ in January 1980 and $1.02 in September 2026.

In Sep 2026 dollars it cost $1.18 in January 1980, so it is 14% cheaper now after inflation. The record is $1.05, in June 2025; the low was 27.3¢, in January 1980.

Download the data (CSV)See the BLS series
Jan 198027.3¢Sep 2026$1.02
$1.18

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

In one year
down 2.2%From $1.04 in Sep 2025
In ten years
up 56.0%From 65.3¢ in Sep 2016
Record high
$1.05June 2025
Record low
27.3¢January 1980

Sugar, per lb, every month since Jan 1980

Price at the timeIn Sep 2026 dollars
Sugar, white: 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 27.3¢ in January 1980 to $1.02 in September 2026. The dashed blue line is the same price in Sep 2026 dollars, from $1.18 to $1.02. Record high $1.05 in June 2025.$0.00$0.50$1.00$1.50$2.00$2.50198020002020$1.05, 2025$1.02Sugar, white: 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 27.3¢ in January 1980 to $1.02 in September 2026. The dashed blue line is the same price in Sep 2026 dollars, from $1.18 to $1.02. Record high $1.05 in June 2025.$0.00$0.50$1.00$1.50$2.00$2.5019801990200020102020Record $1.05, 2025$1.02Sugar, white: 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 27.3¢ in January 1980 to $1.02 in September 2026. The dashed blue line is the same price in Sep 2026 dollars, from $1.18 to $1.02. Record high $1.05 in June 2025.$0.00$0.50$1.00$1.50$2.00$2.501980198519901995200020052010201520202025Record $1.05, 2025$1.02

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 APU0000715211 (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.

Sugar, white: January prices in past decades compared with September 2026
MonthPrice thenIn today’s $Now vs thenAfter inflation
Jan 198027.3¢$1.18up 273.3%down 13.8%
Jan 199041.8¢$1.11up 143.8%down 7.9%
Jan 200043.7¢87.2¢up 133.2%up 16.9%
Jan 201061.3¢95.3¢up 66.2%up 6.9%
Jan 202060.3¢78.8¢up 69.0%up 29.3%

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.

Sugar, white: yearly average price
YearAveragevs year beforeLowest monthHighest month
20269 of 12 months$1.02down 0.7%99.6¢ Mar$1.03 May
202511 of 12 months$1.02up 2.8%98.5¢ Dec$1.05 May
202499.7¢up 8.2%97.5¢ Jan$1.01 Sep
202392.1¢up 17.6%86.0¢ Jan97.1¢ Sep
202278.3¢up 14.5%70.6¢ Jan84.6¢ Oct
202168.4¢up 8.0%67.5¢ Mar71.3¢ Oct
202063.4¢up 7.4%60.3¢ Jan67.4¢ Dec
201959.0¢down 4.2%58.0¢ May59.6¢ Mar
201861.6¢down 4.8%57.3¢ Dec63.0¢ Jul
201764.8¢up 0.9%62.8¢ Apr67.0¢ Sep
Every year back to 1980
Sugar, white: yearly average price
YearAveragevs year beforeLowest monthHighest month
201664.2¢down 1.8%61.4¢ Dec66.2¢ Jan
201565.4¢up 7.3%64.1¢ Nov66.3¢ Apr
201460.9¢down 5.3%59.6¢ Jul62.8¢ Jan
201364.3¢down 7.3%59.2¢ Dec68.3¢ Jan
201269.4¢up 1.6%67.9¢ Nov71.7¢ Jan
201168.3¢up 8.7%65.2¢ Jan70.4¢ Oct
201062.9¢up 10.2%60.4¢ Aug64.4¢ Nov
200957.0¢up 7.8%55.6¢ Jul59.6¢ Dec
200852.9¢up 2.8%50.4¢ Mar56.4¢ Oct
200751.5¢up 3.8%50.3¢ Dec52.2¢ Jul
200649.6¢up 13.9%46.1¢ Jan51.6¢ Aug
200543.5¢up 2.1%42.4¢ Jul44.9¢ Dec
200442.6¢down 0.1%42.2¢ Nov43.0¢ Dec
200342.7¢down 1.0%41.1¢ Nov43.5¢ Aug
200243.1¢down 0.7%41.9¢ Nov44.4¢ Apr
200143.4¢up 2.4%42.5¢ Nov44.3¢ Jul
200042.4¢down 2.0%41.3¢ Nov43.7¢ Jan
199943.3¢up 0.7%42.6¢ Nov43.8¢ Oct
199843.0¢down 0.7%42.3¢ Oct43.6¢ Aug
199743.3¢up 3.5%42.8¢ Dec43.6¢ Jun
199641.8¢up 4.9%40.3¢ Feb43.2¢ Oct
199539.8¢down 0.4%39.4¢ Apr40.7¢ Nov
199440.0¢down 1.4%39.2¢ Dec40.7¢ Jan
199340.5¢down 2.4%39.8¢ Dec41.2¢ Jan
199241.5¢down 3.0%40.6¢ Dec42.5¢ Jan
199142.8¢up 0.1%41.8¢ Dec43.5¢ Jul
199042.8¢up 6.9%41.8¢ Jan43.4¢ Sep
198940.0¢up 9.4%38.9¢ Jan40.7¢ Oct
198836.6¢up 3.7%35.5¢ Apr38.4¢ Dec
198735.3¢up 0.6%34.5¢ Apr35.9¢ Sep
198635.1¢down 0.7%34.7¢ Oct35.5¢ May
198535.3¢down 2.7%34.6¢ Jun36.0¢ Feb
198436.3¢up 0.4%35.8¢ Jul36.7¢ May
198336.2¢up 4.8%35.5¢ Feb37.0¢ Dec
198234.5¢down 13.7%32.7¢ Jan35.6¢ Sep
198140.0¢down 6.4%32.5¢ Dec53.8¢ Jan
198042.7¢—27.3¢ Jan56.5¢ Dec

About this number

  • What this number is. The average price BLS records for “Sugar, white, all sizes, 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

Download CSV560 rows: month, price, and price in Sep 2026 dollars

More in Pantry

9 itemsTable view