Price of a pound of margarine by year, 1984–2019
A pound of margarine cost $1.01 on average in 1984 and $1.64 in 2019, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. It peaked at $2.10 in 2013. The price rose 62% over those years while prices in general rose 146%, so, measured in 2025 dollars, it cost 34% less in 2019 than in 1984.
- Average in 1984
- $1.01
- Average in 2019
- $1.64
- Highest year, 2013
- $2.10
- Biggest one-year rise, 2011
- +18%
- Against inflation
- Trailed it by 34%
Every year
The table lists all 30 years with data, from 1984 to 2019. Select a year to see what everything else cost that year.
| Year | Average price | In 2025 dollars | Change from year before |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | $1.01 | $3.13 | — |
| 1985 | $1.02 | $3.05 | +1% |
| 1986 | $1.02 | $3.00 | 0% |
| 1987 | $0.973 | $2.76 | −5% |
| 1988 | $1.04 | $2.83 | +7% |
| 1989 | $1.17 | $3.04 | +13% |
| 1990 | $1.20 | $2.96 | +3% |
| 1991 | $1.29 | $3.05 | +8% |
| 1992 | $1.30 | $2.98 | +1% |
| 1993 | $1.18 | $2.63 | −9% |
| 1994 | $1.15 | $2.50 | −3% |
| 2001 | $0.852 | $1.55 | — |
| 2002 | $0.896 | $1.60 | +5% |
| 2003 | $1.00 | $1.75 | +12% |
| 2004 | $1.08 | $1.84 | +8% |
| 2005 | $1.02 | $1.68 | −6% |
| 2006 | $1.08 | $1.72 | +6% |
| 2007 | $1.20 | $1.86 | +11% |
| 2008 | $1.39 | $2.08 | +16% |
| 2009 | $1.59 | $2.39 | +14% |
| 2010 | $1.55 | $2.29 | −3% |
| 2011 | $1.83 | $2.62 | +18% |
| 2012 | $2.05 | $2.87 | +12% |
| 2013 | $2.10 | $2.90 | +2% |
| 2014 | $2.07 | $2.82 | −1% |
| 2015 | $1.93 | $2.62 | −7% |
| 2016 | $1.82 | $2.44 | −6% |
| 2017 | $1.73 | $2.27 | −5% |
| 2018 | $1.64 | $2.10 | −5% |
| 2019 | $1.64 | $2.07 | 0% |
Decade by decade
In the 1980s, a pound of margarine averaged $1.04, from a low of $0.973 in 1987 to a high of $1.17 in 1989. Across the 1990s the yearly average ran from $1.15 in 1994 to $1.30 in 1992, for a decade average of $1.22. The 2000s averaged $1.12: the most expensive year was 2009 at $1.59 and the cheapest 2001 at $0.852. In the 2010s, a pound of margarine averaged $1.84, from a low of $1.55 in 2010 to a high of $2.10 in 2013.
Every five years in this record: 1985 $1.02, 1990 $1.20, 2005 $1.02, 2010 $1.55 and 2015 $1.93. From 2015 to 2019, the most recent years of data, the average fell 15%, from $1.93 to $1.64.
Against inflation
In 2025 dollars, the 1984 average of $1.01 is worth $3.13. The series ends in 2019 at $1.64, or $2.07 in 2025 dollars. So after adjusting for inflation, a pound of margarine cost 34% less in 2019 than in 1984, even though the price on the shelf went up.
Highs, lows and big moves
The highest yearly average in this record is $2.10 in 2013, and the lowest is $0.852 in 2001. The biggest one-year increase was 18%, from $1.55 in 2010 to $1.83 in 2011. The biggest one-year decrease was 9%, from $1.30 in 1992 to $1.18 in 1993.
Of the 4 items in pantry and snacks tracked here, 1 rose faster than inflation over their full records. This record starts in 1984, the first year with at least nine months of Bureau prices. The Bureau published fewer than nine months of prices for 1995–2000, so those years are left out of the table and the chart. The Bureau has published no full year of prices for this series since 2019, so the comparisons on this page end there.
Average prices are U.S. city averages from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (series APU0000716116), 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.