Food and Recipes Meat Bacon Here's a History of the Price of Bacon Since 1940 Ladies and gents, the Bacon Index. By Perri Ormont Blumberg Perri Ormont Blumberg Perri Ormont Blumberg is a former senior staff writer for Southern Living's News Team. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on July 6, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email In This Article View All In This Article Climbing Prices The 1940s The 1950s The 1960s The 1970s The 1980s The 1990s The 2000s The 2010s Upward Trend Photo: Paul Taylor/Getty Images People say you can't buy happiness. But the sizzle of bacon on the skillet is enough to snap us out of whatever the morning throws at us. Baby Hasselback Potatoes with Blue Cheese and Bacon at lunch? Bacon-Infused Bourbon to cap off the day? Slice and dice it any way you want it—bacon is always a welcome addition to any Southern table. But cured pork sure doesn't cost what it used to. For those of us who recall the milkman knocking, bacon only cost a mere quarter or two in the '40s, '50s, and early '60s. Now the price of bacon, often a gauge to indicate inflation, has shot up to a record high in grocery stores. Look back at the history of bacon prices over time. Climbing Prices While farm industry experts expect the prices to come down, don't expect to fork over a quarter for pork belly anytime soon. To examine the rise and fall of bacon prices over the years, MooseRoots, a former genealogy data site, looked at the numbers. Using the Consumer Price Index (CPI) data available for "Bacon and Related Products" and the average recorded price for a pound of bacon in cities across the U.S. collected from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), they determined the prices of bacon in every year from 1940 through 2016. Below, see the absolute price of bacon, as well as the inflation-adjusted price, during that time frame. While their data doesn't go beyond 2016, check out the high prices bacon continues to reach. Maybe you can't buy happiness, but a Lincoln and change sure gets us pretty darn close. The 1940s 1940 Absolute price: $0.23Inflation-adjusted price: $3.91 1941 Absolute price: $0.29Inflation-adjusted price: $4.90 1942 Absolute price: $0.34Inflation-adjusted price: $5.47 1943 Absolute price: $0.35Inflation-adjusted price: $5.07 1944 Absolute price: $0.33Inflation-adjusted price: $4.51 1945 Absolute price: $0.34Inflation-adjusted price: $4.58 1946 Absolute price: $0.44Inflation-adjusted price: $5.79 1947 Absolute price: $0.64Inflation-adjusted price: $7.76 1948 Absolute price: $0.63Inflation-adjusted price: $6.68 1949 Absolute price: $0.55Inflation-adjusted price: $5.41 The 1950s 1950 Absolute price: $0.52Inflation-adjusted price: $5.17 1951 Absolute price: $0.55Inflation-adjusted price: $5.41 1952 Absolute price: $0.53Inflation-adjusted price: $4.83 1953 Absolute price: $0.65Inflation-adjusted price: $5.80 1954 Absolute price: $0.67Inflation-adjusted price: $5.93 1955 Absolute price: $0.54Inflation-adjusted price: $4.76 1956 Absolute price: $0.48Inflation-adjusted price: $4.24 1957 Absolute price: $0.62Inflation-adjusted price: $5.40 1958 Absolute price: $0.66Inflation-adjusted price: $5.56 1959 Absolute price: $0.55Inflation-adjusted price: $4.51 The 1960s 1960 Absolute price: $0.54Inflation-adjusted price: $4.39 1961 Absolute price: $0.59Inflation-adjusted price: $4.72 1962 Absolute price: $0.58Inflation-adjusted price: $4.59 1963 Absolute price: $0.57Inflation-adjusted price: $4.46 1964 Absolute price: $0.57Inflation-adjusted price: $4.41 1965 Absolute price: $0.69Inflation-adjusted price: $5.27 1966 Absolute price: $0.82Inflation-adjusted price: $6.16 1967 Absolute price: $0.72Inflation-adjusted price: $5.25 1968 Absolute price: $0.70Inflation-adjusted price: $4.97 1969 Absolute price: $0.76Inflation-adjusted price: $5.17 The 1970s 1970 Absolute price: $0.82Inflation-adjusted price: $5.29 1971 Absolute price: $0.69Inflation-adjusted price: $4.21 1972 Absolute price: $0.84Inflation-adjusted price: $4.91 1973 Absolute price: $1.16Inflation-adjusted price: $6.57 1974 Absolute price: $1.15Inflation-adjusted price: $6.13 1975 Absolute price: $1.55Inflation-adjusted price: $7.44 1976 Absolute price: $1.51Inflation-adjusted price: $6.64 1977 Absolute price: $1.38Inflation-adjusted price: $5.74 1978 Absolute price: $1.59Inflation-adjusted price: $6.21 1979 Absolute price: $1.48Inflation-adjusted price: $5.37 The 1980s 1980 Absolute price: $1.43Inflation-adjusted price: $4.66 1981 Absolute price: $1.62Inflation-adjusted price: $4.65 1982 Absolute price: $1.99Inflation-adjusted price: $5.18 1983 Absolute price: $1.95Inflation-adjusted price: $4.78 1984 Absolute price: $1.91Inflation-adjusted price: $4.54 1985 Absolute price: $1.98Inflation-adjusted price: $4.51 1986 Absolute price: $2.12Inflation-adjusted price: $4.67 1987 Absolute price: $2.23Inflation-adjusted price: $4.82 1988 Absolute price: $1.97Inflation-adjusted price: $4.10 1989 Absolute price: $1.87Inflation-adjusted price: $3.74 The 1990s 1990 Absolute price: $2.21Inflation-adjusted price: $4.22 1991 Absolute price: $2.34Inflation-adjusted price: $4.24 1992 Absolute price: $2.04Inflation-adjusted price: $3.55 1993 Absolute price: $2.16Inflation-adjusted price: $3.64 1994 Absolute price: $2.30Inflation-adjusted price: $3.77 1995 Absolute price: $2.34Inflation-adjusted price: $3.74 1996 Absolute price: $2.90Inflation-adjusted price: $4.51 1997 Absolute price: $3.20Inflation-adjusted price: $4.83 1998 Absolute price: $2.96Inflation-adjusted price: $4.37 1999 Absolute price: $2.95Inflation-adjusted price: $4.28 The 2000s 2000 Absolute price: $3.46Inflation-adjusted price: $4.92 2001 Absolute price: $3.60Inflation-adjusted price: $4.95 2002 Absolute price: $3.63Inflation-adjusted price: $4.85 2003 Absolute price: $3.83Inflation-adjusted price: $5.04 2004 Absolute price: $4.13Inflation-adjusted price: $5.31 2005 Absolute price: $4.09Inflation-adjusted price: $5.13 2006 Absolute price: $4.15Inflation-adjusted price: $5.03 2007 Absolute price: $4.31Inflation-adjusted price: $5.06 2008 Absolute price: $4.28Inflation-adjusted price: $4.89 2009 Absolute price: $4.21Inflation-adjusted price: $4.63 The 2010s 2010 Absolute price: $4.53Inflation-adjusted price: $5.00 2011 Absolute price: $5.14Inflation-adjusted price: $5.58 2012 Absolute price: $5.22Inflation-adjusted price: $5.49 2013 Absolute price: $5.53Inflation-adjusted price: $5.70 2014 Absolute price: $5.84Inflation-adjusted price: $5.93 2015 Absolute price: $5.48Inflation-adjusted price: $5.48 2016 Absolute price: $5.49Inflation-adjusted price: $5.49 Upward Trend Since 2016, the cost of bacon has risen—to record highs. In May 2021, the average cost for a pound of sliced bacon in the U.S. was $6.35. One year later, the cost continues to climb. The price for this breakfast staple increased to a high of $7.36 in May 2022. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit