US Average Bread Price Adjusted for Inflation

Tracking inflation-adjusted bread prices reveals how consumer purchasing power has changed over time, providing a clearer picture of real price trends.

The prices in this page represent white bread sold by the pound (453.6 grams) in urban areas across the United States. This includes all white pre-packaged regular bread regardless of size, both frozen and fresh.

Adjusted prices are shown in "today’s dollars", meaning they are benchmarked to the purchasing power of August 2026 (our latest available CPI data baseline).

Key Takeaways
  • The latest average price for a pound of bread was $1.823, in August 2026.
  • In January 1980, the nominal price was $0.501, which is equivalent to $2.157 in today's dollars.
  • Since January 1980, the inflation-adjusted price has fallen 15.49%, an average decline of -0.36% per year.
  • The peak inflation-adjusted price was $2.255, reached in December 2008.

As one of America's fundamental dietary components, bread serves as a key economic indicator in consumer spending patterns and food price monitoring systems nationwide.

This historical data reveals how bread prices have changed over time due to factors such as wheat prices, production costs, market competition and consumer preferences.

Although nominal prices have risen steadily, inflation-adjusted values show that the real cost of bread has remained relatively stable, with only modest fluctuations over time.

Inflation-Adjusted Values by Month

By examining the inflation-adjusted price over time, consumers and analysts can better understand the underlying purchasing power cost of bread, separate from the general rise in the cost of living.

The following table provides a month-by-month breakdown.

