Bread, white, pan
Bread prices
U.S. city average · June 2026
Bread averaged $1.81 per pound in June 2026, down 0.9% from last month and down 2.7% from last year, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average price data.
Chart shown: January 1980 – June 2026 · Full series: January 1980 – June 2026 (557 observations) · Source: BLS series APU0000702111.
Bread prices fell 0.9% from May to June 2026 and are 2.7% lower than a year ago. Prices remain below the January 2024 peak of $2.03 but well above the 1980 level of $0.50.
Every historical year is consolidated into one complete archive with annual averages, monthly prices, and inflation-adjusted values.
From bread to the full grocery basket
Bread reduced June’s basket change by $0.03.
What drives the price of bread
Bread prices reflect the cost of wheat and flour, but less directly than flour itself: the grain is only a fraction of a finished loaf’s cost. Labor, energy, packaging, and transport often matter as much as the underlying wheat market, which is why bread prices tend to move more smoothly than the price of flour.
BLS series APU0000702111 tracks the average retail price of bread, white, pan at the U.S. city average, measured per pound and reported monthly back to 1980.
Background: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service — Wheat. Price data: BLS series APU0000702111.
Bread price FAQ
How much does a pound of bread cost right now?
As of June 2026, bread averaged $1.81 per pound at the national U.S. city average, per BLS CPI Average Price Data.
Are bread prices going down in 2026?
The latest 2026 BLS reading shows bread prices down 0.9% versus the prior month and down 2.7% versus a year ago (June 2026).
What is the highest price bread has reached?
The record high is $2.03 per pound, set in January 2024; the record low is $0.50 in January 1980.
Where does this bread price data come from?
From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI Average Price Data program, retrieved via the BLS Public Data API. BLS.gov cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from BLS.gov.
How much did bread cost in 2001?
In 2001, bread averaged $0.98 per pound at the U.S. city average — versus $1.81 today (June 2026), about 85% higher now.
Cite this
Basket Report. "Average bread price (U.S. city average)." Basket Report — Grocery Price Index. Retrieved August 1, 2026 from https://basketreport.com/prices/bread/. Data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, series APU0000702111. <a href="https://basketreport.com/prices/bread/">Average bread price (U.S. city average) — Basket Report</a> (data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, series APU0000702111; retrieved August 1, 2026) Basket Report. (2026). Average bread price (U.S. city average) [Data set]. Basket Report — Grocery Price Index. https://basketreport.com/prices/bread/