White bread prices: $0.51 in 1980→$1.82 in 2026

White Bread Inflation Calculator

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According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average price of white bread rose 258%, from $0.51 per pound in 1980 to $1.82 in August 2026. Overall prices rose 307% over the same period, so white bread rose more slowly than inflation. This data is collected by a national survey and can vary from region to region.

● Price● Price, inflation-adjusted

White bread inflation, 1939–2026

White bread prices are 3,293.95% higher in 2026 versus 1939 (a $59.95 difference in value).

Between 1939 and 2026, White bread experienced an average inflation rate of 4.13% per year. This rate of change indicates significant inflation. In other words, white bread costing $1.82 in the year 1939 would cost $61.77 in 2026 for an equivalent purchase. Compared to the overall inflation rate of 3.71% during this same period, inflation for white bread was higher.

Price Inflation for White bread since 1939

Consumer Price Index, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Years with the largest changes in pricing: 1974 (25.01%), 1947 (20.62%), and 1946 (18.10%).

White bread prices by year

The average price for white bread is calculated from a weighted average of retailer data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The table below shows the average U.S. price of bread, white, pan, per lb. (453.6 gm) each year, along with the same price adjusted for inflation. To understand how price levels differ from inflation rates, see this article published by the BLS.

YearPrice (per pound)Price, inflation-adjusted
2026 (partial)$1.83$1.83
2025$1.87$1.94
2024$1.97$2.11
2023$1.96$2.15
2022$1.70$1.95
2021$1.52$1.88
2020$1.45$1.88
2019$1.30$1.70
2018$1.29$1.71
2017$1.33$1.82
2016$1.37$1.91
2015$1.44$2.04
2014$1.40$1.98
2013$1.41$2.02
2012$1.42$2.07
2011$1.44$2.15
2010$1.37$2.11
2009$1.39$2.17
2008$1.37$2.13
2007$1.21$1.95
2006$1.08$1.80
2005$1.04$1.78
2004$0.97$1.72
2003$1.00$1.82
2002$1.02$1.89
2001$1.00$1.89
2000$0.93$1.81
1999$0.89$1.78
1998$0.86$1.77
1997$0.87$1.82
1996$0.88$1.87
1995$0.79$1.74
1994$0.76$1.72
1993$0.75$1.74
1992$0.75$1.79
1991$0.71$1.75
1990$0.69$1.78
1989$0.67$1.80
1988$0.61$1.74
1987$0.55$1.61
1986$0.56$1.73
1985$0.55$1.72
1984$0.54$1.75
1983$0.54$1.82
1982$0.53$1.85
1981$0.53$1.94
1980$0.51$2.07

Yearly averages; 2026 is through August. Inflation-adjusted to 2026 dollars.

View price changes for other categories
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Buying power of $1.82 since 1939

Below are calculations of equivalent buying power for White bread, over time, for $1.82 beginning in 1939. Each of the amounts below is equivalent in terms of what it could buy at the time:

YearUSD ValueInflation Rate
1939$1.82-
1940$1.872.60%
1941$1.880.56%
1942$2.016.88%
1943$2.010.06%
1944$1.99-0.75%
1945$2.000.12%
1946$2.3618.10%
1947$2.8420.62%
1948$3.1611.00%
1949$3.180.69%
1950$3.241.96%
1951$3.559.51%
1952$3.652.77%
1953$3.752.91%
1954$3.904.06%
1955$4.033.10%
1956$4.122.26%
1957$4.314.65%
1958$4.432.81%
1959$4.522.06%
1960$4.663.09%
1961$4.803.05%
1962$4.881.54%
1963$4.982.06%
1964$5.010.63%
1965$5.071.24%
1966$5.386.03%
1967$5.471.74%
1968$5.500.53%
1969$5.663.00%
1970$5.975.48%
1971$6.142.84%
1972$6.180.58%
1973$6.9312.16%
1974$8.6625.01%
1975$9.074.70%
1976$8.90-1.90%
1977$8.910.08%
1978$9.506.71%
1979$10.6411.92%
1980$11.9011.87%
1981$12.908.41%
1982$13.403.86%
1983$13.853.38%
1984$14.303.24%
1985$14.662.53%
1986$14.921.76%
1987$15.332.75%
1988$16.437.18%
1989$17.929.06%
1990$18.895.45%
1991$19.292.11%
1992$20.244.92%
1993$21.084.13%
1994$22.024.47%
1995$22.924.08%
1996$24.597.29%
1997$25.463.55%
1998$25.941.88%
1999$26.652.76%
2000$27.573.43%
2001$28.854.64%
2002$29.552.45%
2003$30.272.44%
2004$30.922.15%
2005$32.153.95%
2006$32.962.53%
2007$35.738.40%
2008$40.7514.06%
2009$41.241.21%
2010$40.42-2.00%
2011$42.485.11%
2012$43.662.78%
2013$44.531.99%
2014$44.27-0.58%
2015$44.821.24%
2016$44.73-0.20%
2017$44.790.13%
2018$44.850.13%
2019$46.193.00%
2020$48.184.29%
2021$48.721.13%
2022$54.2911.43%
2023$59.9510.43%
2024$59.89-0.11%
2025$60.070.30%
2026$61.772.82%*

* Not final. See inflation summary for latest details.
** Extended periods of 0% inflation usually indicate incomplete underlying data. This can manifest as a sharp increase in inflation later on.

Raw Consumer Price Index data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for White bread:

Year1939194019411942194319441945194619471948194919501951195219531954195519561957195819591960196119621963196419651966196719681969197019711972197319741975197619771978197919801981198219831984198519861987198819891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023202420252026
CPI13.14213.48313.55814.49214.50014.39214.40817.01720.52522.78322.94223.39225.61726.32527.09228.19229.06729.72531.10831.98332.64233.65034.67535.20835.93336.15836.60838.81739.49239.70040.89243.13344.35844.61750.04262.55865.50064.25864.30868.62576.80885.92593.15096.742100.008103.250105.858107.717110.675118.625129.375136.425139.300146.150152.183158.983165.467177.525183.833187.283192.450199.050208.283213.392218.592223.300232.117237.983257.975294.237297.789291.831306.751315.273321.536319.665323.644322.998323.417323.829333.552347.861351.797392.017432.915432.452433.769446.021

Adjust white bread prices for inflation

Start with the inflation rate formula:

CPI in 2026 / CPI in 1939* 1939 USD value = 2026 USD value

Then plug in historical CPI values from above. The CPI for White bread was 13.142 in the year 1939 and 446.021 in 2026:

446.021 / 13.142* $1.82 = $61.77

Therefore, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, $1.82 in 1939 has the same "purchasing power" as $61.77 in 2026 (in the CPI category of White bread).

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking the Consumer Price Index for White bread in 1939. In addition to white bread, the index produces monthly data on changes in prices paid by urban consumers for a variety of goods and services.