Price of a pound of all-purpose flour by year, 1980–2025
A pound of all-purpose flour cost $0.21 on average in 1980 and $0.56 in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Its sharpest one-year jump came in 2008, when the average rose 41% from 2007. The price rose 167% over those years while prices in general rose 291%, so, measured in 2025 dollars, it cost 32% less in 2025 than in 1980.
- Average in 1980
- $0.21
- Average in 2025
- $0.56
- Highest year, 2024
- $0.565
- Biggest one-year rise, 2008
- +41%
- Against inflation
- Trailed it by 32%
Every year
The table lists all 46 years with data, from 1980 to 2025. Select a year to see what everything else cost that year.
| Year | Average price | In 2025 dollars | Change from year before |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | $0.21 | $0.82 | — |
| 1981 | $0.224 | $0.793 | +7% |
| 1982 | $0.224 | $0.747 | 0% |
| 1983 | $0.218 | $0.705 | −3% |
| 1984 | $0.213 | $0.66 | −2% |
| 1985 | $0.212 | $0.634 | 0% |
| 1986 | $0.208 | $0.611 | −2% |
| 1987 | $0.205 | $0.581 | −1% |
| 1988 | $0.214 | $0.582 | +4% |
| 1989 | $0.245 | $0.636 | +14% |
| 1990 | $0.25 | $0.616 | +2% |
| 1991 | $0.234 | $0.553 | −6% |
| 1992 | $0.243 | $0.558 | +4% |
| 1993 | $0.234 | $0.521 | −4% |
| 1994 | $0.231 | $0.502 | −1% |
| 1995 | $0.245 | $0.518 | +6% |
| 1996 | $0.288 | $0.591 | +18% |
| 1997 | $0.302 | $0.606 | +5% |
| 1998 | $0.30 | $0.593 | −1% |
| 1999 | $0.294 | $0.568 | −2% |
| 2000 | $0.29 | $0.542 | −1% |
| 2001 | $0.302 | $0.549 | +4% |
| 2002 | $0.312 | $0.558 | +3% |
| 2003 | $0.312 | $0.546 | 0% |
| 2004 | $0.303 | $0.516 | −3% |
| 2005 | $0.324 | $0.534 | +7% |
| 2006 | $0.329 | $0.525 | +2% |
| 2007 | $0.36 | $0.559 | +9% |
| 2008 | $0.507 | $0.758 | +41% |
| 2009 | $0.501 | $0.752 | −1% |
| 2010 | $0.477 | $0.704 | −5% |
| 2011 | $0.518 | $0.741 | +9% |
| 2012 | $0.517 | $0.725 | 0% |
| 2013 | $0.522 | $0.721 | +1% |
| 2014 | $0.53 | $0.721 | +2% |
| 2015 | $0.517 | $0.702 | −2% |
| 2016 | $0.525 | $0.704 | +2% |
| 2017 | $0.507 | $0.666 | −3% |
| 2018 | $0.462 | $0.592 | −9% |
| 2019 | $0.441 | $0.555 | −5% |
| 2020 | $0.451 | $0.561 | +2% |
| 2021 | $0.404 | $0.48 | −10% |
| 2022 | $0.494 | $0.543 | +22% |
| 2023 | $0.551 | $0.582 | +12% |
| 2024 | $0.565 | $0.58 | +3% |
| 2025 | $0.56 | $0.56 | −1% |
Decade by decade
Across the 1980s the yearly average ran from $0.205 in 1987 to $0.245 in 1989, for a decade average of $0.217. The 1990s averaged $0.262: the most expensive year was 1997 at $0.302 and the cheapest 1994 at $0.231. In the 2000s, a pound of all-purpose flour averaged $0.354, from a low of $0.29 in 2000 to a high of $0.507 in 2008. Across the 2010s the yearly average ran from $0.441 in 2019 to $0.53 in 2014, for a decade average of $0.502. The 2020s averaged $0.504: the most expensive year was 2024 at $0.565 and the cheapest 2021 at $0.404.
Every five years in this record: 1980 $0.21, 1985 $0.212, 1990 $0.25, 1995 $0.245, 2000 $0.29, 2005 $0.324, 2010 $0.477, 2015 $0.517, 2020 $0.451 and 2025 $0.56. From 2021 to 2025, the most recent years of data, the average rose 39%, from $0.404 to $0.56.
Against inflation
In 2025 dollars, the 1980 average of $0.21 is worth $0.82. The actual 2025 average was $0.56. So after adjusting for inflation, a pound of all-purpose flour cost 32% less in 2025 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 $0.565 in 2024, and the lowest is $0.205 in 1987. The biggest one-year increase was 41%, from $0.36 in 2007 to $0.507 in 2008. The biggest one-year decrease was 10%, from $0.451 in 2020 to $0.404 in 2021.
Of the 6 items in bread, grains and baking tracked here, 0 rose faster than inflation over their full records.
Average prices are U.S. city averages from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (series APU0000701111), 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.