Butter, salted, grade AA

Butter prices

U.S. city average · August 2026

$4.02 per pound

▲ 2.5% MoM ▼ 16.7% YoY

Butter averaged $4.02 per pound in August 2026; up 2.5% from last month; down 16.7% from last year, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average price data.

Illustration of butter, salted, grade AA

20% below the September 2024 peak of $5.00

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Butter price history Average price (USD per pound) · Monthly

Chart shown: April 2018 – August 2026 · Full series: April 2018 – August 2026 (100 observations) · Source: BLS series APU0000FS1101.

Quick take

Butter prices rose 2.5% from July to August 2026. Butter prices are 16.7% lower than a year ago. Prices remain below the September 2024 peak of $5.00 and below the 2018 level of $4.15.

Why is butter so cheap? →

Butter price history by year

Every historical year is consolidated into one complete archive with annual averages, monthly prices, and inflation-adjusted values.

Browse the complete butter price history →

Explore this price

From butter to the full grocery basket

Butter added $0.10 to August’s basket change.

Relevant explainerWhy is butter so cheap? Price historySee the complete butter series 2026 monthly tableJump to this year’s observations Basket Index contributionButter added $0.10 to August’s basket change. Related pricesBrowse dairy & eggs Similar stapleEggs or Milk

What drives the price of butter

Butter prices reflect the farm price of milk and, in particular, the supply of milkfat (cream). Cold storage matters because butter keeps well: inventories built up earlier in the year can buffer prices later on, while low stocks heading into the holiday baking season tend to push prices up. Demand is strongly seasonal, peaking in the final months of the year.

BLS series APU0000FS1101 tracks the average retail price of butter, salted, grade AA at the U.S. city average, measured per pound and reported monthly back to 2018.

Background: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service — Dairy. Price data: BLS series APU0000FS1101.

Butter price FAQ

How much does a pound of butter cost right now?

As of August 2026, butter averaged $4.02 per pound at the national U.S. city average, per BLS CPI Average Price Data.

Are butter prices going down in 2026?

The latest 2026 BLS reading shows butter prices up 2.5% versus the prior month and down 16.7% versus a year ago (August 2026).

What is the highest price butter has reached?

The record high is $5.00 per pound, set in September 2024; the record low is $3.33 in November 2020.

How much does a stick of butter cost?

Four sticks make up a pound of butter, so at $4.02 per pound a single stick costs about $1.01.

Where does this butter 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.

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Plain text

Basket Report. "Average butter price (U.S. city average)." Basket Report — Grocery Price Index. Retrieved September 11, 2026 from https://basketreport.com/prices/butter/. Data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, series APU0000FS1101.

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<a href="https://basketreport.com/prices/butter/">Average butter price (U.S. city average) — Basket Report</a> (data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, series APU0000FS1101; retrieved September 11, 2026)

APA

Basket Report. (2026). Average butter price (U.S. city average) [Data set]. Basket Report — Grocery Price Index. https://basketreport.com/prices/butter/