Price of a pound of lemons by year, 1980–2025
A pound of lemons cost $0.702 on average in 1980 and $2.00 in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The price rose 185% over those years while prices in general rose 291%, so, measured in 2025 dollars, it cost 27% less in 2025 than in 1980.
- Average in 1980
- $0.702
- Average in 2025
- $2.00
- Highest year, 2018
- $2.25
- Biggest one-year rise, 2014
- +25%
- Against inflation
- Trailed it by 27%
Every year
The table lists all 44 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 | $0.702 | $2.74 | — |
| 1981 | $0.70 | $2.48 | 0% |
| 1982 | $0.77 | $2.57 | +10% |
| 1983 | $0.748 | $2.42 | −3% |
| 1984 | $0.752 | $2.33 | +1% |
| 1985 | $0.929 | $2.78 | +24% |
| 1986 | $0.821 | $2.41 | −12% |
| 1987 | $0.897 | $2.54 | +9% |
| 1988 | $0.934 | $2.54 | +4% |
| 1989 | $0.995 | $2.58 | +7% |
| 1990 | $1.07 | $2.64 | +8% |
| 1991 | $1.23 | $2.91 | +15% |
| 1992 | $1.01 | $2.32 | −18% |
| 1993 | $1.08 | $2.41 | +7% |
| 1994 | $1.11 | $2.41 | +3% |
| 1995 | $1.14 | $2.41 | +3% |
| 1996 | $1.11 | $2.28 | −3% |
| 1997 | $1.25 | $2.51 | +13% |
| 1998 | $1.20 | $2.37 | −4% |
| 1999 | $1.33 | $2.57 | +11% |
| 2000 | $1.29 | $2.41 | −3% |
| 2001 | $1.26 | $2.29 | −2% |
| 2002 | $1.39 | $2.49 | +10% |
| 2003 | $1.32 | $2.31 | −5% |
| 2004 | $1.23 | $2.10 | −7% |
| 2005 | $1.41 | $2.32 | +15% |
| 2006 | $1.53 | $2.44 | +9% |
| 2007 | $1.86 | $2.89 | +22% |
| 2008 | $2.01 | $3.01 | +8% |
| 2009 | $1.52 | $2.28 | −24% |
| 2010 | $1.63 | $2.41 | +7% |
| 2011 | $1.58 | $2.26 | −3% |
| 2012 | $1.56 | $2.19 | −1% |
| 2013 | $1.58 | $2.18 | +1% |
| 2014 | $1.97 | $2.68 | +25% |
| 2015 | $1.98 | $2.69 | +1% |
| 2016 | $2.04 | $2.74 | +3% |
| 2017 | $2.01 | $2.64 | −1% |
| 2018 | $2.25 | $2.88 | +12% |
| 2019 | $2.13 | $2.68 | −5% |
| 2022 | $2.13 | $2.34 | — |
| 2023 | $2.14 | $2.26 | 0% |
| 2024 | $2.02 | $2.07 | −6% |
| 2025 | $2.00 | $2.00 | −1% |
Decade by decade
The 1980s averaged $0.825: the most expensive year was 1989 at $0.995 and the cheapest 1981 at $0.70. In the 1990s, a pound of lemons averaged $1.15, from a low of $1.01 in 1992 to a high of $1.33 in 1999. Across the 2000s the yearly average ran from $1.23 in 2004 to $2.01 in 2008, for a decade average of $1.48. The 2010s averaged $1.87: the most expensive year was 2018 at $2.25 and the cheapest 2012 at $1.56. In the 2020s, a pound of lemons averaged $2.07, from a low of $2.00 in 2025 to a high of $2.14 in 2023.
Every five years in this record: 1980 $0.702, 1985 $0.929, 1990 $1.07, 1995 $1.14, 2000 $1.29, 2005 $1.41, 2010 $1.63, 2015 $1.98 and 2025 $2.00. From 2022 to 2025, the most recent years of data, the average fell 6%, from $2.13 to $2.00.
Against inflation
In 2025 dollars, the 1980 average of $0.702 is worth $2.74. The actual 2025 average was $2.00. So after adjusting for inflation, a pound of lemons cost 27% 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 $2.25 in 2018, and the lowest is $0.70 in 1981. The biggest one-year increase was 25%, from $1.58 in 2013 to $1.97 in 2014. The biggest one-year decrease was 24%, from $2.01 in 2008 to $1.52 in 2009.
Of the 9 items in fruit and vegetables tracked here, 4 rose faster than inflation over their full records. The Bureau published fewer than nine months of prices for 2020–2021, so those years are left out of the table and the chart.
Average prices are U.S. city averages from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (series APU0000711412), 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.