Price of a pound of whole wheat bread by year, 1980–2025
A pound of whole wheat bread cost $0.726 on average in 1980 and $2.70 in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The price rose 272% over those years while prices in general rose 291%, so, measured in 2025 dollars, it cost 5% less in 2025 than in 1980.
- Average in 1980
- $0.726
- Average in 2025
- $2.70
- Highest year, 2024
- $2.70
- Biggest one-year rise, 2007
- +20%
- Against inflation
- Trailed it by 5%
Every year
The table lists all 42 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 | $0.726 | $2.84 | — |
| 1981 | $0.776 | $2.75 | +7% |
| 1982 | $0.816 | $2.72 | +5% |
| 1983 | $0.843 | $2.72 | +3% |
| 1984 | $0.876 | $2.71 | +4% |
| 1985 | $0.859 | $2.57 | −2% |
| 1986 | $0.868 | $2.55 | +1% |
| 1987 | $0.88 | $2.49 | +1% |
| 1991 | $1.07 | $2.53 | — |
| 1992 | $1.06 | $2.43 | −1% |
| 1993 | $1.08 | $2.41 | +2% |
| 1994 | $1.14 | $2.48 | +6% |
| 1995 | $1.15 | $2.43 | +1% |
| 1996 | $1.25 | $2.56 | +9% |
| 1997 | $1.28 | $2.57 | +2% |
| 1998 | $1.29 | $2.55 | +1% |
| 1999 | $1.33 | $2.57 | +3% |
| 2000 | $1.36 | $2.54 | +2% |
| 2001 | $1.44 | $2.62 | +6% |
| 2002 | $1.46 | $2.61 | +1% |
| 2003 | $1.43 | $2.50 | −2% |
| 2005 | $1.35 | $2.23 | — |
| 2006 | $1.42 | $2.27 | +5% |
| 2007 | $1.71 | $2.66 | +20% |
| 2008 | $1.94 | $2.90 | +13% |
| 2009 | $1.88 | $2.82 | −3% |
| 2010 | $1.78 | $2.63 | −5% |
| 2011 | $1.96 | $2.81 | +10% |
| 2012 | $1.99 | $2.79 | +2% |
| 2013 | $2.04 | $2.82 | +3% |
| 2014 | $2.03 | $2.76 | 0% |
| 2015 | $1.99 | $2.70 | −2% |
| 2016 | $1.96 | $2.63 | −2% |
| 2017 | $1.99 | $2.61 | +2% |
| 2018 | $1.96 | $2.51 | −2% |
| 2019 | $1.94 | $2.44 | −1% |
| 2020 | $2.09 | $2.60 | +8% |
| 2021 | $2.13 | $2.53 | +2% |
| 2022 | $2.26 | $2.49 | +6% |
| 2023 | $2.56 | $2.70 | +13% |
| 2024 | $2.70 | $2.77 | +5% |
| 2025 | $2.70 | $2.70 | 0% |
Decade by decade
In the 1980s, a pound of whole wheat bread averaged $0.831, from a low of $0.726 in 1980 to a high of $0.88 in 1987. Across the 1990s the yearly average ran from $1.06 in 1992 to $1.33 in 1999, for a decade average of $1.18. The 2000s averaged $1.55: the most expensive year was 2008 at $1.94 and the cheapest 2005 at $1.35. In the 2010s, a pound of whole wheat bread averaged $1.96, from a low of $1.78 in 2010 to a high of $2.04 in 2013. Across the 2020s the yearly average ran from $2.09 in 2020 to $2.70 in 2024, for a decade average of $2.41.
Every five years in this record: 1980 $0.726, 1985 $0.859, 1995 $1.15, 2000 $1.36, 2005 $1.35, 2010 $1.78, 2015 $1.99, 2020 $2.09 and 2025 $2.70. From 2021 to 2025, the most recent years of data, the average rose 27%, from $2.13 to $2.70.
Against inflation
In 2025 dollars, the 1980 average of $0.726 is worth $2.84. The actual 2025 average was $2.70. So after adjusting for inflation, a pound of whole wheat bread cost 5% 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 $2.70 in 2024, and the lowest is $0.726 in 1980. The biggest one-year increase was 20%, from $1.42 in 2006 to $1.71 in 2007. The biggest one-year decrease was 5%, from $1.88 in 2009 to $1.78 in 2010.
Of the 6 items in bread, grains and baking tracked here, 0 rose faster than inflation over their full records. The Bureau published fewer than nine months of prices for 1988–1990 and 2004, so those years are left out of the table and the chart.
Average prices are U.S. city averages from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (series APU0000702212), 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.