Price of 16 ounces of beer by year, 1996–2025
16 ounces of beer cost $0.836 on average in 1996 and $1.83 in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The price rose 119% over those years while prices in general rose 105%, so, measured in 2025 dollars, it cost 7% more in 2025 than in 1996.
- Average in 1996
- $0.836
- Average in 2025
- $1.83
- Highest year, 2025
- $1.83
- Biggest one-year rise, 2022
- +8%
- Against inflation
- Beat it by 7%
Every year
The table lists all 30 years with data, from 1996 to 2025. Select a year to see what everything else cost that year.
| Year | Average price | In 2025 dollars | Change from year before |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | $0.836 | $1.72 | — |
| 1997 | $0.844 | $1.69 | +1% |
| 1998 | $0.861 | $1.70 | +2% |
| 1999 | $0.878 | $1.70 | +2% |
| 2000 | $0.918 | $1.72 | +5% |
| 2001 | $0.955 | $1.74 | +4% |
| 2002 | $0.992 | $1.78 | +4% |
| 2003 | $1.01 | $1.77 | +2% |
| 2004 | $1.07 | $1.82 | +6% |
| 2005 | $1.09 | $1.80 | +2% |
| 2006 | $1.11 | $1.77 | +2% |
| 2007 | $1.12 | $1.74 | +1% |
| 2008 | $1.16 | $1.73 | +4% |
| 2009 | $1.21 | $1.82 | +4% |
| 2010 | $1.23 | $1.82 | +2% |
| 2011 | $1.24 | $1.77 | +1% |
| 2012 | $1.25 | $1.75 | +1% |
| 2013 | $1.28 | $1.77 | +2% |
| 2014 | $1.28 | $1.74 | 0% |
| 2015 | $1.32 | $1.79 | +3% |
| 2016 | $1.35 | $1.81 | +2% |
| 2017 | $1.39 | $1.83 | +3% |
| 2018 | $1.41 | $1.81 | +1% |
| 2019 | $1.44 | $1.81 | +2% |
| 2020 | $1.48 | $1.84 | +3% |
| 2021 | $1.53 | $1.82 | +3% |
| 2022 | $1.66 | $1.83 | +8% |
| 2023 | $1.74 | $1.84 | +5% |
| 2024 | $1.78 | $1.83 | +2% |
| 2025 | $1.83 | $1.83 | +3% |
Decade by decade
Across the 1990s the yearly average ran from $0.836 in 1996 to $0.878 in 1999, for a decade average of $0.855. The 2000s averaged $1.06: the most expensive year was 2009 at $1.21 and the cheapest 2000 at $0.918. In the 2010s, 16 ounces of beer averaged $1.32, from a low of $1.23 in 2010 to a high of $1.44 in 2019. Across the 2020s the yearly average ran from $1.48 in 2020 to $1.83 in 2025, for a decade average of $1.67.
Every five years in this record: 2000 $0.918, 2005 $1.09, 2010 $1.23, 2015 $1.32, 2020 $1.48 and 2025 $1.83. From 2021 to 2025, the most recent years of data, the average rose 20%, from $1.53 to $1.83.
Against inflation
In 2025 dollars, the 1996 average of $0.836 is worth $1.72. The actual 2025 average was $1.83. So 16 ounces of beer outpaced prices in general: after adjusting for inflation, it cost 7% more in 2025 than in 1996.
Highs, lows and big moves
The highest yearly average in this record is $1.83 in 2025, and the lowest is $0.836 in 1996. The biggest one-year increase was 8%, from $1.53 in 2021 to $1.66 in 2022.
Of the 3 items in coffee, beer and wine tracked here, 2 rose faster than inflation over their full records, and this is one of them. This record starts in 1996, the first year with at least nine months of Bureau prices.
Average prices are U.S. city averages from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (series APU0000720111), 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.