Price of a pound of seedless grapes by year, 1989–2020
A pound of seedless grapes cost $1.20 on average in 1989 and $2.28 in 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. It peaked at $2.76 in 2016. The price rose 90% over those years while prices in general rose 109%, so, measured in 2025 dollars, it cost 9% less in 2020 than in 1989.
- Average in 1989
- $1.20
- Average in 2020
- $2.28
- Highest year, 2016
- $2.76
- Biggest one-year rise, 1999
- +16%
- Against inflation
- Trailed it by 9%
Every year
The table lists all 32 years with data, from 1989 to 2020. Select a year to see what everything else cost that year.
| Year | Average price | In 2025 dollars | Change from year before |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | $1.20 | $3.12 | — |
| 1990 | $1.26 | $3.10 | +5% |
| 1991 | $1.40 | $3.31 | +11% |
| 1992 | $1.29 | $2.96 | −8% |
| 1993 | $1.46 | $3.25 | +13% |
| 1994 | $1.51 | $3.28 | +3% |
| 1995 | $1.55 | $3.27 | +3% |
| 1996 | $1.69 | $3.47 | +9% |
| 1997 | $1.71 | $3.43 | +1% |
| 1998 | $1.59 | $3.14 | −7% |
| 1999 | $1.84 | $3.56 | +16% |
| 2000 | $1.75 | $3.27 | −5% |
| 2001 | $1.85 | $3.36 | +6% |
| 2002 | $1.89 | $3.38 | +2% |
| 2003 | $1.90 | $3.32 | +1% |
| 2004 | $2.06 | $3.51 | +8% |
| 2005 | $2.08 | $3.43 | +1% |
| 2006 | $2.25 | $3.59 | +8% |
| 2007 | $2.09 | $3.25 | −7% |
| 2008 | $2.21 | $3.30 | +6% |
| 2009 | $2.11 | $3.17 | −5% |
| 2010 | $2.18 | $3.22 | +3% |
| 2011 | $2.39 | $3.42 | +10% |
| 2012 | $2.49 | $3.49 | +4% |
| 2013 | $2.49 | $3.44 | 0% |
| 2014 | $2.64 | $3.59 | +6% |
| 2015 | $2.59 | $3.52 | −2% |
| 2016 | $2.76 | $3.70 | +7% |
| 2017 | $2.64 | $3.47 | −4% |
| 2018 | $2.58 | $3.31 | −2% |
| 2019 | $2.45 | $3.09 | −5% |
| 2020 | $2.28 | $2.84 | −7% |
Decade by decade
In the 1980s, only 1989 has data, at $1.20. The 1990s averaged $1.53: the most expensive year was 1999 at $1.84 and the cheapest 1990 at $1.26. In the 2000s, a pound of seedless grapes averaged $2.02, from a low of $1.75 in 2000 to a high of $2.25 in 2006. Across the 2010s the yearly average ran from $2.18 in 2010 to $2.76 in 2016, for a decade average of $2.52. In the 2020s, only 2020 has data, at $2.28.
Every five years in this record: 1990 $1.26, 1995 $1.55, 2000 $1.75, 2005 $2.08, 2010 $2.18, 2015 $2.59 and 2020 $2.28. From 2016 to 2020, the most recent years of data, the average fell 17%, from $2.76 to $2.28.
Against inflation
In 2025 dollars, the 1989 average of $1.20 is worth $3.12. The series ends in 2020 at $2.28, or $2.84 in 2025 dollars. So after adjusting for inflation, a pound of seedless grapes cost 9% less in 2020 than in 1989, even though the price on the shelf went up.
Highs, lows and big moves
The highest yearly average in this record is $2.76 in 2016, and the lowest is $1.20 in 1989. The biggest one-year increase was 16%, from $1.59 in 1998 to $1.84 in 1999. The biggest one-year decrease was 8%, from $1.40 in 1991 to $1.29 in 1992.
Of the 9 items in fruit and vegetables tracked here, 4 rose faster than inflation over their full records. This record starts in 1989, the first year with at least nine months of Bureau prices. The Bureau has published no full year of prices for this series since 2020, so the comparisons on this page end there.
Average prices are U.S. city averages from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (series APU0000711417), 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.