Price of a pound of American cheese by year, 1984–2025
A pound of American cheese cost $2.51 on average in 1984 and $4.95 in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The price rose 97% over those years while prices in general rose 210%, so, measured in 2025 dollars, it cost 36% less in 2025 than in 1984.
- Average in 1984
- $2.51
- Average in 2025
- $4.95
- Highest year, 2025
- $4.95
- Biggest one-year rise, 2022
- +9%
- Against inflation
- Trailed it by 36%
Every year
The table lists all 40 years with data, from 1984 to 2025. Select a year to see what everything else cost that year.
| Year | Average price | In 2025 dollars | Change from year before |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | $2.51 | $7.78 | — |
| 1985 | $2.53 | $7.57 | +1% |
| 1986 | $2.60 | $7.64 | +3% |
| 1987 | $2.69 | $7.62 | +3% |
| 1988 | $2.78 | $7.57 | +3% |
| 1991 | $3.44 | $8.13 | — |
| 1992 | $3.32 | $7.62 | −3% |
| 1993 | $3.09 | $6.88 | −7% |
| 1994 | $3.07 | $6.67 | −1% |
| 1995 | $3.07 | $6.49 | 0% |
| 1996 | $3.34 | $6.85 | +9% |
| 1997 | $3.45 | $6.92 | +3% |
| 1998 | $3.59 | $7.09 | +4% |
| 1999 | $3.81 | $7.36 | +6% |
| 2000 | $3.70 | $6.92 | −3% |
| 2001 | $3.87 | $7.04 | +5% |
| 2002 | $3.88 | $6.94 | 0% |
| 2003 | $3.77 | $6.60 | −3% |
| 2004 | $3.98 | $6.78 | +6% |
| 2005 | $3.88 | $6.40 | −3% |
| 2006 | $3.72 | $5.94 | −4% |
| 2007 | $3.84 | $5.96 | +3% |
| 2008 | $4.04 | $6.04 | +5% |
| 2009 | $3.90 | $5.85 | −3% |
| 2010 | $3.91 | $5.77 | 0% |
| 2011 | $4.07 | $5.83 | +4% |
| 2012 | $4.19 | $5.88 | +3% |
| 2013 | $4.17 | $5.76 | 0% |
| 2014 | $4.49 | $6.11 | +8% |
| 2015 | $4.46 | $6.06 | −1% |
| 2016 | $4.37 | $5.86 | −2% |
| 2017 | $4.25 | $5.58 | −3% |
| 2018 | $4.01 | $5.14 | −6% |
| 2019 | $3.88 | $4.89 | −3% |
| 2020 | $4.10 | $5.10 | +6% |
| 2021 | $4.04 | $4.80 | −1% |
| 2022 | $4.40 | $4.84 | +9% |
| 2023 | $4.76 | $5.03 | +8% |
| 2024 | $4.89 | $5.02 | +3% |
| 2025 | $4.95 | $4.95 | +1% |
Decade by decade
The 1980s averaged $2.62: the most expensive year was 1988 at $2.78 and the cheapest 1984 at $2.51. In the 1990s, a pound of American cheese averaged $3.35, from a low of $3.07 in 1994 to a high of $3.81 in 1999. Across the 2000s the yearly average ran from $3.70 in 2000 to $4.04 in 2008, for a decade average of $3.86. The 2010s averaged $4.18: the most expensive year was 2014 at $4.49 and the cheapest 2019 at $3.88. In the 2020s, a pound of American cheese averaged $4.52, from a low of $4.04 in 2021 to a high of $4.95 in 2025.
Every five years in this record: 1985 $2.53, 1995 $3.07, 2000 $3.70, 2005 $3.88, 2010 $3.91, 2015 $4.46, 2020 $4.10 and 2025 $4.95. From 2021 to 2025, the most recent years of data, the average rose 23%, from $4.04 to $4.95.
Against inflation
In 2025 dollars, the 1984 average of $2.51 is worth $7.78. The actual 2025 average was $4.95. So after adjusting for inflation, a pound of American cheese cost 36% less in 2025 than in 1984, even though the price on the shelf went up.
Highs, lows and big moves
The highest yearly average in this record is $4.95 in 2025, and the lowest is $2.51 in 1984. The biggest one-year increase was 9%, from $4.04 in 2021 to $4.40 in 2022. The biggest one-year decrease was 7%, from $3.32 in 1992 to $3.09 in 1993.
Of the 5 items in eggs and dairy tracked here, 1 rose faster than inflation over their full records. This record starts in 1984, the first year with at least nine months of Bureau prices. The Bureau published fewer than nine months of prices for 1989–1990, so those years are left out of the table and the chart.
Average prices are U.S. city averages from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (series APU0000710211), averaged over each calendar year. A year is included only when the Bureau published at least nine months of prices for it. Values in 2025 dollars use the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) annual average. See how Sticker Shock builds its data. Figures may contain errors and are not financial advice.