Reality Index
Reality Index

Food · Single item chart

Bananas.

Per pound · US city average · all available data

Bananas vs. official inflation, 1939–2025
Indexed: 1980 = 100 · Three lines, three measures of inflation: what consumers actually paid (retail), the BLS CPI subindex for this category, and overall CPI-U All Items
Bananas, retail price (BLS APU0000711211, 1980+) Bananas, CPI subindex (BLS, 1939+) CPI-U All Items (BLS, 1947+)

Reading the chart. Bananas are the most consumed fresh fruit in America and one of the most stable in price. The BLS Average Price retail series shows bananas grew only 1.89x from 1980 to 2025 — slower than nearly any other food item, and far slower than the 3.91x growth in CPI All Items. This is the dollarized story of how global trade and industrial agriculture keep some staples cheap in real terms.