U.S. sugar prices are held above the world price by federal policy.
A pound of white sugar averages $1.03 — about 2% below its May 2025 record and −1.9% versus last year.
Where sugar prices stand
Sugar is near the most expensive it has ever been: a pound of white sugar averaged $1.03 in May 2026, −1.9% from a year earlier and +2.8% from the prior month — leaving it about 2% below the record $1.05 it reached in May 2025.
What drives sugar prices
Unlike most groceries, U.S. sugar is priced as much by policy as by weather. The federal sugar program uses price supports, domestic marketing allotments and tariff-rate quotas on imports to limit how much sugar reaches the market, which generally holds the U.S. price well above the world price. Domestic supply comes from both sugar beets and sugarcane, so a poor beet harvest or a tight import quota can keep the shelf price firm even when global sugar is cheap.
A real shelf price
Every figure here is the BLS average retail price for white sugar, tracked monthly since January 1980 — an actual dollar amount shoppers paid, not a commodity-exchange quote or a forecast.
Frequently asked questions
How much does sugar cost right now?
White sugar averaged $1.03 per pound at the U.S. city average in May 2026, per BLS CPI Average Price Data.
Why is sugar so expensive in the U.S.?
The federal sugar program — price supports, marketing allotments and import quotas — holds U.S. sugar above the world price. Sugar is −1.9% year over year as of May 2026.
Is sugar at a record high?
As of May 2026 sugar is about 2% below its record high of $1.05 (May 2025).
Explore sugar prices
See the full price history and how U.S. sugar tracks federal supply policy.