Price of a pound of bologna by year, 1980–2019
A pound of bologna cost $2.01 on average in 1980 and $2.70 in 2019, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. It peaked at $3.22 in 2010. The price rose 34% over those years while prices in general rose 210%, so, measured in 2025 dollars, it cost 57% less in 2019 than in 1980.
- Average in 1980
- $2.01
- Average in 2019
- $2.70
- Highest year, 2010
- $3.22
- Biggest one-year rise, 2009
- +15%
- Against inflation
- Trailed it by 57%
Every year
The table lists all 40 years with data, from 1980 to 2019. Select a year to see what everything else cost that year.
| Year | Average price | In 2025 dollars | Change from year before |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | $2.01 | $7.85 | — |
| 1981 | $2.11 | $7.47 | +5% |
| 1982 | $2.21 | $7.37 | +5% |
| 1983 | $2.18 | $7.05 | −1% |
| 1984 | $2.13 | $6.60 | −2% |
| 1985 | $2.11 | $6.31 | −1% |
| 1986 | $2.17 | $6.37 | +3% |
| 1987 | $2.19 | $6.21 | +1% |
| 1988 | $2.24 | $6.10 | +2% |
| 1989 | $2.28 | $5.92 | +2% |
| 1990 | $2.51 | $6.18 | +10% |
| 1991 | $2.59 | $6.12 | +3% |
| 1992 | $2.47 | $5.67 | −5% |
| 1993 | $2.38 | $5.30 | −4% |
| 1994 | $2.29 | $4.97 | −4% |
| 1995 | $2.31 | $4.88 | +1% |
| 1996 | $2.33 | $4.78 | +1% |
| 1997 | $2.37 | $4.75 | +2% |
| 1998 | $2.43 | $4.80 | +3% |
| 1999 | $2.42 | $4.68 | 0% |
| 2000 | $2.43 | $4.54 | 0% |
| 2001 | $2.50 | $4.54 | +3% |
| 2002 | $2.34 | $4.19 | −6% |
| 2003 | $2.39 | $4.18 | +2% |
| 2004 | $2.60 | $4.43 | +9% |
| 2005 | $2.40 | $3.96 | −8% |
| 2006 | $2.29 | $3.66 | −5% |
| 2007 | $2.44 | $3.79 | +7% |
| 2008 | $2.76 | $4.13 | +13% |
| 2009 | $3.17 | $4.76 | +15% |
| 2010 | $3.22 | $4.75 | +2% |
| 2011 | $3.15 | $4.51 | −2% |
| 2012 | $2.92 | $4.09 | −7% |
| 2013 | $3.05 | $4.22 | +4% |
| 2014 | $3.01 | $4.09 | −1% |
| 2015 | $2.82 | $3.83 | −6% |
| 2016 | $2.65 | $3.55 | −6% |
| 2017 | $2.74 | $3.60 | +3% |
| 2018 | $2.67 | $3.42 | −3% |
| 2019 | $2.70 | $3.40 | +1% |
Decade by decade
In the 1980s, a pound of bologna averaged $2.16, from a low of $2.01 in 1980 to a high of $2.28 in 1989. Across the 1990s the yearly average ran from $2.29 in 1994 to $2.59 in 1991, for a decade average of $2.41. The 2000s averaged $2.53: the most expensive year was 2009 at $3.17 and the cheapest 2006 at $2.29. In the 2010s, a pound of bologna averaged $2.89, from a low of $2.65 in 2016 to a high of $3.22 in 2010.
Every five years in this record: 1980 $2.01, 1985 $2.11, 1990 $2.51, 1995 $2.31, 2000 $2.43, 2005 $2.40, 2010 $3.22 and 2015 $2.82. From 2015 to 2019, the most recent years of data, the average fell 4%, from $2.82 to $2.70.
Against inflation
In 2025 dollars, the 1980 average of $2.01 is worth $7.85. The series ends in 2019 at $2.70, or $3.40 in 2025 dollars. So after adjusting for inflation, a pound of bologna cost 57% less in 2019 than in 1980, even though the price on the shelf went up.
Highs, lows and big moves
The highest yearly average in this record is $3.22 in 2010, and the lowest is $2.01 in 1980. The biggest one-year increase was 15%, from $2.76 in 2008 to $3.17 in 2009. The biggest one-year decrease was 8%, from $2.60 in 2004 to $2.40 in 2005.
Of the 10 items in meat and poultry tracked here, 4 rose faster than inflation over their full records. The Bureau has published no full year of prices for this series since 2019, so the comparisons on this page end there.
Average prices are U.S. city averages from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (series APU0000705121), 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.