Why is coffee so expensive?
Coffee is expensive right now in the most literal sense: a pound of 100% ground roast averaged $9.51 in May 2026, +19.9% from a year ago and 2% below its record high of $9.72 set in April 2026.
Retail coffee tracks the global price of green beans, which is driven by weather and harvests in a handful of producing countries — frost and drought in Brazil and supply pressure in Vietnam ripple through to the shelf with a lag. Because nearly all coffee sold in the U.S. is imported, there is no domestic cushion when those crops fall short, so the average price you see here reflects world supply more than local demand.
This is the BLS average shelf price across U.S. retailers, recorded monthly since January 1980 — not a futures quote — so it shows what shoppers actually paid.
Frequently asked
How much does a pound of coffee cost?
Ground roast coffee averaged $9.51 per pound at the U.S. city average in May 2026, per BLS data.
Why are coffee prices rising?
Coffee is +19.9% year over year. Prices follow global green-bean costs set by weather and harvests in major producers like Brazil and Vietnam; almost all U.S. coffee is imported.
Is coffee at a record high?
As of May 2026 coffee is about 2% below its record high of $9.72 (April 2026).