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 January 2026 (our latest available CPI data baseline).

Key Takeaways
  • The latest average price for a pound of bread was $1.843, in January 2026.
  • In January 1980, the nominal price was $0.501, which is equivalent to $2.094 in today's dollars.
  • Since January 1980, the inflation-adjusted price has fallen 12.01%, an average decline of -0.28% per year.
  • The peak inflation-adjusted price was $2.189, 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
Jan 2026 1.843 1.843
Dec 2025 1.833 1.84
Nov 2025 1.79 1.796
Sep 2025 1.867 1.87
Aug 2025 1.841 1.848
Jul 2025 1.851 1.864
Jun 2025 1.864 1.88
May 2025 1.876 1.898
Apr 2025 1.913 1.94
Mar 2025 1.88 1.912
Feb 2025 1.925 1.962
Jan 2025 1.925 1.971
Dec 2024 1.912 1.97
Nov 2024 1.916 1.975
Oct 2024 1.937 1.996
Sep 2024 1.976 2.038
Aug 2024 1.951 2.016
Jul 2024 1.975 2.042
Jun 2024 1.973 2.043
May 2024 1.971 2.041
Apr 2024 1.998 2.073
Mar 2024 1.997 2.08
Feb 2024 2.006 2.102
Jan 2024 2.033 2.144
Dec 2023 2.024 2.146
Nov 2023 1.976 2.093
Oct 2023 2.002 2.116
Sep 2023 1.972 2.084
Aug 2023 1.97 2.087
Jul 2023 1.98 2.107
Jun 2023 1.937 2.065
May 2023 1.951 2.087
Apr 2023 1.989 2.133
Mar 2023 1.936 2.086
Feb 2023 1.896 2.05
Jan 2023 1.888 2.053
Dec 2022 1.873 2.053
Nov 2022 1.847 2.018
Oct 2022 1.814 1.98
Sep 2022 1.749 1.917
Aug 2022 1.756 1.928
Jul 2022 1.715 1.883
Jun 2022 1.691 1.856
May 2022 1.606 1.787
Apr 2022 1.612 1.814
Mar 2022 1.607 1.818
Feb 2022 1.578 1.809
Jan 2022 1.555 1.799
Dec 2021 1.532 1.787
Nov 2021 1.547 1.81
Oct 2021 1.526 1.794
Sep 2021 1.58 1.873
Aug 2021 1.467 1.744
Jul 2021 1.491 1.776
Jun 2021 1.51 1.808
May 2021 1.511 1.826
Apr 2021 1.51 1.839
Mar 2021 1.526 1.874
Feb 2021 1.537 1.901
Jan 2021 1.546 1.922
Dec 2020 1.538 1.92
Nov 2020 1.515 1.894
Oct 2020 1.503 1.877
Sep 2020 1.492 1.864
Aug 2020 1.495 1.871
Jul 2020 1.485 1.864
Jun 2020 1.474 1.86
May 2020 1.412 1.791
Apr 2020 1.406 1.784
Mar 2020 1.374 1.731
Feb 2020 1.375 1.729
Jan 2020 1.351 1.703
Dec 2019 1.363 1.725
Nov 2019 1.361 1.721
Oct 2019 1.325 1.675
Sep 2019 1.296 1.642
Aug 2019 1.275 1.616
Jul 2019 1.281 1.624
Jun 2019 1.28 1.625
May 2019 1.289 1.637
Apr 2019 1.285 1.636
Mar 2019 1.261 1.613
Feb 2019 1.282 1.65
Jan 2019 1.274 1.646
Dec 2018 1.29 1.67
Nov 2018 1.274 1.644
Oct 2018 1.277 1.642
Sep 2018 1.288 1.66
Aug 2018 1.302 1.679
Jul 2018 1.293 1.669
Jun 2018 1.279 1.651
