Price of a pound of ground beef by year, 1984–2025
A pound of ground beef cost $1.29 on average in 1984 and $6.09 in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The price rose 372% over those years while prices in general rose 210%, so, measured in 2025 dollars, it cost 52% more in 2025 than in 1984.
- Average in 1984
- $1.29
- Average in 2025
- $6.09
- Highest year, 2025
- $6.09
- Biggest one-year rise, 2011
- +17%
- Against inflation
- Beat it by 52%
Every year
The table lists all 42 years with data, from 1984 to 2025. Select a year to see what everything else cost that year.
| Year | Average price | In 2025 dollars | Change from year before |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | $1.29 | $4.00 | — |
| 1985 | $1.24 | $3.71 | −4% |
| 1986 | $1.23 | $3.61 | −1% |
| 1987 | $1.31 | $3.71 | +7% |
| 1988 | $1.36 | $3.70 | +4% |
| 1989 | $1.44 | $3.74 | +6% |
| 1990 | $1.59 | $3.92 | +10% |
| 1991 | $1.60 | $3.78 | +1% |
| 1992 | $1.54 | $3.53 | −4% |
| 1993 | $1.57 | $3.50 | +2% |
| 1994 | $1.48 | $3.22 | −6% |
| 1995 | $1.37 | $2.89 | −7% |
| 1996 | $1.37 | $2.81 | 0% |
| 1997 | $1.40 | $2.81 | +2% |
| 1998 | $1.41 | $2.78 | +1% |
| 1999 | $1.45 | $2.80 | +3% |
| 2000 | $1.57 | $2.94 | +8% |
| 2001 | $1.71 | $3.11 | +9% |
| 2002 | $1.71 | $3.06 | 0% |
| 2003 | $1.95 | $3.41 | +14% |
| 2004 | $2.16 | $3.68 | +11% |
| 2005 | $2.30 | $3.79 | +6% |
| 2006 | $2.22 | $3.55 | −3% |
| 2007 | $2.30 | $3.57 | +4% |
| 2008 | $2.34 | $3.50 | +2% |
| 2009 | $2.22 | $3.33 | −5% |
| 2010 | $2.37 | $3.50 | +7% |
| 2011 | $2.77 | $3.96 | +17% |
| 2012 | $3.03 | $4.25 | +9% |
| 2013 | $3.40 | $4.70 | +12% |
| 2014 | $3.90 | $5.30 | +15% |
| 2015 | $4.17 | $5.66 | +7% |
| 2016 | $3.75 | $5.03 | −10% |
| 2017 | $3.64 | $4.78 | −3% |
| 2018 | $3.72 | $4.77 | +2% |
| 2019 | $3.81 | $4.80 | +2% |
| 2020 | $4.12 | $5.12 | +8% |
| 2021 | $4.33 | $5.14 | +5% |
| 2022 | $4.81 | $5.29 | +11% |
| 2023 | $5.02 | $5.30 | +4% |
| 2024 | $5.39 | $5.53 | +7% |
| 2025 | $6.09 | $6.09 | +13% |
Decade by decade
In the 1980s, a pound of ground beef averaged $1.31, from a low of $1.23 in 1986 to a high of $1.44 in 1989. Across the 1990s the yearly average ran from $1.37 in 1995 to $1.60 in 1991, for a decade average of $1.48. The 2000s averaged $2.05: the most expensive year was 2008 at $2.34 and the cheapest 2000 at $1.57. In the 2010s, a pound of ground beef averaged $3.46, from a low of $2.37 in 2010 to a high of $4.17 in 2015. Across the 2020s the yearly average ran from $4.12 in 2020 to $6.09 in 2025, for a decade average of $4.96.
Every five years in this record: 1985 $1.24, 1990 $1.59, 1995 $1.37, 2000 $1.57, 2005 $2.30, 2010 $2.37, 2015 $4.17, 2020 $4.12 and 2025 $6.09. From 2021 to 2025, the most recent years of data, the average rose 41%, from $4.33 to $6.09.
Against inflation
In 2025 dollars, the 1984 average of $1.29 is worth $4.00. The actual 2025 average was $6.09. So a pound of ground beef outpaced prices in general: after adjusting for inflation, it cost 52% more in 2025 than in 1984.
Highs, lows and big moves
The highest yearly average in this record is $6.09 in 2025, and the lowest is $1.23 in 1986. The biggest one-year increase was 17%, from $2.37 in 2010 to $2.77 in 2011. The biggest one-year decrease was 10%, from $4.17 in 2015 to $3.75 in 2016.
Of the 10 items in meat and poultry tracked here, 4 rose faster than inflation over their full records, and this is one of them. This record starts in 1984, 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 APU0000703112), 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.