Price of a pound of frozen whole turkey by year, 1980–2019
A pound of frozen whole turkey cost $0.937 on average in 1980 and $1.52 in 2019, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The price rose 62% over those years while prices in general rose 210%, so, measured in 2025 dollars, it cost 48% less in 2019 than in 1980.
- Average in 1980
- $0.937
- Average in 2019
- $1.52
- Highest year, 2013
- $1.65
- Biggest one-year rise, 2009
- +12%
- Against inflation
- Trailed it by 48%
Every year
The table lists all 40 years with data, from 1980 to 2019. Select a year to see what everything else cost that year.
| Year | Average price | In 2025 dollars | Change from year before |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | $0.937 | $3.66 | — |
| 1981 | $0.978 | $3.46 | +4% |
| 1982 | $0.93 | $3.10 | −5% |
| 1983 | $0.922 | $2.98 | −1% |
| 1984 | $0.989 | $3.06 | +7% |
| 1985 | $1.05 | $3.14 | +6% |
| 1986 | $1.07 | $3.14 | +2% |
| 1987 | $1.01 | $2.86 | −6% |
| 1988 | $0.957 | $2.60 | −5% |
| 1989 | $0.994 | $2.58 | +4% |
| 1990 | $0.993 | $2.45 | 0% |
| 1991 | $0.998 | $2.36 | +1% |
| 1992 | $0.97 | $2.23 | −3% |
| 1993 | $1.00 | $2.23 | +3% |
| 1994 | $1.00 | $2.17 | 0% |
| 1995 | $1.02 | $2.15 | +2% |
| 1996 | $1.04 | $2.13 | +2% |
| 1997 | $1.05 | $2.11 | +1% |
| 1998 | $0.996 | $1.97 | −5% |
| 1999 | $0.993 | $1.92 | 0% |
| 2000 | $1.03 | $1.93 | +4% |
| 2001 | $1.10 | $2.00 | +7% |
| 2002 | $1.05 | $1.88 | −5% |
| 2003 | $1.08 | $1.89 | +3% |
| 2004 | $1.09 | $1.86 | +1% |
| 2005 | $1.07 | $1.76 | −2% |
| 2006 | $1.11 | $1.77 | +4% |
| 2007 | $1.15 | $1.79 | +4% |
| 2008 | $1.25 | $1.87 | +9% |
| 2009 | $1.40 | $2.10 | +12% |
| 2010 | $1.48 | $2.19 | +6% |
| 2011 | $1.58 | $2.26 | +7% |
| 2012 | $1.62 | $2.27 | +3% |
| 2013 | $1.65 | $2.28 | +2% |
| 2014 | $1.60 | $2.18 | −3% |
| 2015 | $1.51 | $2.05 | −6% |
| 2016 | $1.55 | $2.08 | +3% |
| 2017 | $1.58 | $2.08 | +2% |
| 2018 | $1.50 | $1.92 | −5% |
| 2019 | $1.52 | $1.91 | +1% |
Decade by decade
Across the 1980s the yearly average ran from $0.922 in 1983 to $1.07 in 1986, for a decade average of $0.984. The 1990s averaged $1.01: the most expensive year was 1997 at $1.05 and the cheapest 1992 at $0.97. In the 2000s, a pound of frozen whole turkey averaged $1.13, from a low of $1.03 in 2000 to a high of $1.40 in 2009. Across the 2010s the yearly average ran from $1.48 in 2010 to $1.65 in 2013, for a decade average of $1.56.
Every five years in this record: 1980 $0.937, 1985 $1.05, 1990 $0.993, 1995 $1.02, 2000 $1.03, 2005 $1.07, 2010 $1.48 and 2015 $1.51. From 2015 to 2019, the most recent years of data, the average rose 1%, from $1.51 to $1.52.
Against inflation
In 2025 dollars, the 1980 average of $0.937 is worth $3.66. The series ends in 2019 at $1.52, or $1.91 in 2025 dollars. So after adjusting for inflation, a pound of frozen whole turkey cost 48% less in 2019 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 $1.65 in 2013, and the lowest is $0.922 in 1983. The biggest one-year increase was 12%, from $1.25 in 2008 to $1.40 in 2009. The biggest one-year decrease was 6%, from $1.60 in 2014 to $1.51 in 2015.
Of the 10 items in meat and poultry tracked here, 4 rose faster than inflation over their full records. 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 APU0000706311), 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.