May 2018 1.293 1.672
Apr 2018 1.281 1.663
Mar 2018 1.309 1.706
Feb 2018 1.265 1.652
Jan 2018 1.281 1.681
Dec 2017 1.316 1.736
Nov 2017 1.295 1.708
Oct 2017 1.328 1.751
Sep 2017 1.349 1.778
Aug 2017 1.348 1.786
Jul 2017 1.327 1.763
Jun 2017 1.335 1.773
May 2017 1.327 1.764
Apr 2017 1.328 1.766
Mar 2017 1.329 1.773
Feb 2017 1.358 1.813
Jan 2017 1.351 1.809
Dec 2016 1.362 1.835
Nov 2016 1.362 1.835
Oct 2016 1.343 1.807
Sep 2016 1.329 1.79
Aug 2016 1.341 1.811
Jul 2016 1.349 1.823
Jun 2016 1.333 1.799
May 2016 1.382 1.871
Apr 2016 1.406 1.911
Mar 2016 1.416 1.934
Feb 2016 1.407 1.93
Jan 2016 1.425 1.956
Dec 2015 1.428 1.964
Nov 2015 1.409 1.931
Oct 2015 1.418 1.939
Sep 2015 1.432 1.957
Aug 2015 1.42 1.938
Jul 2015 1.447 1.972
Jun 2015 1.467 1.999
May 2015 1.463 2.001
Apr 2015 1.454 1.999
Mar 2015 1.44 1.984
Feb 2015 1.435 1.988
Jan 2015 1.479 2.058
Dec 2014 1.466 2.031
Nov 2014 1.42 1.956
Oct 2014 1.414 1.937
Sep 2014 1.405 1.92
Aug 2014 1.396 1.909
Jul 2014 1.413 1.929
Jun 2014 1.4 1.91
May 2014 1.401 1.915
Apr 2014 1.388 1.904
Mar 2014 1.359 1.871
Feb 2014 1.388 1.923
Jan 2014 1.365 1.898
Dec 2013 1.385 1.933
Nov 2013 1.382 1.929
Oct 2013 1.358 1.891
Sep 2013 1.419 1.971
Aug 2013 1.408 1.958
Jul 2013 1.434 1.997
Jun 2013 1.439 2.004
May 2013 1.401 1.956
Apr 2013 1.409 1.971
Mar 2013 1.412 1.973
Feb 2013 1.411 1.977
Jan 2013 1.422 2.008
Dec 2012 1.436 2.034
Nov 2012 1.418 2.003
Oct 2012 1.422 1.999
Sep 2012 1.401 1.969
Aug 2012 1.407 1.986
Jul 2012 1.427 2.026
Jun 2012 1.403 1.989
May 2012 1.412 1.998
Apr 2012 1.426 2.016
Mar 2012 1.395 1.978
Feb 2012 1.442 2.06
Jan 2012 1.423 2.042
Dec 2011 1.42 2.047
Nov 2011 1.399 2.011
Oct 2011 1.457 2.093
Sep 2011 1.477 2.117
Aug 2011 1.474 2.116
Jul 2011 1.513 2.178
Jun 2011 1.49 2.147
May 2011 1.472 2.119
Apr 2011 1.42 2.054
Mar 2011 1.415 2.06
Feb 2011 1.398 2.055
Jan 2011 1.401 2.069
Dec 2010 1.386 2.057
Nov 2010 1.375 2.044
Oct 2010 1.407 2.092
Sep 2010 1.386 2.064
Aug 2010 1.372 2.044
Jul 2010 1.36 2.029
Jun 2010 1.383 2.064
May 2010 1.359 2.026
Apr 2010 1.363 2.033
Mar 2010 1.368 2.044
Feb 2010 1.361 2.042
Jan 2010 1.36 2.041
Dec 2009 1.39 2.094
Nov 2009 1.373 2.064
Oct 2009 1.392 2.094
Sep 2009 1.34 2.018
Aug 2009 1.375 2.072
Jul 2009 1.391 2.101
Jun 2009 1.385 2.088
May 2009 1.413 2.149
Apr 2009 1.395 2.128
Mar 2009 1.41 2.156
Feb 2009 1.404 2.152
Jan 2009 1.381 2.127
Dec 2008 1.415 2.189
Nov 2008 1.377 2.108
Oct 2008 1.393 2.092
