Bacon prices by year, 1980–2026

$6.605 in August 2026

Bacon, sliced, per lb. (453.6 gm).
U.S. city average.

Calculate bacon inflation for your own amount

Bacon price history

Bacon, sliced, per lb. (453.6 gm). U.S. city average. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics average prices, through August 2026.

These observed prices cover the specific product and unit above, which may be narrower than the bacon CPI category. Local prices vary.

● Average price paid● In 2026 dollars

Annual averages use the available monthly observations; 2026 is a partial year through August 2026. The latest monthly price above may differ from the annual average. Gaps are left blank.

Annual average prices for Bacon, sliced, per lb. (453.6 gm)
YearAverage price paidIn 2026 dollars
2026 (partial)$6.746$6.746
2025$7.02$7.298
2024$6.776$7.24
2023$6.654$7.315
2022$7.307$8.364
2021$6.638$8.206
2020$5.582$7.225
2019$5.613$7.354
2018$5.466$7.288
2017$5.769$7.884
2016$5.421$7.566
2015$5.454$7.708
2014$5.776$8.173
2013$5.286$7.601
2012$4.556$6.648
2011$4.629$6.893
2010$4.105$6.306
2009$3.608$5.634
2008$3.66$5.695
2007$3.656$5.907
2006$3.444$5.722
2005$3.392$5.818
2004$3.376$5.987
2003$3.198$5.822
2002$3.236$6.026
2001$3.255$6.156
2000$3.031$5.895
1999$2.548$5.124
1998$2.543$5.226
1997$2.682$5.597
1996$2.473$5.28
1995$1.986$4.365
1994$1.99$4.497
1993$1.931$4.476
1992$1.915$4.573
1991$2.22$5.459
1990$2.125$5.446
1989$1.767$4.773
1988$1.883$5.333
1987$2.141$6.315
1986$2.082$6.363
1985$1.94$6.039
1984$1.857$5.988
1983$1.942$6.531
1982$2.053$7.127
1981$1.666$6.139
1980$1.465$5.955

What did bacon cost in earlier years?

How are prices adjusted for inflation?

Price in 2026 dollars = observed annual price × (2026 all-items CPI ÷ that year's all-items CPI). This measures overall purchasing power using the U.S. inflation index; the latest CPI year may be incomplete.

Average prices describe price levels. Changes in the products and stores sampled can affect these averages; category CPI controls for such changes and can follow a different path. Read the BLS explanation of average prices versus indexes.

Bacon Inflation Calculator

Enter a starting cost to estimate an equivalent purchase using the category CPI. This is a hypothetical calculation, not an observed retail price.

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Prices for Bacon, 1939-2026 ($6.61)

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for bacon and related products are 2,735.06% higher in 2026 versus 1939 (a $180.79 difference in value).

The dollar amounts in this section illustrate the category CPI calculation; they are not a series of observed prices.

Between 1939 and 2026:Bacon experienced an average inflation rate of 3.92% per year. This rate of change indicates significant inflation. In other words, bacon costing $6.61 in the year 1939 would cost $187.40 in 2026 for an equivalent purchase. Compared to the overall inflation rate of 3.71% during this same period, inflation for bacon was higher.

Price Inflation for Bacon and related products since 1939

Consumer Price Index, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Years with the largest changes in pricing: 1947 (45.63%), 1973 (37.80%), and 1975 (34.37%).

