Price of a gallon of whole milk by year, 1996–2025
A gallon of whole milk cost $2.62 on average in 1996 and $4.07 in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The price rose 55% over those years while prices in general rose 105%, so, measured in 2025 dollars, it cost 24% less in 2025 than in 1996.
- Average in 1996
- $2.62
- Average in 2025
- $4.07
- Highest year, 2022
- $4.09
- Biggest one-year rise, 2022
- +16%
- Against inflation
- Trailed it by 24%
Every year
The table lists all 30 years with data, from 1996 to 2025. Select a year to see what everything else cost that year.
| Year | Average price | In 2025 dollars | Change from year before |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | $2.62 | $5.38 | — |
| 1997 | $2.61 | $5.24 | 0% |
| 1998 | $2.70 | $5.33 | +3% |
| 1999 | $2.84 | $5.49 | +5% |
| 2000 | $2.78 | $5.20 | −2% |
| 2001 | $2.88 | $5.24 | +4% |
| 2002 | $2.76 | $4.94 | −4% |
| 2003 | $2.76 | $4.83 | 0% |
| 2004 | $3.16 | $5.39 | +14% |
| 2005 | $3.19 | $5.26 | +1% |
| 2006 | $3.08 | $4.92 | −3% |
| 2007 | $3.50 | $5.43 | +14% |
| 2008 | $3.80 | $5.68 | +9% |
| 2009 | $3.11 | $4.67 | −18% |
| 2010 | $3.26 | $4.81 | +5% |
| 2011 | $3.57 | $5.11 | +10% |
| 2012 | $3.49 | $4.89 | −2% |
| 2013 | $3.46 | $4.78 | −1% |
| 2014 | $3.69 | $5.02 | +7% |
| 2015 | $3.42 | $4.65 | −7% |
| 2016 | $3.20 | $4.29 | −6% |
| 2017 | $3.23 | $4.24 | +1% |
| 2018 | $2.90 | $3.72 | −10% |
| 2019 | $3.04 | $3.83 | +5% |
| 2020 | $3.32 | $4.13 | +9% |
| 2021 | $3.54 | $4.21 | +7% |
| 2022 | $4.09 | $4.50 | +16% |
| 2023 | $4.03 | $4.26 | −1% |
| 2024 | $3.98 | $4.08 | −1% |
| 2025 | $4.07 | $4.07 | +2% |
Decade by decade
In the 1990s, a gallon of whole milk averaged $2.69, from a low of $2.61 in 1997 to a high of $2.84 in 1999. Across the 2000s the yearly average ran from $2.76 in 2002 to $3.80 in 2008, for a decade average of $3.10. The 2010s averaged $3.33: the most expensive year was 2014 at $3.69 and the cheapest 2018 at $2.90. In the 2020s, a gallon of whole milk averaged $3.84, from a low of $3.32 in 2020 to a high of $4.09 in 2022.
Every five years in this record: 2000 $2.78, 2005 $3.19, 2010 $3.26, 2015 $3.42, 2020 $3.32 and 2025 $4.07. From 2021 to 2025, the most recent years of data, the average rose 15%, from $3.54 to $4.07.
Against inflation
In 2025 dollars, the 1996 average of $2.62 is worth $5.38. The actual 2025 average was $4.07. So after adjusting for inflation, a gallon of whole milk cost 24% less in 2025 than in 1996, even though the price on the shelf went up.
Highs, lows and big moves
The highest yearly average in this record is $4.09 in 2022, and the lowest is $2.61 in 1997. The biggest one-year increase was 16%, from $3.54 in 2021 to $4.09 in 2022. The biggest one-year decrease was 18%, from $3.80 in 2008 to $3.11 in 2009.
Of the 5 items in eggs and dairy tracked here, 1 rose faster than inflation over their full records. This record starts in 1996, 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 APU0000709112), 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.