Sep 2008 1.379 2.05
Aug 2008 1.381 2.05
Jul 2008 1.384 2.046
Jun 2008 1.373 2.041
May 2008 1.37 2.057
Apr 2008 1.373 2.079
Mar 2008 1.35 2.056
Feb 2008 1.321 2.03
Jan 2008 1.281 1.974
Dec 2007 1.28 1.982
Nov 2007 1.235 1.911
Oct 2007 1.274 1.983
Sep 2007 1.212 1.891
Aug 2007 1.21 1.893
Jul 2007 1.209 1.888
Jun 2007 1.193 1.862
May 2007 1.192 1.864
Apr 2007 1.201 1.89
Mar 2007 1.161 1.839
Feb 2007 1.168 1.867
Jan 2007 1.153 1.853
Dec 2006 1.137 1.833
Nov 2006 1.143 1.845
Oct 2006 1.097 1.768
Sep 2006 1.083 1.736
Aug 2006 1.088 1.736
Jul 2006 1.071 1.712
Jun 2006 1.074 1.722
May 2006 1.086 1.744
Apr 2006 1.072 1.73
Mar 2006 1.04 1.693
Feb 2006 1.029 1.684
Jan 2006 1.046 1.716
Dec 2005 1.046 1.729
Nov 2005 1.055 1.737
Oct 2005 1.043 1.703
Sep 2005 1.052 1.721
Aug 2005 1.06 1.755
Jul 2005 1.067 1.776
Jun 2005 1.09 1.823
May 2005 1.086 1.817
Apr 2005 1.004 1.678
Mar 2005 1.002 1.686
Feb 2005 0.982 1.665
Jan 2005 0.997 1.7
Dec 2004 0.97 1.658
Nov 2004 0.976 1.662
Oct 2004 0.972 1.656
Sep 2004 0.985 1.687
Aug 2004 0.996 1.71
Jul 2004 0.985 1.692
Jun 2004 0.979 1.679
May 2004 0.96 1.651
Apr 2004 0.974 1.685
Mar 2004 0.947 1.644
Feb 2004 0.943 1.647
Jan 2004 0.946 1.661
Dec 2003 0.954 1.684
Nov 2003 0.953 1.68
Oct 2003 0.969 1.704
Sep 2003 0.994 1.746
Aug 2003 0.996 1.755
Jul 2003 1.002 1.772
Jun 2003 0.961 1.702
May 2003 1.001 1.774
Apr 2003 1.047 1.853
Mar 2003 1.042 1.84
Feb 2003 1.048 1.862
Jan 2003 1.042 1.865
Dec 2002 1.026 1.845
Nov 2002 1.054 1.891
Oct 2002 1.015 1.821
Sep 2002 1.016 1.826
Aug 2002 1.012 1.822
Jul 2002 1.015 1.833
Jun 2002 1.011 1.828
May 2002 1.012 1.831
Apr 2002 1.005 1.818
Mar 2002 1.012 1.841
Feb 2002 1.008 1.844
Jan 2002 1.001 1.838
Dec 2001 1.005 1.85
Nov 2001 1.012 1.855
Oct 2001 1.01 1.849
Sep 2001 0.996 1.817
Aug 2001 0.991 1.816
Jul 2001 0.987 1.809
Jun 2001 0.989 1.807
May 2001 0.995 1.821
Apr 2001 1.008 1.853
Mar 2001 1.02 1.883
Feb 2001 0.994 1.839
Jan 2001 0.982 1.824
Dec 2000 0.987 1.845
Nov 2000 0.953 1.78
Oct 2000 0.934 1.746
Sep 2000 0.918 1.719
Aug 2000 0.923 1.737
Jul 2000 0.935 1.76
Jun 2000 0.915 1.726
May 2000 0.915 1.735
Apr 2000 0.927 1.76
Mar 2000 0.924 1.755
Feb 2000 0.924 1.77
Jan 2000 0.907 1.748
Dec 1999 0.899 1.737
Nov 1999 0.899 1.737
Oct 1999 0.889 1.719
Sep 1999 0.878 1.701
Aug 1999 0.884 1.721
Jul 1999 0.893 1.742
Jun 1999 0.885 1.732
May 1999 0.886 1.734
Apr 1999 0.897 1.755
Mar 1999 0.883 1.741
