Grocery Prices Up 31.9% From January 2020 to September 2026
Grocery prices were up 31.9% from January 2020 to September 2026. Food bought to cook and eat at home costs more than it did before the pandemic.
How much have grocery prices gone up?
- Groceries over the past year: up 1.8% from September 2025 to September 2026 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, food at home).
- Groceries last month: down 0.1% from August 2026 to September 2026 (BLS, food at home).
- All food, including restaurants: up 2.5% in the 12 months to September 2026 (BLS, all food).
Each figure is a national price index. None of them measures any one household’s grocery bill.
Grocery Prices Since 2020: The Long View
In September 2026, U.S. grocery prices were 31.9% higher than in January 2020, according to the seasonally adjusted BLS Food-at-Home Consumer Price Index (series CUSR0000SAF11). That is about the same as the 32% of August 2026. This is the total change since January 2020, not a yearly inflation rate. The raw seasonally adjusted index was 243.511 in January 2020. Separately, the broader all-food CPI (CUSR0000SAF1, food at home and away from home) was 2.5% higher than a year earlier in September 2026, down from a rate of 3.1% in September 2025. In 2018–2019 that all-food series averaged about 1.6%. Measured from January 2019 (an index of 241.581), the Food-at-Home index is +32.9%.
Measured from January 2020, the cumulative series stood at +3.7% in January 2021, +11.4% in January 2022 and +23.9% in January 2023. A level above zero means food-at-home prices are still higher than in January 2020, whatever the latest yearly rate.
BLS CPI Food-at-Home Index Values (CUSR0000SAF11)
The raw index values researchers look for, directly from the Bureau of Labor Statistics:
Series CUSR0000SAF11 (seasonally adjusted). The index uses a 1982–84 = 100 reference base. The percentage changes are computed from this series. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index.
Key Statistics at a Glance
The American Distress Index read 47.0 (Typical) in Q2 2026. The composite itself sits higher than 44% of all published quarters since 2005. Food prices aren’t part of the index itself; the personal saving rate is. For shelter, energy and medical prices, see the cost-of-living page.
How Much Have Groceries Gone Up Since 2020?
The chart below shows the cumulative percentage change in food-at-home prices since January 2020. A 12-month rate and a cumulative change answer different questions. The all-food 12-month rate was 2.5% higher than a year earlier in September 2026, while food-at-home prices were 31.9% higher than in January 2020. A slower yearly rate does not lower the price level; only a rate below zero does.
January 2019: −0.8% | January 2021: +3.7% | January 2022: +11.4% | January 2023: +23.9% | January 2024: +25.3% | January 2025: +27.6% | September 2026: +31.9% | Since January 2019: +32.9%
Grocery prices are up 31.9% since January 2020
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index, food at home, seasonally adjusted; change since January 2020 calculated by American Default.
Full data: Grocery cumulative price indicator page
What Was the All-Food Inflation Rate?
In September 2026, all-food prices were 2.5% higher than a year earlier, down from a rate of 3.1% in September 2025, by our calculation from the seasonally adjusted index; BLS headlines a figure from the unadjusted index, which can differ by about a tenth of a point. In 2022 the rate on this basis reached 11.4% (August 2022). Because CUSR0000SAF1 includes food at home and food away from home, this rate is not a grocery-only measure and should not be used as a rate for CUSR0000SAF11.
The same all-food series averaged roughly 1.6% during 2018–2019.
All-Food CPI Year-Over-Year — Food at Home and Away (%)
Source: BLS seasonally adjusted all-food CPI (CUSR0000SAF1), including food at home and away from home. Year-over-year percent change, monthly.
Full data: Food CPI indicator page
Which Food Categories Have Gone Up the Most?
Category rows are fixed to January 2026, while the Food-at-Home composite row runs through September 2026; the different observation dates are shown rather than blended.
| Food category | Bureau of Labor Statistics series ID | Cumulative change since January 2020 (%) | Series note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beef and veal | CUSR0000SEFC01 | +57.6 | Fixed January 2026 BLS sub-index snapshot |
| Sugar and sweets | CUSR0000SEFR | +40.2 | Fixed January 2026 BLS sub-index snapshot |
| Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs | CUSR0000SAF112 | +36.8 | Fixed January 2026 BLS sub-index snapshot |
| Eggs | CUSR0000SEFH | +35.5 | Fixed January 2026 BLS sub-index snapshot |
| Nonalcoholic beverages | CUSR0000SEFE | +35.5 | Fixed January 2026 BLS sub-index snapshot |
| Fruits and vegetables | CUSR0000SEFV | +35.0 | Fixed January 2026 BLS sub-index snapshot |
| Cereals and bakery products | CUSR0000SEFD | +26.3 | Fixed January 2026 BLS sub-index snapshot |
| Dairy and related products | CUSR0000SEFJ | +21.6 | Fixed January 2026 BLS sub-index snapshot |
| Fats and oils | CUSR0000SEFK | +18.0 | Fixed January 2026 BLS sub-index snapshot |
| All food at home | CUSR0000SAF11 | +31.9 | BLS Food-at-Home composite, September 2026 |
Category rows: BLS Consumer Price Index, seasonally adjusted, January 2020 to January 2026. The all-food-at-home composite row runs through September 2026. Sub-category changes do not average to the composite; each category uses a different expenditure weight in the BLS calculation. Ground beef specifically: +73.8% (BLS average price series APU0000703112, from $3.93/lb to $6.83/lb).
