Grocery Prices Cumulative Change Since Jan 2020
Cumulative percentage change in grocery prices since January 2020
Where the Grocery Prices Cumulative Change Since Jan 2020 stands now
The Grocery Prices Cumulative Change Since Jan 2020 was 32.0% in August 2026, down from the 32.0% peak in June 2026.
What it means for households: How Much Have Grocery Prices Gone Up Since 2020?
How the Grocery Prices Cumulative Change Since Jan 2020 has moved since 2019
Grocery Prices Cumulative Change Since Jan 2020: little changed over the past year
Food-at-home Consumer Price Index, seasonally adjusted, cumulative percentage change since January 2020: 32.0% in August 2026, little changed from 29.2% in Aug 2025. Monthly, 2019–2026.
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The quote: In August 2026, grocery prices were 32% higher than in January 2020, according to the seasonally adjusted Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index for food at home. That is about the same as the 31.9% of July 2026. This is the total change over the period, not a yearly inflation rate, and it covers groceries only, not restaurant meals. Source: BLS CPI (CUSR0000SAF11).
What the Grocery Prices Cumulative Change Since Jan 2020 measures
Measurement basis: Cumulative percent change since January 2020 computed from the seasonally adjusted BLS Food-at-Home CPI (CUSR0000SAF11); seasonally adjusted values may be revised
A higher rate is worse for households.
Grocery Prices Cumulative Change Since Jan 2020 by month, 2019 to 2026
| Month | Rate | Change from a year earlier (percentage points) |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 2026 | 32.0% | +2.8 |
| Jul 2026 | 31.9% | +3.3 |
| Jun 2026 | 32.0% | +3.5 |
| May 2026 | 31.8% | +3.5 |
| Apr 2026 | 31.7% | +3.8 |
| Mar 2026 | 30.8% | +2.6 |
| Feb 2026 | 31.0% | +3.3 |
| Jan 2026 | 30.4% | +2.8 |
| Dec 2025 | 30.2% | +3.0 |
| Nov 2025 | 29.4% | +2.5 |
| Sep 2025 | 29.6% | +3.4 |
| Aug 2025 | 29.2% | +3.4 |
| Jul 2025 | 28.6% | +2.8 |
| Jun 2025 | 28.5% | +3.0 |
| May 2025 | 28.3% | +2.9 |
| Apr 2025 | 27.9% | +2.5 |
| Mar 2025 | 28.2% | +2.9 |
| Feb 2025 | 27.7% | +2.3 |
| Jan 2025 | 27.6% | +2.3 |
| Dec 2024 | 27.2% | +2.1 |
| Nov 2024 | 26.9% | +1.9 |
| Oct 2024 | 26.4% | +1.4 |
| Sep 2024 | 26.2% | +1.6 |
| Aug 2024 | 25.8% | +1.1 |
| Jul 2024 | 25.8% | +1.4 |
| Jun 2024 | 25.5% | +1.5 |
| May 2024 | 25.4% | +1.3 |
| Apr 2024 | 25.4% | +1.5 |
| Mar 2024 | 25.3% | +1.5 |
| Feb 2024 | 25.4% | +1.2 |
| Jan 2024 | 25.3% | +1.4 |
| Dec 2023 | 25.1% | +1.7 |
| Nov 2023 | 25.0% | +2.0 |
| Oct 2023 | 25.0% | +2.6 |
| Sep 2023 | 24.6% | +2.9 |
| Aug 2023 | 24.7% | +3.6 |
| Jul 2023 | 24.4% | +4.3 |
| Jun 2023 | 24.0% | +5.5 |
| May 2023 | 24.1% | +6.8 |
| Apr 2023 | 23.9% | +8.3 |
| Mar 2023 | 23.8% | +9.5 |
| Feb 2023 | 24.2% | +11.4 |
| Jan 2023 | 23.9% | +12.5 |
| Dec 2022 | 23.4% | +12.9 |
| Nov 2022 | 23.0% | +13.2 |
| Oct 2022 | 22.4% | +13.5 |
| Sep 2022 | 21.7% | +13.9 |
| Aug 2022 | 21.1% | +14.5 |
| Jul 2022 | 20.1% | +13.9 |
| Jun 2022 | 18.5% | +12.9 |
| May 2022 | 17.3% | +12.6 |
| Apr 2022 | 15.6% | +11.2 |
| Mar 2022 | 14.3% | +10.4 |
| Feb 2022 | 12.8% | +9.0 |
| Jan 2022 | 11.4% | +7.7 |
| Dec 2021 | 10.5% | +6.8 |
| Nov 2021 | 9.8% | +6.6 |
| Oct 2021 | 8.9% | +5.6 |
| Sep 2021 | 7.8% | +4.7 |
| Aug 2021 | 6.6% | +3.0 |
| Jul 2021 | 6.2% | +2.7 |
| Jun 2021 | 5.6% | +1.0 |
| May 2021 | 4.7% | +0.7 |
| Apr 2021 | 4.4% | +1.3 |
| Mar 2021 | 3.9% | +3.3 |