Feb 1999 0.88 1.74
Jan 1999 0.872 1.726
Dec 1998 0.866 1.719
Nov 1998 0.855 1.696
Oct 1998 0.849 1.684
Sep 1998 0.86 1.71
Aug 1998 0.869 1.73
Jul 1998 0.867 1.728
Jun 1998 0.859 1.714
May 1998 0.866 1.73
Apr 1998 0.863 1.727
Mar 1998 0.853 1.71
Feb 1998 0.86 1.728
Jan 1998 0.855 1.721
Dec 1997 0.884 1.783
Nov 1997 0.897 1.807
Oct 1997 0.899 1.809
Sep 1997 0.885 1.786
Aug 1997 0.872 1.764
Jul 1997 0.872 1.767
Jun 1997 0.874 1.773
May 1997 0.854 1.735
Apr 1997 0.855 1.736
Mar 1997 0.855 1.738
Feb 1997 0.858 1.749
Jan 1997 0.862 1.762
Dec 1996 0.875 1.794
Nov 1996 0.88 1.805
Oct 1996 0.873 1.794
Sep 1996 0.886 1.826
Aug 1996 0.915 1.892
Jul 1996 0.889 1.842
Jun 1996 0.886 1.839
May 1996 0.869 1.805
Apr 1996 0.865 1.8
Mar 1996 0.852 1.78
Feb 1996 0.858 1.802
Jan 1996 0.86 1.812
Dec 1995 0.837 1.774
Nov 1995 0.821 1.738
Oct 1995 0.809 1.712
Sep 1995 0.808 1.715
Aug 1995 0.797 1.695
Jul 1995 0.789 1.683
Jun 1995 0.781 1.666
May 1995 0.768 1.641
Apr 1995 0.776 1.662
Mar 1995 0.775 1.665
Feb 1995 0.767 1.653
Jan 1995 0.767 1.66
Dec 1994 0.748 1.625
Nov 1994 0.766 1.664
Oct 1994 0.756 1.645
Sep 1994 0.776 1.689
Aug 1994 0.753 1.644
Jul 1994 0.759 1.664
Jun 1994 0.761 1.672
May 1994 0.765 1.687
Apr 1994 0.765 1.688
Mar 1994 0.755 1.668
Feb 1994 0.756 1.676
Jan 1994 0.768 1.709
Dec 1993 0.76 1.695
Nov 1993 0.771 1.72
Oct 1993 0.75 1.674
Sep 1993 0.748 1.677
Aug 1993 0.745 1.673
Jul 1993 0.762 1.716
Jun 1993 0.752 1.694
May 1993 0.752 1.696
Apr 1993 0.744 1.68
Mar 1993 0.742 1.681
Feb 1993 0.751 1.707
Jan 1993 0.748 1.706
Dec 1992 0.738 1.692
Nov 1992 0.747 1.711
Oct 1992 0.752 1.725
Sep 1992 0.756 1.74
Aug 1992 0.776 1.791
Jul 1992 0.771 1.785
Jun 1992 0.757 1.756
May 1992 0.752 1.751
Apr 1992 0.746 1.739
Mar 1992 0.747 1.744
Feb 1992 0.73 1.713
Jan 1992 0.726 1.71
Dec 1991 0.717 1.691
Nov 1991 0.731 1.725
Oct 1991 0.72 1.704
Sep 1991 0.717 1.7
Aug 1991 0.714 1.7
Jul 1991 0.7 1.672
Jun 1991 0.705 1.686
May 1991 0.705 1.691
Apr 1991 0.701 1.686
Mar 1991 0.702 1.691
Feb 1991 0.701 1.691
Jan 1991 0.705 1.704
Dec 1990 0.7 1.702
Nov 1990 0.71 1.726
Oct 1990 0.706 1.72
Sep 1990 0.7 1.716
Aug 1990 0.713 1.762
Jul 1990 0.685 1.709
Jun 1990 0.687 1.72
May 1990 0.678 1.707
Apr 1990 0.686 1.731
Mar 1990 0.68 1.719
Feb 1990 0.701 1.781
Jan 1990 0.689 1.759
Dec 1989 0.688 1.775
Nov 1989 0.676 1.746
Oct 1989 0.674 1.745
Sep 1989 0.671 1.746
Aug 1989 0.674 1.759
Jul 1989 0.671 1.754
Jun 1989 0.664 1.74