Month Nominal Inflation-Adjusted
Aug 2026 1.823 1.823
Jul 2026 1.82 1.826
Jun 2026 1.814 1.82
May 2026 1.83 1.829
Apr 2026 1.869 1.88
Mar 2026 1.808 1.834
Feb 2026 1.85 1.896
Jan 2026 1.843 1.898
Dec 2025 1.833 1.895
Nov 2025 1.79 1.85
Sep 2025 1.867 1.926
Aug 2025 1.841 1.904
Jul 2025 1.851 1.919
Jun 2025 1.864 1.936
May 2025 1.876 1.955
Apr 2025 1.913 1.998
Mar 2025 1.88 1.969
Feb 2025 1.925 2.021
Jan 2025 1.925 2.03
Dec 2024 1.912 2.029
Nov 2024 1.916 2.034
Oct 2024 1.937 2.056
Sep 2024 1.976 2.099
Aug 2024 1.951 2.076
Jul 2024 1.975 2.103
Jun 2024 1.973 2.104
May 2024 1.971 2.102
Apr 2024 1.998 2.135
Mar 2024 1.997 2.142
Feb 2024 2.006 2.165
Jan 2024 2.033 2.208
Dec 2023 2.024 2.21
Nov 2023 1.976 2.156
Oct 2023 2.002 2.18
Sep 2023 1.972 2.146
Aug 2023 1.97 2.149
Jul 2023 1.98 2.17
Jun 2023 1.937 2.127
May 2023 1.951 2.149
Apr 2023 1.989 2.196
Mar 2023 1.936 2.149
Feb 2023 1.896 2.111
Jan 2023 1.888 2.114
Dec 2022 1.873 2.114
Nov 2022 1.847 2.078
Oct 2022 1.814 2.039
Sep 2022 1.749 1.974
Aug 2022 1.756 1.986
Jul 2022 1.715 1.939
Jun 2022 1.691 1.912
May 2022 1.606 1.841
Apr 2022 1.612 1.868
Mar 2022 1.607 1.872
Feb 2022 1.578 1.863
Jan 2022 1.555 1.853
Dec 2021 1.532 1.841
Nov 2021 1.547 1.864
Oct 2021 1.526 1.848
Sep 2021 1.58 1.929
Aug 2021 1.467 1.796
Jul 2021 1.491 1.829
Jun 2021 1.51 1.862
May 2021 1.511 1.88
Apr 2021 1.51 1.894
Mar 2021 1.526 1.93
Feb 2021 1.537 1.958
Jan 2021 1.546 1.98
Dec 2020 1.538 1.978
Nov 2020 1.515 1.95
Oct 2020 1.503 1.934
Sep 2020 1.492 1.92
Aug 2020 1.495 1.927
Jul 2020 1.485 1.92
Jun 2020 1.474 1.915
May 2020 1.412 1.845
Apr 2020 1.406 1.837
Mar 2020 1.374 1.783
Feb 2020 1.375 1.781
Jan 2020 1.351 1.754
Dec 2019 1.363 1.777
Nov 2019 1.361 1.773
Oct 2019 1.325 1.725
Sep 2019 1.296 1.691
Aug 2019 1.275 1.665
Jul 2019 1.281 1.672
Jun 2019 1.28 1.674
May 2019 1.289 1.686
Apr 2019 1.285 1.684
Mar 2019 1.261 1.662
Feb 2019 1.282 1.699
Jan 2019 1.274 1.695
Dec 2018 1.29 1.72
Nov 2018 1.274 1.693
Oct 2018 1.277 1.692
Sep 2018 1.288 1.709
Aug 2018 1.302 1.73
Jul 2018 1.293 1.719
Jun 2018 1.279 1.7
May 2018 1.293 1.722
Apr 2018 1.281 1.713
Mar 2018 1.309 1.757
Feb 2018 1.265 1.702
Jan 2018 1.281 1.731
Dec 2017 1.316 1.788
Nov 2017 1.295 1.759
Oct 2017 1.328 1.803
Sep 2017 1.349 1.831
Aug 2017 1.348 1.839
Jul 2017 1.327 1.816
Jun 2017 1.335 1.826
May 2017 1.327 1.816
Apr 2017 1.328 1.819
Mar 2017 1.329 1.826
Feb 2017 1.358 1.867
Jan 2017 1.351 1.864
Dec 2016 1.362 1.89
Nov 2016 1.362 1.89
Oct 2016 1.343 1.861
Sep 2016 1.329 1.844
Aug 2016 1.341 1.865
Jul 2016 1.349 1.878
Jun 2016 1.333 1.853
May 2016 1.382 1.927
Apr 2016 1.406 1.968
Mar 2016 1.416 1.992
Feb 2016 1.407 1.988
Jan 2016 1.425 2.015
Dec 2015 1.428 2.022
Nov 2015 1.409 1.989
Oct 2015 1.418 1.997
Sep 2015 1.432 2.016
Aug 2015 1.42 1.996
Jul 2015 1.447 2.031
Jun 2015 1.467 2.059
May 2015 1.463 2.061
Apr 2015 1.454 2.059
Mar 2015 1.44 2.043
Feb 2015 1.435 2.048
Jan 2015 1.479 2.12
Dec 2014 1.466 2.091
Nov 2014 1.42 2.014
Oct 2014 1.414 1.995
Sep 2014 1.405 1.977
Aug 2014 1.396 1.966
Jul 2014 1.413 1.987
Jun 2014 1.4 1.968
May 2014 1.401 1.973
Apr 2014 1.388 1.961
Mar 2014 1.359 1.927
Feb 2014 1.388 1.98
Jan 2014 1.365 1.955
