Price of a pound of broccoli by year, 1996–2019
A pound of broccoli cost $0.91 on average in 1996 and $2.00 in 2019, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The price rose 120% over those years while prices in general rose 63%, so, measured in 2025 dollars, it cost 35% more in 2019 than in 1996.
- Average in 1996
- $0.91
- Average in 2019
- $2.00
- Highest year, 2019
- $2.00
- Biggest one-year rise, 2002
- +21%
- Against inflation
- Beat it by 35%
Every year
The table lists all 24 years with data, from 1996 to 2019. Select a year to see what everything else cost that year.
| Year | Average price | In 2025 dollars | Change from year before |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | $0.91 | $1.87 | — |
| 1997 | $0.98 | $1.97 | +8% |
| 1998 | $1.10 | $2.17 | +12% |
| 1999 | $1.01 | $1.95 | −8% |
| 2000 | $1.14 | $2.13 | +13% |
| 2001 | $0.985 | $1.79 | −14% |
| 2002 | $1.19 | $2.13 | +21% |
| 2003 | $1.20 | $2.10 | +1% |
| 2004 | $1.20 | $2.05 | 0% |
| 2005 | $1.32 | $2.18 | +10% |
| 2006 | $1.45 | $2.32 | +10% |
| 2007 | $1.59 | $2.47 | +10% |
| 2008 | $1.67 | $2.50 | +5% |
| 2009 | $1.60 | $2.40 | −4% |
| 2010 | $1.58 | $2.33 | −1% |
| 2011 | $1.70 | $2.43 | +8% |
| 2012 | $1.60 | $2.24 | −6% |
| 2013 | $1.85 | $2.56 | +16% |
| 2014 | $1.76 | $2.39 | −5% |
| 2015 | $1.79 | $2.43 | +2% |
| 2016 | $1.63 | $2.19 | −9% |
| 2017 | $1.81 | $2.38 | +11% |
| 2018 | $1.85 | $2.37 | +2% |
| 2019 | $2.00 | $2.52 | +8% |
Decade by decade
In the 1990s, a pound of broccoli averaged $1.00, from a low of $0.91 in 1996 to a high of $1.10 in 1998. Across the 2000s the yearly average ran from $0.985 in 2001 to $1.67 in 2008, for a decade average of $1.33. The 2010s averaged $1.76: the most expensive year was 2019 at $2.00 and the cheapest 2010 at $1.58.
Every five years in this record: 2000 $1.14, 2005 $1.32, 2010 $1.58 and 2015 $1.79. From 2015 to 2019, the most recent years of data, the average rose 12%, from $1.79 to $2.00.
Against inflation
In 2025 dollars, the 1996 average of $0.91 is worth $1.87. The series ends in 2019 at $2.00, or $2.52 in 2025 dollars. So a pound of broccoli outpaced prices in general: after adjusting for inflation, it cost 35% more in 2019 than in 1996.
Highs, lows and big moves
The highest yearly average in this record is $2.00 in 2019, and the lowest is $0.91 in 1996. The biggest one-year increase was 21%, from $0.985 in 2001 to $1.19 in 2002. The biggest one-year decrease was 14%, from $1.14 in 2000 to $0.985 in 2001.
Of the 9 items in fruit and vegetables tracked here, 4 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. 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 APU0000712412), 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.