May 1989 0.655 1.721
Apr 1989 0.655 1.731
Mar 1989 0.654 1.739
Feb 1989 0.652 1.744
Jan 1989 0.653 1.754
Dec 1988 0.657 1.773
Nov 1988 0.645 1.744
Oct 1988 0.642 1.737
Sep 1988 0.636 1.727
Aug 1988 0.619 1.692
Jul 1988 0.602 1.652
Jun 1988 0.601 1.657
May 1988 0.598 1.655
Apr 1988 0.595 1.653
Mar 1988 0.587 1.639
Feb 1988 0.586 1.643
Jan 1988 0.586 1.647
Dec 1987 0.571 1.609
Nov 1987 0.559 1.576
Oct 1987 0.559 1.577
Sep 1987 0.551 1.558
Aug 1987 0.546 1.552
Jul 1987 0.544 1.555
Jun 1987 0.533 1.527
May 1987 0.54 1.553
Apr 1987 0.542 1.564
Mar 1987 0.541 1.57
Feb 1987 0.539 1.571
Jan 1987 0.544 1.591
Dec 1986 0.566 1.666
Nov 1986 0.564 1.662
Oct 1986 0.565 1.666
Sep 1986 0.566 1.671
Aug 1986 0.57 1.69
Jul 1986 0.564 1.675
Jun 1986 0.569 1.69
May 1986 0.562 1.679
Apr 1986 0.561 1.68
Mar 1986 0.56 1.674
Feb 1986 0.563 1.675
Jan 1986 0.566 1.68
Dec 1985 0.568 1.69
Nov 1985 0.564 1.683
Oct 1985 0.566 1.694
Sep 1985 0.561 1.685
Aug 1985 0.553 1.665
Jul 1985 0.556 1.678
Jun 1985 0.546 1.65
May 1985 0.542 1.643
Apr 1985 0.544 1.655
Mar 1985 0.544 1.663
Feb 1985 0.544 1.669
Jan 1985 0.551 1.699
Dec 1984 0.544 1.68
Nov 1984 0.543 1.677
Oct 1984 0.54 1.668
Sep 1984 0.539 1.67
Aug 1984 0.543 1.69
Jul 1984 0.541 1.69
Jun 1984 0.542 1.7
May 1984 0.541 1.702
Apr 1984 0.536 1.691
Mar 1984 0.542 1.718
Feb 1984 0.541 1.718
Jan 1984 0.543 1.733
Dec 1983 0.547 1.756
Nov 1983 0.547 1.758
Oct 1983 0.535 1.723
Sep 1983 0.536 1.731
Aug 1983 0.539 1.75
Jul 1983 0.544 1.771
Jun 1983 0.542 1.772
May 1983 0.542 1.777
Apr 1983 0.538 1.775
Mar 1983 0.544 1.807
Feb 1983 0.544 1.807
Jan 1983 0.541 1.799
Dec 1982 0.537 1.79
Nov 1982 0.534 1.772
Oct 1982 0.534 1.769
Sep 1982 0.536 1.781
Aug 1982 0.534 1.778
Jul 1982 0.534 1.781
Jun 1982 0.525 1.76
May 1982 0.529 1.796
Apr 1982 0.526 1.803
Mar 1982 0.526 1.81
Feb 1982 0.534 1.836
Jan 1982 0.537 1.852
Dec 1981 0.521 1.803
Nov 1981 0.527 1.829
Oct 1981 0.521 1.814
Sep 1981 0.524 1.829
Aug 1981 0.519 1.829
Jul 1981 0.521 1.85
Jun 1981 0.523 1.878
May 1981 0.525 1.902
Apr 1981 0.519 1.895
Mar 1981 0.538 1.977
Feb 1981 0.533 1.972
Jan 1981 0.531 1.985
Dec 1980 0.519 1.956
Nov 1980 0.519 1.974
Oct 1980 0.514 1.971
Sep 1980 0.511 1.979
Aug 1980 0.507 1.98
Jul 1980 0.511 2.01
Jun 1980 0.503 1.978
May 1980 0.504 2.004
Apr 1980 0.507 2.036
Mar 1980 0.502 2.038
Feb 1980 0.507 2.09
Jan 1980 0.501 2.094

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.