Ham, boneless, excluding canned
Ham prices
U.S. city average · August 2026
Ham averaged $5.38 per pound in August 2026; down 2.0% from last month; down 0.9% from last year, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average price data.
Chart shown: January 1991 – August 2026 · Full series: January 1991 – August 2026 (426 observations) · Source: BLS series APU0000704312.
Recent ham price history
| Month | Price | Vs. prior month | Vs. year ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 2026 | $5.38 | ▼ 2.0% | ▼ 0.9% |
| July 2026 | $5.49 | ▼ 0.3% | ▼ 3.4% |
| June 2026 | $5.51 | ▲ 0.9% | ▲ 2.4% |
| May 2026 | $5.46 | ▲ 1.0% | ▲ 0.1% |
| April 2026 | $5.41 | ▼ 1.4% | ▼ 1.2% |
| March 2026 | $5.48 | ▼ 2.4% | ▼ 2.2% |
| February 2026 | $5.62 | ▲ 2.1% | ▲ 1.7% |
| January 2026 | $5.50 | ▲ 2.7% | ▲ 0.4% |
| December 2025 | $5.36 | ▼ 1.9% | ▼ 1.9% |
| November 2025 | $5.46 | — | ▼ 3.0% |
| September 2025 | $5.48 | ▲ 0.8% | ▼ 2.7% |
| August 2025 | $5.43 | ▼ 4.5% | ▼ 3.6% |
| July 2025 | $5.69 | ▲ 5.7% | ▼ 0.7% |
| June 2025 | $5.38 | ▼ 1.4% | ▼ 3.4% |
| May 2025 | $5.45 | ▼ 0.4% | ▼ 3.8% |
| April 2025 | $5.47 | ▼ 2.3% | ▼ 2.2% |
| March 2025 | $5.60 | ▲ 1.5% | ▲ 0.6% |
| February 2025 | $5.52 | ▲ 0.8% | ▼ 2.6% |
Ham prices fell 2.0% from July to August 2026. Ham prices are 0.9% lower than a year ago. Prices remain below the June 2023 peak of $5.90 but well above the 1991 level of $3.10.
From ham to the full grocery basket
Ham reduced August’s basket change by $0.11.
What drives the price of ham
Ham is the cured hind leg of the hog, so its price leans on two things at once. One is the cost of live animals, which rises and falls with how many hogs producers are raising; the other is sharp seasonal demand, concentrated around Easter and the winter holidays, that can lift the price of a bone-in ham well before the rest of the meat case moves. Curing and aging add their own cost between the farm and the deli counter.
BLS series APU0000704312 tracks the average retail price of ham, boneless, excluding canned at the U.S. city average, measured per pound and reported monthly back to 1991.
Background: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service — Hogs & Pork. Price data: BLS series APU0000704312.
Ham price FAQ
How much does a pound of ham cost right now?
As of August 2026, ham averaged $5.38 per pound at the national U.S. city average, per BLS CPI Average Price Data.
Are ham prices going down in 2026?
The latest 2026 BLS reading shows ham prices down 2.0% versus the prior month and down 0.9% versus a year ago (August 2026).
What is the highest price ham has reached?
The record high is $5.90 per pound, set in June 2023; the record low is $2.41 in April 1995.
Where does this ham 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 ham cost in 2001?
In 2001, ham averaged $2.60 per pound at the U.S. city average — versus $5.38 today (August 2026), about 107% higher now.
Cite this
Basket Report. "Average ham price (U.S. city average)." Basket Report — Grocery Price Index. Retrieved September 11, 2026 from https://basketreport.com/prices/ham/. Data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, series APU0000704312. <a href="https://basketreport.com/prices/ham/">Average ham price (U.S. city average) — Basket Report</a> (data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, series APU0000704312; retrieved September 11, 2026) Basket Report. (2026). Average ham price (U.S. city average) [Data set]. Basket Report — Grocery Price Index. https://basketreport.com/prices/ham/