Dec 2013 1.385 1.991
Nov 2013 1.382 1.986
Oct 2013 1.358 1.948
Sep 2013 1.419 2.03
Aug 2013 1.408 2.017
Jul 2013 1.434 2.056
Jun 2013 1.439 2.064
May 2013 1.401 2.015
Apr 2013 1.409 2.03
Mar 2013 1.412 2.032
Feb 2013 1.411 2.036
Jan 2013 1.422 2.069
Dec 2012 1.436 2.095
Nov 2012 1.418 2.063
Oct 2012 1.422 2.059
Sep 2012 1.401 2.028
Aug 2012 1.407 2.046
Jul 2012 1.427 2.086
Jun 2012 1.403 2.048
May 2012 1.412 2.058
Apr 2012 1.426 2.076
Mar 2012 1.395 2.037
Feb 2012 1.442 2.122
Jan 2012 1.423 2.103
Dec 2011 1.42 2.108
Nov 2011 1.399 2.072
Oct 2011 1.457 2.156
Sep 2011 1.477 2.181
Aug 2011 1.474 2.18
Jul 2011 1.513 2.243
Jun 2011 1.49 2.211
May 2011 1.472 2.182
Apr 2011 1.42 2.115
Mar 2011 1.415 2.121
Feb 2011 1.398 2.116
Jan 2011 1.401 2.131
Dec 2010 1.386 2.118
Nov 2010 1.375 2.105
Oct 2010 1.407 2.155
Sep 2010 1.386 2.125
Aug 2010 1.372 2.105
Jul 2010 1.36 2.09
Jun 2010 1.383 2.125
May 2010 1.359 2.087
Apr 2010 1.363 2.094
Mar 2010 1.368 2.106
Feb 2010 1.361 2.103
Jan 2010 1.36 2.102
Dec 2009 1.39 2.156
Nov 2009 1.373 2.126
Oct 2009 1.392 2.157
Sep 2009 1.34 2.078
Aug 2009 1.375 2.134
Jul 2009 1.391 2.164
Jun 2009 1.385 2.151
May 2009 1.413 2.213
Apr 2009 1.395 2.191
Mar 2009 1.41 2.221
Feb 2009 1.404 2.216
Jan 2009 1.381 2.191
Dec 2008 1.415 2.255
Nov 2008 1.377 2.171
Oct 2008 1.393 2.155
Sep 2008 1.379 2.111
Aug 2008 1.381 2.112
Jul 2008 1.384 2.108
Jun 2008 1.373 2.102
May 2008 1.37 2.118
Apr 2008 1.373 2.141
Mar 2008 1.35 2.118
Feb 2008 1.321 2.09
Jan 2008 1.281 2.033
Dec 2007 1.28 2.041
Nov 2007 1.235 1.968
Oct 2007 1.274 2.043
Sep 2007 1.212 1.947
Aug 2007 1.21 1.949
Jul 2007 1.209 1.944
Jun 2007 1.193 1.918
May 2007 1.192 1.92
Apr 2007 1.201 1.946
Mar 2007 1.161 1.894
Feb 2007 1.168 1.923
Jan 2007 1.153 1.908
Dec 2006 1.137 1.887
Nov 2006 1.143 1.9
Oct 2006 1.097 1.821
Sep 2006 1.083 1.788
Aug 2006 1.088 1.787
Jul 2006 1.071 1.763
Jun 2006 1.074 1.773
May 2006 1.086 1.796
Apr 2006 1.072 1.782
Mar 2006 1.04 1.744
Feb 2006 1.029 1.735
Jan 2006 1.046 1.767
Dec 2005 1.046 1.78
Nov 2005 1.055 1.788
Oct 2005 1.043 1.754
Sep 2005 1.052 1.773
Aug 2005 1.06 1.808
Jul 2005 1.067 1.829
Jun 2005 1.09 1.877
May 2005 1.086 1.871
Apr 2005 1.004 1.728
Mar 2005 1.002 1.736
Feb 2005 0.982 1.715
Jan 2005 0.997 1.751
Dec 2004 0.97 1.707
Nov 2004 0.976 1.712
Oct 2004 0.972 1.706
Sep 2004 0.985 1.738
Aug 2004 0.996 1.761
Jul 2004 0.985 1.742
Jun 2004 0.979 1.729
May 2004 0.96 1.701
Apr 2004 0.974 1.735
Mar 2004 0.947 1.693
Feb 2004 0.943 1.696
Jan 2004 0.946 1.711
Dec 2003 0.954 1.734
Nov 2003 0.953 1.73
Oct 2003 0.969 1.755
Sep 2003 0.994 1.798
Aug 2003 0.996 1.807
Jul 2003 1.002 1.825
Jun 2003 0.961 1.752
May 2003 1.001 1.827
Apr 2003 1.047 1.908
Mar 2003 1.042 1.895
Feb 2003 1.048 1.917
Jan 2003 1.042 1.921
Dec 2002 1.026 1.9
Nov 2002 1.054 1.947
Oct 2002 1.015 1.875
Sep 2002 1.016 1.88
Aug 2002 1.012 1.876
Jul 2002 1.015 1.888
Jun 2002 1.011 1.883
May 2002 1.012 1.885
Apr 2002 1.005 1.872
Mar 2002 1.012 1.896
Feb 2002 1.008 1.899
Jan 2002 1.001 1.893
Dec 2001 1.005 1.905
Nov 2001 1.012 1.911
Oct 2001 1.01 1.904
Sep 2001 0.996 1.871
Aug 2001 0.991 1.87
Jul 2001 0.987 1.863
Jun 2001 0.989 1.861
May 2001 0.995 1.876
