Business and Finance > Economy > U.S. Economy and the Federal Budget

Retail Prices of Selected Foods in U.S. Cities, 1890–2011

Prices below are in dollars or cents.


Year Flour
(5 lbs)		 Bread
(lb)		 Round
steak
(lb)		 Bacon
(lb)		 Butter
(lb)		 Eggs
(doz.)		 Milk
(1/2 gal.)		 Oranges
(doz.)		 Potatoes
(10 lbs)		 Coffee
(lb)		 Sugar
(5 lbs)
2011 $2.75 $1.48 $4.69 $4.82 $3.67 $1.95 $1.86 $6.00 $7.35 $5.65 $3.51
2010 $2.36 $1.41 $4.41 $4.77 $3.63 $1.47 $1.66 $6.00 $5.79 $4.16 $3.11
1970 58.9¢ 24.3¢ $1.30 94.9¢ 86.6¢ 61.4¢ 65.9¢ 86.4¢ 89.7¢ 91.1¢ 64.8¢
1965 58.1 20.9 $1.08 81.3 75.4 52.7 52.6 77.8 93.7 83.3 59.0
1960 55.4 20.3 $1.05 65.5 74.9 57.3 52.0 74.8 71.8 75.3 58.2
1955 53.8 17.7 90.3 65.9 70.9 60.6 46.2 52.8 56.4 93.0 52.1
1950 49.1 14.3 93.6 63.7 72.9 60.4 41.2 49.3 46.1 79.4 48.7
1945 32.1 8.8 40.6 41.1 50.7 58.1 31.2 48.5 49.3 30.5 33.4
1940 21.5 8.0 36.4 27.3 36.0 33.1 25.6 29.1 23.9 21.2 26.0
1935 25.3 8.3 36.0 41.3 36.0 37.6 23.4 22.0 19.1 25.7 28.2
1930 23.0 8.6 42.6 42.5 46.4 44.5 28.2 57.1 36.0 39.5 30.5
1925 30.5 9.3 36.2 47.1 55.2 55.4 27.8 57.1 36.0 50.4 35.0
1920 40.5 11.5 39.5 52.3 70.1 68.1 33.4 63.2 63.0 47.0 97.0
1915 21.0 7.0 23.0 26.9 35.8 34.1 17.6 n.a. 15.0 30.0 33.0
1910 18.0 n.a. 17.4 25.5 35.9 33.7 16.8 n.a. 17.0 n.a. 30.0
1905 16.0 n.a. 14.0 18.1 29.0 27.2 14.4 n.a. 17.0 n.a. 30.0
1900 12.5 n.a. 13.2 14.3 26.1 20.7 13.6 n.a. 14.0 n.a. 30.5
1895 12.0 n.a. 12.3 13.0 24.9 20.6 13.6 n.a. 14.0 n.a. 26.5
1890 14.5 n.a. 12.3 12.5 25.5 20.8 13.6 n.a. 16.0 n.a. 34.5

NOTE: n.a. = not available.
Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970, Bicentennial Edition, Part 2., Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2011

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