Price of a pound of dried beans by year, 1996–2025
A pound of dried beans cost $0.694 on average in 1996 and $1.64 in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Its sharpest one-year jump came in 2008, when the average rose 28% from 2007. The price rose 136% over those years while prices in general rose 105%, so, measured in 2025 dollars, it cost 15% more in 2025 than in 1996.
- Average in 1996
- $0.694
- Average in 2025
- $1.64
- Highest year, 2023
- $1.67
- Biggest one-year rise, 2008
- +28%
- Against inflation
- Beat it by 15%
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 | $0.694 | $1.42 | — |
| 1997 | $0.72 | $1.44 | +4% |
| 1998 | $0.69 | $1.36 | −4% |
| 1999 | $0.696 | $1.34 | +1% |
| 2000 | $0.687 | $1.28 | −1% |
| 2001 | $0.687 | $1.25 | 0% |
| 2002 | $0.728 | $1.30 | +6% |
| 2003 | $0.76 | $1.33 | +4% |
| 2004 | $0.767 | $1.31 | +1% |
| 2005 | $0.802 | $1.32 | +5% |
| 2006 | $0.824 | $1.32 | +3% |
| 2007 | $0.942 | $1.46 | +14% |
| 2008 | $1.21 | $1.81 | +28% |
| 2009 | $1.39 | $2.09 | +15% |
| 2010 | $1.33 | $1.96 | −4% |
| 2011 | $1.36 | $1.95 | +2% |
| 2012 | $1.44 | $2.02 | +6% |
| 2013 | $1.42 | $1.96 | −1% |
| 2014 | $1.47 | $2.00 | +4% |
| 2015 | $1.49 | $2.02 | +1% |
| 2016 | $1.41 | $1.89 | −5% |
| 2017 | $1.36 | $1.79 | −4% |
| 2018 | $1.34 | $1.72 | −1% |
| 2019 | $1.34 | $1.69 | 0% |
| 2020 | $1.43 | $1.78 | +7% |
| 2021 | $1.45 | $1.72 | +1% |
| 2022 | $1.64 | $1.80 | +13% |
| 2023 | $1.67 | $1.76 | +2% |
| 2024 | $1.67 | $1.71 | 0% |
| 2025 | $1.64 | $1.64 | −2% |
Decade by decade
The 1990s averaged $0.70: the most expensive year was 1997 at $0.72 and the cheapest 1998 at $0.69. In the 2000s, a pound of dried beans averaged $0.88, from a low of $0.687 in 2000 to a high of $1.39 in 2009. Across the 2010s the yearly average ran from $1.33 in 2010 to $1.49 in 2015, for a decade average of $1.40. The 2020s averaged $1.58: the most expensive year was 2023 at $1.67 and the cheapest 2020 at $1.43.
Every five years in this record: 2000 $0.687, 2005 $0.802, 2010 $1.33, 2015 $1.49, 2020 $1.43 and 2025 $1.64. From 2021 to 2025, the most recent years of data, the average rose 13%, from $1.45 to $1.64.
Against inflation
In 2025 dollars, the 1996 average of $0.694 is worth $1.42. The actual 2025 average was $1.64. So a pound of dried beans outpaced prices in general: after adjusting for inflation, it cost 15% more in 2025 than in 1996.
Highs, lows and big moves
The highest yearly average in this record is $1.67 in 2023, and the lowest is $0.687 in 2000. The biggest one-year increase was 28%, from $0.942 in 2007 to $1.21 in 2008. The biggest one-year decrease was 5%, from $1.49 in 2015 to $1.41 in 2016.
Of the 4 items in pantry and snacks tracked here, 1 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 APU0000714233), 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.