Apr 2001 1.008 1.909
Mar 2001 1.02 1.939
Feb 2001 0.994 1.894
Jan 2001 0.982 1.879
Dec 2000 0.987 1.9
Nov 2000 0.953 1.834
Oct 2000 0.934 1.798
Sep 2000 0.918 1.77
Aug 2000 0.923 1.789
Jul 2000 0.935 1.813
Jun 2000 0.915 1.778
May 2000 0.915 1.787
Apr 2000 0.927 1.813
Mar 2000 0.924 1.808
Feb 2000 0.924 1.823
Jan 2000 0.907 1.8
Dec 1999 0.899 1.789
Nov 1999 0.899 1.789
Oct 1999 0.889 1.77
Sep 1999 0.878 1.752
Aug 1999 0.884 1.772
Jul 1999 0.893 1.794
Jun 1999 0.885 1.784
May 1999 0.886 1.786
Apr 1999 0.897 1.808
Mar 1999 0.883 1.793
Feb 1999 0.88 1.792
Jan 1999 0.872 1.778
Dec 1998 0.866 1.77
Nov 1998 0.855 1.746
Oct 1998 0.849 1.734
Sep 1998 0.86 1.761
Aug 1998 0.869 1.782
Jul 1998 0.867 1.78
Jun 1998 0.859 1.765
May 1998 0.866 1.782
Apr 1998 0.863 1.779
Mar 1998 0.853 1.762
Feb 1998 0.86 1.779
Jan 1998 0.855 1.772
Dec 1997 0.884 1.836
Nov 1997 0.897 1.861
Oct 1997 0.899 1.864
Sep 1997 0.885 1.839
Aug 1997 0.872 1.817
Jul 1997 0.872 1.82
Jun 1997 0.874 1.826
May 1997 0.854 1.787
Apr 1997 0.855 1.788
Mar 1997 0.855 1.79
Feb 1997 0.858 1.801
Jan 1997 0.862 1.815
Dec 1996 0.875 1.848
Nov 1996 0.88 1.859
Oct 1996 0.873 1.847
Sep 1996 0.886 1.881
Aug 1996 0.915 1.949
Jul 1996 0.889 1.897
Jun 1996 0.886 1.894
May 1996 0.869 1.859
Apr 1996 0.865 1.854
Mar 1996 0.852 1.833
Feb 1996 0.858 1.855
Jan 1996 0.86 1.866
Dec 1995 0.837 1.827
Nov 1995 0.821 1.79
Oct 1995 0.809 1.763
Sep 1995 0.808 1.767
Aug 1995 0.797 1.746
Jul 1995 0.789 1.733
Jun 1995 0.781 1.716
May 1995 0.768 1.69
Apr 1995 0.776 1.711
Mar 1995 0.775 1.715
Feb 1995 0.767 1.703
Jan 1995 0.767 1.709
Dec 1994 0.748 1.674
Nov 1994 0.766 1.714
Oct 1994 0.756 1.694
Sep 1994 0.776 1.74
Aug 1994 0.753 1.693
Jul 1994 0.759 1.713
Jun 1994 0.761 1.722
May 1994 0.765 1.737
Apr 1994 0.765 1.739
Mar 1994 0.755 1.718
Feb 1994 0.756 1.726
Jan 1994 0.768 1.76
Dec 1993 0.76 1.746
Nov 1993 0.771 1.771
Oct 1993 0.75 1.724
Sep 1993 0.748 1.727
Aug 1993 0.745 1.723
Jul 1993 0.762 1.768
Jun 1993 0.752 1.744
May 1993 0.752 1.747
Apr 1993 0.744 1.731
Mar 1993 0.742 1.731
Feb 1993 0.751 1.758
Jan 1993 0.748 1.757
Dec 1992 0.738 1.742
Nov 1992 0.747 1.762
Oct 1992 0.752 1.776
Sep 1992 0.756 1.792
Aug 1992 0.776 1.845
Jul 1992 0.771 1.838
Jun 1992 0.757 1.809
May 1992 0.752 1.803
Apr 1992 0.746 1.791
Mar 1992 0.747 1.796
Feb 1992 0.73 1.764
Jan 1992 0.726 1.761
Dec 1991 0.717 1.742
Nov 1991 0.731 1.777
Oct 1991 0.72 1.755
Sep 1991 0.717 1.751
Aug 1991 0.714 1.751
Jul 1991 0.7 1.722
Jun 1991 0.705 1.736
May 1991 0.705 1.742
Apr 1991 0.701 1.737
Mar 1991 0.702 1.742
Feb 1991 0.701 1.742
Jan 1991 0.705 1.755
Dec 1990 0.7 1.753
Nov 1990 0.71 1.778
Oct 1990 0.706 1.772
Sep 1990 0.7 1.767
Aug 1990 0.713 1.815
Jul 1990 0.685 1.76
Jun 1990 0.687 1.772
May 1990 0.678 1.758
Apr 1990 0.686 1.783
Mar 1990 0.68 1.77
Feb 1990 0.701 1.835
Jan 1990 0.689 1.812
Dec 1989 0.688 1.828
Nov 1989 0.676 1.799
Oct 1989 0.674 1.798
Sep 1989 0.671 1.798
Aug 1989 0.674 1.812
Jul 1989 0.671 1.807
Jun 1989 0.664 1.792
May 1989 0.655 1.772
Apr 1989 0.655 1.782
Mar 1989 0.654 1.791
Feb 1989 0.652 1.796
Jan 1989 0.653 1.806
Dec 1988 0.657 1.826
Nov 1988 0.645 1.796
Oct 1988 0.642 1.789
Sep 1988 0.636 1.778
