Chicken Prices Today
The average price of a pound of fresh whole chicken in US cities was $2.06 in September 2026, up 5 cents (2.6%) from August 2026, and 0.1% higher than a year earlier. That is the highest price since August 2025. The record is $2.09 a pound, set in June 2025. Five years earlier, in September 2021, it was $1.50 — an increase of 37.2% since then.
Whole chicken: average US price per lb
Average Price: Chicken, Fresh, Whole (Cost per Pound/453.6 Grams) in U.S. City Average (APU0000706111). Monthly, not seasonally adjusted.
Average price by year
| Year | Average | vs prior year | High | Low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (9 mo) | $2.03 | — | $2.06 | $2.00 |
| 2025 (11 mo) | $2.06 | — | $2.09 | $2.02 |
| 2024 | $2.00 | +4.4% | $2.08 | $1.95 |
| 2023 | $1.91 | +6.3% | $1.98 | $1.85 |
| 2022 | $1.80 | +17.9% | $1.89 | $1.62 |
| 2021 | $1.53 | — | $1.61 | $1.44 |
| 2020 (11 mo) | $1.56 | — | $1.75 | $1.36 |
| 2019 | $1.50 | -0.1% | $1.59 | $1.43 |
| 2018 | $1.50 | +1.7% | $1.52 | $1.44 |
| 2017 | $1.47 | +0.5% | $1.50 | $1.42 |
| 2016 | $1.46 | -1.6% | $1.50 | $1.41 |
| 2015 | $1.49 | -2.9% | $1.55 | $1.42 |
| 2014 | $1.53 | +2.5% | $1.57 | $1.50 |
| 2013 | $1.50 | +5.2% | $1.54 | $1.46 |
| 2012 | $1.42 | +10.1% | $1.53 | $1.33 |
Show 2011 back to 1980
| 2011 | $1.29 | +2.2% | $1.34 | $1.24 |
| 2010 | $1.26 | -1.2% | $1.30 | $1.23 |
| 2009 | $1.28 | +5.9% | $1.30 | $1.24 |
| 2008 | $1.21 | +8.3% | $1.30 | $1.16 |
| 2007 | $1.11 | +6.3% | $1.17 | $1.03 |
| 2006 | $1.05 | -0.7% | $1.06 | $1.03 |
| 2005 | $1.06 | -1.3% | $1.07 | $1.03 |
| 2004 | $1.07 | +3.5% | $1.12 | $1.03 |
| 2003 | $1.03 | -3.7% | $1.07 | $1.00 |
| 2002 | $1.07 | -2.8% | $1.11 | $1.03 |
| 2001 | $1.10 | +3.2% | $1.13 | $1.09 |
| 2000 | $1.07 | +1.4% | $1.09 | $1.05 |
| 1999 | $1.06 | +1.1% | $1.08 | $1.03 |
| 1998 | $1.04 | +4.2% | $1.08 | $1.01 |
| 1997 | $1.00 | +3.0% | $1.02 | $0.98 |
| 1996 | $0.97 | +6.1% | $1.02 | $0.93 |
| 1995 | $0.92 | +1.8% | $0.95 | $0.89 |
| 1994 | $0.90 | +1.2% | $0.92 | $0.89 |
| 1993 | $0.89 | +2.4% | $0.92 | $0.87 |
| 1992 | $0.87 | -1.2% | $0.89 | $0.85 |
| 1991 | $0.88 | -2.1% | $0.90 | $0.86 |
| 1990 | $0.90 | -3.0% | $0.93 | $0.86 |
| 1989 | $0.93 | +8.5% | $0.98 | $0.88 |
| 1988 | $0.85 | +8.8% | $0.97 | $0.74 |
| 1987 | $0.79 | -6.0% | $0.83 | $0.74 |
| 1986 | $0.83 | +9.4% | $0.96 | $0.75 |
| 1985 | $0.76 | -5.8% | $0.78 | $0.74 |
| 1984 | $0.81 | +11.7% | $0.87 | $0.75 |
| 1983 | $0.72 | +1.5% | $0.81 | $0.68 |
| 1982 | $0.71 | -2.5% | $0.74 | $0.68 |
| 1981 | $0.73 | +3.2% | $0.77 | $0.70 |
| 1980 | $0.71 | — | $0.79 | $0.63 |
Average of the monthly prices in each calendar year. A year marked with a count is incomplete (the current year, or a month the agency did not publish), so it is not compared.
More meat & poultry prices
All prices →Frequently asked questions
How much does a pound of chicken cost?
The average price of a pound of fresh whole chicken in US cities was $2.06 in September 2026, up 5 cents (2.6%) from August 2026, and 0.1% higher than a year earlier. That is the highest price since August 2025.
How much has the price of whole chicken changed since 2000?
The average price of fresh whole chicken was $1.07 a pound in 2000 and $2.00 a pound in 2024 (yearly averages), a change of +87%.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, via FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (series APU0000706111). The Bureau of Labor Statistics collects these prices every month in stores across the country while compiling the consumer price index, and publishes the U.S. city average about two weeks after the month ends. Average prices are not seasonally adjusted, and they track a fixed item definition, so they show what a typical shopper paid rather than the cheapest deal. Data checked Nov 6, 5:41 PM ET.