Price of a pound of tomatoes by year, 1980–2025
A pound of tomatoes cost $0.674 on average in 1980 and $1.84 in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The price rose 173% over those years while prices in general rose 291%, so, measured in 2025 dollars, it cost 30% less in 2025 than in 1980.
- Average in 1980
- $0.674
- Average in 2025
- $1.84
- Highest year, 2024
- $2.00
- Biggest one-year rise, 1990
- +18%
- Against inflation
- Trailed it by 30%
Every year
The table lists all 46 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 | $0.674 | $2.63 | — |
| 1981 | $0.77 | $2.73 | +14% |
| 1982 | $0.739 | $2.47 | −4% |
| 1983 | $0.784 | $2.53 | +6% |
| 1984 | $0.807 | $2.50 | +3% |
| 1985 | $0.778 | $2.33 | −4% |
| 1986 | $0.824 | $2.42 | +6% |
| 1987 | $0.823 | $2.33 | 0% |
| 1988 | $0.834 | $2.27 | +1% |
| 1989 | $0.912 | $2.37 | +9% |
| 1990 | $1.08 | $2.66 | +18% |
| 1991 | $1.01 | $2.39 | −6% |
| 1992 | $1.09 | $2.50 | +8% |
| 1993 | $1.08 | $2.41 | −1% |
| 1994 | $1.09 | $2.37 | +1% |
| 1995 | $1.16 | $2.45 | +6% |
| 1996 | $1.21 | $2.48 | +4% |
| 1997 | $1.29 | $2.59 | +7% |
| 1998 | $1.48 | $2.92 | +15% |
| 1999 | $1.37 | $2.65 | −7% |
| 2000 | $1.38 | $2.58 | +1% |
| 2001 | $1.32 | $2.40 | −4% |
| 2002 | $1.32 | $2.36 | 0% |
| 2003 | $1.51 | $2.64 | +14% |
| 2004 | $1.61 | $2.74 | +7% |
| 2005 | $1.61 | $2.65 | 0% |
| 2006 | $1.73 | $2.76 | +7% |
| 2007 | $1.65 | $2.56 | −5% |
| 2008 | $1.74 | $2.60 | +5% |
| 2009 | $1.62 | $2.43 | −7% |
| 2010 | $1.69 | $2.50 | +4% |
| 2011 | $1.67 | $2.39 | −1% |
| 2012 | $1.46 | $2.05 | −13% |
| 2013 | $1.53 | $2.11 | +5% |
| 2014 | $1.71 | $2.33 | +12% |
| 2015 | $1.84 | $2.50 | +8% |
| 2016 | $1.93 | $2.59 | +5% |
| 2017 | $1.93 | $2.53 | 0% |
| 2018 | $1.92 | $2.46 | −1% |
| 2019 | $1.93 | $2.43 | +1% |
| 2020 | $1.96 | $2.44 | +2% |
| 2021 | $1.85 | $2.20 | −6% |
| 2022 | $1.91 | $2.10 | +3% |
| 2023 | $1.92 | $2.03 | +1% |
| 2024 | $2.00 | $2.05 | +4% |
| 2025 | $1.84 | $1.84 | −8% |
Decade by decade
Across the 1980s the yearly average ran from $0.674 in 1980 to $0.912 in 1989, for a decade average of $0.795. The 1990s averaged $1.19: the most expensive year was 1998 at $1.48 and the cheapest 1991 at $1.01. In the 2000s, a pound of tomatoes averaged $1.55, from a low of $1.32 in 2001 to a high of $1.74 in 2008. Across the 2010s the yearly average ran from $1.46 in 2012 to $1.93 in 2016, for a decade average of $1.76. The 2020s averaged $1.91: the most expensive year was 2024 at $2.00 and the cheapest 2025 at $1.84.
Every five years in this record: 1980 $0.674, 1985 $0.778, 1990 $1.08, 1995 $1.16, 2000 $1.38, 2005 $1.61, 2010 $1.69, 2015 $1.84, 2020 $1.96 and 2025 $1.84. From 2021 to 2025, the most recent years of data, the average fell 1%, from $1.85 to $1.84.
Against inflation
In 2025 dollars, the 1980 average of $0.674 is worth $2.63. The actual 2025 average was $1.84. So after adjusting for inflation, a pound of tomatoes cost 30% 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 $2.00 in 2024, and the lowest is $0.674 in 1980. The biggest one-year increase was 18%, from $0.912 in 1989 to $1.08 in 1990. The biggest one-year decrease was 13%, from $1.67 in 2011 to $1.46 in 2012.
Of the 9 items in fruit and vegetables tracked here, 4 rose faster than inflation over their full records.
Average prices are U.S. city averages from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (series APU0000712311), 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.