View price changes for other categories
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Buying power of $6.61 since 1939

Below are calculations of equivalent buying power for Bacon, over time, for $6.61 beginning in 1939. Each of the amounts below is equivalent in terms of what it could buy at the time:

YearUSD ValueInflation Rate
1939$6.61-
1940$5.78-12.56%
1941$7.2826.00%
1942$8.3714.96%
1943$8.744.40%
1944$8.31-4.91%
1945$8.380.78%
1946$10.9330.46%
1947$15.9145.63%
1948$15.76-0.97%
1949$13.63-13.54%
1950$13.05-4.25%
1951$13.755.43%
1952$13.28-3.47%
1953$16.1721.78%
1954$16.773.71%
1955$13.54-19.23%
1956$11.93-11.90%
1957$15.3328.48%
1958$16.427.08%
1959$13.75-16.26%
1960$13.54-1.50%
1961$14.758.91%
1962$14.57-1.21%
1963$14.14-2.97%
1964$14.200.49%
1965$17.3121.87%
1966$20.3717.66%
1967$17.88-12.21%
1968$17.40-2.70%
1969$18.858.31%
1970$20.398.19%
1971$17.27-15.30%
1972$20.9020.99%
1973$28.7937.80%
1974$28.69-0.35%
1975$38.5534.37%
1976$37.61-2.44%
1977$34.48-8.33%
1978$39.7015.14%
1979$36.86-7.16%
1980$35.74-3.02%
1981$40.5013.30%
1982$49.6422.57%
1983$48.59-2.11%
1984$47.57-2.09%
1985$49.263.53%
1986$52.757.10%
1987$55.695.57%
1988$49.03-11.96%
1989$46.57-5.01%
1990$55.1118.33%
1991$58.245.67%
1992$50.84-12.71%
1993$53.865.94%
1994$57.426.61%
1995$58.301.54%
1996$72.3724.14%
1997$79.7310.16%
1998$73.88-7.34%
1999$73.62-0.35%
2000$86.2917.21%
2001$89.723.97%
2002$90.520.89%
2003$95.535.54%
2004$103.047.86%
2005$101.97-1.04%
2006$103.511.51%
2007$107.403.76%
2008$106.61-0.74%
2009$104.91-1.59%
2010$112.867.57%
2011$128.0213.44%
2012$130.111.63%
2013$137.966.04%
2014$145.665.58%
2015$136.56-6.25%
2016$137.390.61%
2017$146.776.83%
2018$144.24-1.73%
2019$147.081.97%
2020$150.932.61%
2021$170.7813.15%
2022$186.179.01%
2023$176.54-5.17%
2024$181.022.54%
2025$188.784.28%
2026$187.40-0.73%*

* Not final. See inflation summary for latest details.
** Extended periods of 0% inflation usually indicate incomplete underlying data. This can manifest as a sharp increase in inflation later on.


Raw Consumer Price Index data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for Bacon and related products:

Year1939194019411942194319441945194619471948194919501951195219531954195519561957195819591960196119621963196419651966196719681969197019711972197319741975197619771978197919801981198219831984198519861987198819891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023202420252026
CPI13.60011.89214.98317.22517.98317.10017.23322.48332.74232.42528.03326.84228.30027.31733.26734.50027.86724.55031.54233.77528.28327.85830.34229.97529.08329.22535.61741.90836.79235.80038.77541.95035.53342.99259.24259.03379.32577.39270.94281.68375.83373.54283.325102.13399.97597.883101.342108.533114.575100.87595.825113.392119.825104.600110.808118.133119.950148.900164.033152.000151.475177.542184.592186.242196.558212.008209.800212.975220.978219.349215.861232.207263.405267.691283.854299.687280.969282.682301.979296.766302.619310.531351.377383.043363.239372.455388.405385.568

Adjust bacon prices for inflation

Start with the inflation rate formula:

CPI in 2026 / CPI in 1939* 1939 USD value = 2026 USD value

Then plug in historical CPI values from above. The CPI for Bacon and related products was 13.600 in the year 1939 and 385.568 in 2026:

385.568 / 13.600* $6.61 = $187.40

Therefore, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, $6.61 in 1939 has the same "purchasing power" as $187.40 in 2026 (in the CPI category of Bacon and related products).


Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking the Consumer Price Index for Bacon and related products in 1939. In addition to bacon, the index produces monthly data on changes in prices paid by urban consumers for a variety of goods and services.