How much did a pound of ground beef cost?
A pound of ground beef cost $1.24 in 1985 and $6.09 in 2025: about 4.9 times as much.
Over the same years, prices in general (US inflation, measured by the consumer price index, CPI) rose about 3 times. That makes $1.24 in 1985 worth about $3.71 in 2025 money. So it got more expensive even after inflation: about 64% more, in real terms, than in 1985.
The biggest change between two listed years came between 2010 and 2025, when it went up 157%, from $2.37 to $6.09.
Ground beef: price by year
| Year | Price | In 2025 dollars |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | $1.24 | $3.71 |
| 1990 | $1.59 | $3.92 |
| 1995 | $1.37 | $2.89 |
| 2000 | $1.57 | $2.93 |
| 2005 | $2.30 | $3.79 |
| 2010 | $2.37 | $3.50 |
| 2025 | $6.09 | $6.09 |
"In 2025 dollars" adjusts each amount for inflation with the CPI, so the years can be compared fairly. How this works.
Where the numbers come from
This is the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) average price for the whole country ("US city average"), collected every month from stores. Each year shown is the average of that year's 12 monthly prices. BLS collected no food or electricity prices in October 2025 (during the federal government shutdown), so a 2025 figure averages the months that were published.
Source: BLS average price, Ground Beef, 100% Beef (Cost per Pound/453.6 Grams) (APU0000703112). View the source.
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