Aug 1988 0.619 1.742
Jul 1988 0.602 1.702
Jun 1988 0.601 1.706
May 1988 0.598 1.705
Apr 1988 0.595 1.702
Mar 1988 0.587 1.688
Feb 1988 0.586 1.692
Jan 1988 0.586 1.697
Dec 1987 0.571 1.657
Nov 1987 0.559 1.623
Oct 1987 0.559 1.624
Sep 1987 0.551 1.605
Aug 1987 0.546 1.599
Jul 1987 0.544 1.601
Jun 1987 0.533 1.573
May 1987 0.54 1.599
Apr 1987 0.542 1.611
Mar 1987 0.541 1.617
Feb 1987 0.539 1.618
Jan 1987 0.544 1.639
Dec 1986 0.566 1.716
Nov 1986 0.564 1.711
Oct 1986 0.565 1.716
Sep 1986 0.566 1.72
Aug 1986 0.57 1.741
Jul 1986 0.564 1.725
Jun 1986 0.569 1.741
May 1986 0.562 1.729
Apr 1986 0.561 1.73
Mar 1986 0.56 1.724
Feb 1986 0.563 1.725
Jan 1986 0.566 1.73
Dec 1985 0.568 1.741
Nov 1985 0.564 1.733
Oct 1985 0.566 1.744
Sep 1985 0.561 1.735
Aug 1985 0.553 1.715
Jul 1985 0.556 1.728
Jun 1985 0.546 1.7
May 1985 0.542 1.692
Apr 1985 0.544 1.705
Mar 1985 0.544 1.713
Feb 1985 0.544 1.719
Jan 1985 0.551 1.75
Dec 1984 0.544 1.731
Nov 1984 0.543 1.727
Oct 1984 0.54 1.718
Sep 1984 0.539 1.72
Aug 1984 0.543 1.741
Jul 1984 0.541 1.741
Jun 1984 0.542 1.751
May 1984 0.541 1.753
Apr 1984 0.536 1.742
Mar 1984 0.542 1.77
Feb 1984 0.541 1.77
Jan 1984 0.543 1.785
Dec 1983 0.547 1.809
Nov 1983 0.547 1.811
Oct 1983 0.535 1.774
Sep 1983 0.536 1.783
Aug 1983 0.539 1.802
Jul 1983 0.544 1.824
Jun 1983 0.542 1.825
May 1983 0.542 1.83
Apr 1983 0.538 1.828
Mar 1983 0.544 1.861
Feb 1983 0.544 1.861
Jan 1983 0.541 1.853
Dec 1982 0.537 1.843
Nov 1982 0.534 1.825
Oct 1982 0.534 1.822
Sep 1982 0.536 1.834
Aug 1982 0.534 1.831
Jul 1982 0.534 1.835
Jun 1982 0.525 1.813
May 1982 0.529 1.85
Apr 1982 0.526 1.857
Mar 1982 0.526 1.865
Feb 1982 0.534 1.891
Jan 1982 0.537 1.908
Dec 1981 0.521 1.857
Nov 1981 0.527 1.884
Oct 1981 0.521 1.869
Sep 1981 0.524 1.883
Aug 1981 0.519 1.884
Jul 1981 0.521 1.905
Jun 1981 0.523 1.934
May 1981 0.525 1.958
Apr 1981 0.519 1.951
Mar 1981 0.538 2.036
Feb 1981 0.533 2.031
Jan 1981 0.531 2.045
Dec 1980 0.519 2.015
Nov 1980 0.519 2.033
Oct 1980 0.514 2.03
Sep 1980 0.511 2.038
Aug 1980 0.507 2.039
Jul 1980 0.511 2.07
Jun 1980 0.503 2.037
May 1980 0.504 2.064
Apr 1980 0.507 2.097
Mar 1980 0.502 2.099
Feb 1980 0.507 2.153
Jan 1980 0.501 2.157

About the Data

Price data is collected and published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on a monthly basis. The US Average Bread Price represents the average cost of a pound of white, pan bread in urban areas across the United States.

We have adjusted these prices for inflation based on the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U). While a specific CPI for "Food" exists, using the broader CPI-U allows us to compare bread prices against the overall cost of goods and services typically purchased by households, revealing whether bread has become relatively more or less expensive compared to general inflation over time.

This data allows consumers and policymakers to understand trends in staple food prices and their impact on household budgets. By adjusting for inflation, this page provides insights into the real cost of bread over time, helping users make informed decisions and conduct meaningful analyses.

More in Consumer Prices

Other Inflation-Adjusted Data