Price of a pound of spaghetti by year, 1984–2025
A pound of spaghetti cost $0.734 on average in 1984 and $1.32 in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Its sharpest one-year jump came in 2008, when the average rose 28% from 2007. The price rose 80% over those years while prices in general rose 210%, so, measured in 2025 dollars, it cost 42% less in 2025 than in 1984.
- Average in 1984
- $0.734
- Average in 2025
- $1.32
- Highest year, 2023
- $1.43
- Biggest one-year rise, 2008
- +28%
- Against inflation
- Trailed it by 42%
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 | $0.734 | $2.27 | — |
| 1985 | $0.739 | $2.21 | +1% |
| 1986 | $0.738 | $2.17 | 0% |
| 1987 | $0.732 | $2.07 | −1% |
| 1988 | $0.802 | $2.18 | +10% |
| 1989 | $0.865 | $2.25 | +8% |
| 1990 | $0.854 | $2.10 | −1% |
| 1991 | $0.868 | $2.05 | +2% |
| 1992 | $0.858 | $1.97 | −1% |
| 1993 | $0.826 | $1.84 | −4% |
| 1994 | $0.865 | $1.88 | +5% |
| 1995 | $0.861 | $1.82 | 0% |
| 1996 | $0.865 | $1.77 | 0% |
| 1997 | $0.873 | $1.75 | +1% |
| 1998 | $0.88 | $1.74 | +1% |
| 1999 | $0.879 | $1.70 | 0% |
| 2000 | $0.862 | $1.61 | −2% |
| 2001 | $0.908 | $1.65 | +5% |
| 2002 | $0.918 | $1.64 | +1% |
| 2003 | $0.933 | $1.63 | +2% |
| 2004 | $0.947 | $1.61 | +2% |
| 2005 | $0.899 | $1.48 | −5% |
| 2006 | $0.858 | $1.37 | −5% |
| 2007 | $0.875 | $1.36 | +2% |
| 2008 | $1.12 | $1.67 | +28% |
| 2009 | $1.16 | $1.74 | +4% |
| 2010 | $1.14 | $1.68 | −2% |
| 2011 | $1.24 | $1.77 | +9% |
| 2012 | $1.32 | $1.85 | +6% |
| 2013 | $1.30 | $1.80 | −2% |
| 2014 | $1.28 | $1.74 | −2% |
| 2015 | $1.32 | $1.79 | +3% |
| 2016 | $1.30 | $1.74 | −2% |
| 2017 | $1.28 | $1.68 | −2% |
| 2018 | $1.19 | $1.53 | −7% |
| 2019 | $1.21 | $1.52 | +2% |
| 2020 | $1.26 | $1.57 | +4% |
| 2021 | $1.18 | $1.40 | −6% |
| 2022 | $1.30 | $1.43 | +10% |
| 2023 | $1.43 | $1.51 | +10% |
| 2024 | $1.42 | $1.46 | −1% |
| 2025 | $1.32 | $1.32 | −7% |
Decade by decade
Across the 1980s the yearly average ran from $0.732 in 1987 to $0.865 in 1989, for a decade average of $0.768. The 1990s averaged $0.863: the most expensive year was 1998 at $0.88 and the cheapest 1993 at $0.826. In the 2000s, a pound of spaghetti averaged $0.948, from a low of $0.858 in 2006 to a high of $1.16 in 2009. Across the 2010s the yearly average ran from $1.14 in 2010 to $1.32 in 2012, for a decade average of $1.26. The 2020s averaged $1.32: the most expensive year was 2023 at $1.43 and the cheapest 2021 at $1.18.
Every five years in this record: 1985 $0.739, 1990 $0.854, 1995 $0.861, 2000 $0.862, 2005 $0.899, 2010 $1.14, 2015 $1.32, 2020 $1.26 and 2025 $1.32. From 2021 to 2025, the most recent years of data, the average rose 12%, from $1.18 to $1.32.
Against inflation
In 2025 dollars, the 1984 average of $0.734 is worth $2.27. The actual 2025 average was $1.32. So after adjusting for inflation, a pound of spaghetti cost 42% less in 2025 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 $1.43 in 2023, and the lowest is $0.732 in 1987. The biggest one-year increase was 28%, from $0.875 in 2007 to $1.12 in 2008. The biggest one-year decrease was 7%, from $1.42 in 2024 to $1.32 in 2025.
Of the 6 items in bread, grains and baking tracked here, 0 rose faster than inflation over their full records. 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 APU0000701322), 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.