Price of a pound of iceberg lettuce by year, 1980–2025
A pound of iceberg lettuce cost $0.452 on average in 1980 and $1.59 in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Its sharpest one-year jump came in 1995, when the average rose 32% from 1994. The price rose 252% over those years while prices in general rose 291%, so, measured in 2025 dollars, it cost 10% less in 2025 than in 1980.
- Average in 1980
- $0.452
- Average in 2025
- $1.59
- Highest year, 2024
- $1.59
- Biggest one-year rise, 1995
- +32%
- Against inflation
- Trailed it by 10%
Every year
The table lists all 42 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 | $0.452 | $1.77 | — |
| 1981 | $0.487 | $1.72 | +8% |
| 1982 | $0.573 | $1.91 | +18% |
| 1983 | $0.554 | $1.79 | −3% |
| 1984 | $0.513 | $1.59 | −7% |
| 1985 | $0.538 | $1.61 | +5% |
| 1986 | $0.528 | $1.55 | −2% |
| 1987 | $0.618 | $1.75 | +17% |
| 1988 | $0.628 | $1.71 | +2% |
| 1989 | $0.605 | $1.57 | −4% |
| 1990 | $0.578 | $1.42 | −4% |
| 1991 | $0.605 | $1.43 | +5% |
| 1992 | $0.577 | $1.32 | −5% |
| 1993 | $0.656 | $1.46 | +14% |
| 1994 | $0.608 | $1.32 | −7% |
| 1995 | $0.801 | $1.69 | +32% |
| 1996 | $0.648 | $1.33 | −19% |
| 1997 | $0.694 | $1.39 | +7% |
| 1998 | $0.757 | $1.50 | +9% |
| 1999 | $0.674 | $1.30 | −11% |
| 2000 | $0.736 | $1.38 | +9% |
| 2001 | $0.793 | $1.44 | +8% |
| 2002 | $0.861 | $1.54 | +9% |
| 2003 | $0.823 | $1.44 | −4% |
| 2004 | $0.798 | $1.36 | −3% |
| 2005 | $0.87 | $1.43 | +9% |
| 2006 | $0.866 | $1.38 | 0% |
| 2007 | $0.928 | $1.44 | +7% |
| 2008 | $0.905 | $1.35 | −2% |
| 2009 | $0.913 | $1.37 | +1% |
| 2010 | $0.875 | $1.29 | −4% |
| 2011 | $0.989 | $1.42 | +13% |
| 2012 | $0.857 | $1.20 | −13% |
| 2013 | $1.01 | $1.40 | +18% |
| 2014 | $1.05 | $1.43 | +4% |
| 2015 | $1.16 | $1.58 | +10% |
| 2016 | $1.06 | $1.42 | −9% |
| 2017 | $1.03 | $1.35 | −3% |
| 2018 | $0.944 | $1.21 | −8% |
| 2019 | $1.18 | $1.49 | +25% |
| 2024 | $1.59 | $1.63 | — |
| 2025 | $1.59 | $1.59 | 0% |
Decade by decade
In the 1980s, a pound of iceberg lettuce averaged $0.55, from a low of $0.452 in 1980 to a high of $0.628 in 1988. Across the 1990s the yearly average ran from $0.577 in 1992 to $0.801 in 1995, for a decade average of $0.66. The 2000s averaged $0.849: the most expensive year was 2007 at $0.928 and the cheapest 2000 at $0.736. In the 2010s, a pound of iceberg lettuce averaged $1.02, from a low of $0.857 in 2012 to a high of $1.18 in 2019. Across the 2020s the yearly average ran from $1.59 in 2024 to $1.59 in 2024, for a decade average of $1.59.
Every five years in this record: 1980 $0.452, 1985 $0.538, 1990 $0.578, 1995 $0.801, 2000 $0.736, 2005 $0.87, 2010 $0.875, 2015 $1.16 and 2025 $1.59. From 2024 to 2025, the most recent years of data, the average held at $1.59.
Against inflation
In 2025 dollars, the 1980 average of $0.452 is worth $1.77. The actual 2025 average was $1.59. So after adjusting for inflation, a pound of iceberg lettuce cost 10% 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 $1.59 in 2024, and the lowest is $0.452 in 1980. The biggest one-year increase was 32%, from $0.608 in 1994 to $0.801 in 1995. The biggest one-year decrease was 19%, from $0.801 in 1995 to $0.648 in 1996.
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 2020–2023, 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 APU0000712211), 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.