How Does Wage Growth Compare With All-Food Inflation?
The chart subtracts all-food CPI growth from average hourly earnings growth for private-sector payroll jobs. Above zero, pay grew faster than food prices over the year; below zero, more slowly. It’s a national average, not any one household’s pay or grocery bill.
In the 12 months to September 2026, average hourly pay grew 0.6 percentage points faster than food prices. The gap is about the same as the 0.7 percentage points of September 2025. The newest month of earnings is preliminary. In 2022 the gap's lowest reading was −6.1 percentage points (September 2022).
Wage-All-Food Price Spread (AHE YoY minus All-Food CPI YoY, percentage points)
Source: BLS Average Hourly Earnings (CES0500000003) data retrieved via FRED and BLS Food CPI (CUSR0000SAF1). Computed spread.
Full data: Wage and all-food CPI spread indicator page
Why a Slower Inflation Rate Is Not a Price Cut
The inflation rate and the price level are different things. The yearly rate for all food, groceries and eating out combined, was 2.5% higher than a year earlier in September 2026, while grocery prices alone were 31.9% higher than in January 2020. A yearly rate above zero means food prices are still higher than a year earlier, even when the rate slows.
For the meaning of a positive rate beside a higher price level, see the inflation glossary explanation.
Price Levels vs. Inflation Rates
The same arithmetic applies to every item in the basket. A slower inflation rate is not a price cut: for the Food-at-Home index to return to its January 2020 level, prices would have to fall, not just rise more slowly.
In September 2026, the seasonally adjusted Food-at-Home index was 31.9% higher than in January 2020. The index does not show how any particular household adjusted its budget.
Read: How American Default compares indicators →How Grocery Prices Connect to Household Financial Distress
Grocery prices are one pressure on a household budget. Related pages: SNAP enrollment, credit card delinquency and auto loan delinquency.
Questions about grocery prices
Are grocery prices going down in 2026?
In September 2026, seasonally adjusted Food-at-Home prices were 31.9% higher than in January 2020. That is about the same as the 32% of August 2026. The separate all-food index was 2.5% higher than a year earlier in September 2026. That all-food annual rate includes restaurant meals, so it does not settle the direction of grocery-only prices.
What food prices have gone up the most since 2020?
Among the category rows shown above, beef and veal has the largest January 2020 to January 2026 increase. Category rows are fixed to January 2026 so they are not mixed with the newer Food-at-Home composite. The sub-index changes rank price movements but do not, by themselves, prove why those movements occurred.
How does all-food inflation compare with wage growth?
In the 12 months to September 2026, average hourly pay grew 0.6 percentage points faster than food prices. The food series here is CUSR0000SAF1, which includes food at home and away from home.
How much have grocery prices gone up since 2019?
Measured from January 2019, the Food-at-Home index is +32.9%. The BLS Food-at-Home CPI index (seasonally adjusted series CUSR0000SAF11) was 241.581 in January 2019 and 243.511 in January 2020. The change was +0.8% from January 2019 to January 2020 and +31.9% from January 2020 to September 2026; the two compound to the total above.
What is the BLS CPI Food-at-Home index value for January 2020?
The BLS CPI Food-at-Home index (series CUSR0000SAF11, seasonally adjusted) was 243.511 in January 2020. This is the baseline used to calculate the +31.9% cumulative change. The index uses a 1982–84 = 100 reference base.
Where does this grocery price data come from?
The cumulative price-level data comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Consumer Price Index for Food at Home (seasonally adjusted series CUSR0000SAF11), computed relative to January 2020. The year-over-year rate uses the broader BLS all-food CPI (seasonally adjusted series CUSR0000SAF1), which includes food at home and food away from home. The two scopes are not interchangeable.
Data Sources and Methodology
CPI measurement basis: Every CPI reading and historical comparison on this page uses its source-owned basis unless explicitly identified otherwise: Cumulative percent change since January 2020 computed from the seasonally adjusted BLS Food-at-Home CPI (CUSR0000SAF11); seasonally adjusted values may be revised; Year-over-year percent change computed from the seasonally adjusted BLS Food CPI (CUSR0000SAF1); seasonally adjusted values may be revised.
The answer at the top uses these seasonally adjusted series; BLS’s headline 12-month rates use unadjusted indexes and can differ by about a tenth of a point.
BLS Food-at-Home CPI (CUSR0000SAF11)
The primary series measuring prices for food purchased to prepare at home. Part of the BLS Consumer Price Index program. Monthly, seasonally adjusted. Used for the cumulative calculations on this page.
BLS Food CPI (CUSR0000SAF1)
The seasonally adjusted all-food series, covering food at home and food away from home, used for the year-over-year rate and wage comparison shown on this page. It is not a grocery-only series.
BLS Average Hourly Earnings (CES0500000003)
Average hourly earnings for private-sector employees. Used to compare pay growth with food price growth. It covers private-sector payroll jobs only.
Cumulative Change Methodology
Cumulative change is computed as (current_index / jan_2020_index − 1) × 100. This gives the total percentage change in prices since the January 2020 base period, compounding each month's change. The raw index data comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Food-at-Home CPI series.
We write with assistance from AI tools. Figures come from the data and sources named on this page.