| Feb 2021 | 3.8% | +3.5 |
| Jan 2021 | 3.7% | +3.7 |
| Dec 2020 | 3.7% | +4.0 |
| Nov 2020 | 3.2% | +3.5 |
| Oct 2020 | 3.3% | +3.9 |
| Sep 2020 | 3.1% | +4.0 |
| Aug 2020 | 3.6% | +4.7 |
| Jul 2020 | 3.5% | +4.5 |
| Jun 2020 | 4.6% | +5.5 |
| May 2020 | 4.0% | +4.8 |
| Apr 2020 | 3.1% | +4.0 |
| Mar 2020 | 0.6% | +1.0 |
| Feb 2020 | 0.3% | +0.9 |
| Jan 2020 | 0.0% | +0.8 |
| Dec 2019 | -0.3% | — |
| Nov 2019 | -0.3% | — |
| Oct 2019 | -0.6% | — |
| Sep 2019 | -0.9% | — |
| Aug 2019 | -1.1% | — |
| Jul 2019 | -1.0% | — |
| Jun 2019 | -0.9% | — |
| May 2019 | -0.8% | — |
| Apr 2019 | -0.9% | — |
| Mar 2019 | -0.4% | — |
| Feb 2019 | -0.6% | — |
| Jan 2019 | -0.8% | — |
Monthly · Computed from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Food-at-Home CPI (CUSR0000SAF11)
Counties with the highest debt burden scores
There's no county figure for this measure, so this list uses the debt burden part of our County Distress Index.
| Rank | County | Score (0–100) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bronx County, NY | 99.6 |
| 2 | Miami-Dade County, FL | 99.4 |
| 3 | Rockland County, NY | 99.4 |
| 4 | Clayton County, GA | 99.1 |
| 5 | Broward County, FL | 99 |
| 6 | Palm Beach County, FL | 98.8 |
| 7 | Santa Barbara County, CA | 98.4 |
| 8 | St. Lucie County, FL | 98.4 |
| 9 | Osceola County, FL | 98.3 |
| 10 | Orleans Parish, LA | 98 |
Common questions about the Grocery Prices Cumulative Change Since Jan 2020
How much have grocery prices gone up since January 2020?
In August 2026, grocery prices (food at home) were 32% higher than in January 2020, according to the seasonally adjusted BLS consumer price index series CUSR0000SAF11. The figure compares the index with its January 2020 level. It is the total change over the period, not a yearly rate.
How is this different from the grocery inflation rate?
The inflation rate is the change over the last 12 months. It can get smaller while prices stay far above where they started. A lower rate that is still above zero means prices are going up more slowly, not that they are coming back down; only a rate below zero means they have come down. The total change since a fixed month shows how far prices have gone over the whole period.
Does this mean a dollar buys that much less food?
No. The figure is how much prices rose, not how much a dollar's buying power fell. The fall in buying power is always smaller than the rise in prices: if prices doubled, a dollar would buy half as much food.
Why January 2020, and why seasonally adjusted?
January 2020 is the last month before the pandemic changed prices and price collection. The answer depends on the starting month: food-at-home prices went up sharply between January and April 2020, so a total measured from March or April 2020 is smaller. BLS publishes no official since-2020 figure. We use the seasonally adjusted index; the unadjusted index gives a slightly different total.
Sources and method for the Grocery Prices Cumulative Change Since Jan 2020
- Computed from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Food-at-Home CPI (CUSR0000SAF11) Measurement basis: Cumulative percent change since January 2020 computed from the seasonally adjusted BLS Food-at-Home CPI (CUSR0000SAF11); seasonally adjusted values may be revised We use the monthly figures as published, from January 2019 through August 2026, with no adjustment of our own. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’s report