Food · Single item chart

White bread.

Per pound · pan loaf · US city average · all available data

A pound of white bread vs. official inflation, 1939–2025

Indexed: 1980 = 100, the year all three series converge · Three lines, three measures of inflation: what consumers actually paid (retail), the BLS CPI subindex for this category, and overall CPI-U All Items

Bread, retail price (BLS APU0000702111, 1980+) White bread, CPI subindex (BLS, 1939+) CPI-U All Items (BLS, 1947+)

Reading the chart. The retail dollar series tracks the price of a one-pound loaf of pan-style white bread at retail, year over year. The CPI subindex applies BLS substitution and quality adjustments to the broader bread category.