Cereal Prices Price History
1980–2025 · BLS
The average retail price of an 18-ounce box of corn flakes or equivalent breakfast cereal in the United States, tracked annually from 1980 through 2025. Cereal is one of the most aggressively marketed and quietly shrinkflated products in the entire grocery store. That box that used to weigh 20 ounces now weighs 18 — or sometimes 15 — while the sticker price keeps climbing. The cereal aisle tells a fascinating story about brand power, commodity costs, and just how much Americans will pay for convenience at breakfast.
Price in 1980
$0.89
Price in 2025
$5.42
Total Change
+509.0%
Years Tracked
45
Cereal Prices Over Time
Compare to inflation: The chart above shows nominal (not inflation-adjusted) prices. Use the toggle to switch to inflation-adjusted values when available, or try the inflation calculator to convert any amount between years.
Key Insights
- Cereal prices have risen sixfold since 1980, from $0.89 to $5.42 per box, outpacing overall grocery inflation partly because the industry has consolidated into a handful of companies with enormous pricing power.
- The mid-1990s "cereal wars" saw prices jump aggressively as Kellogg's, General Mills, and Post raised prices in lockstep — prompting a brief consumer revolt and congressional scrutiny that ultimately changed nothing.
- Shrinkflation has been rampant: the standard box has quietly shed about 15-20% of its contents since 2000 while the price-per-box figure kept climbing, meaning the real per-ounce increase is even steeper than the headline numbers suggest.
- The post-pandemic surge to $5.42 in 2025 has accelerated a shift already underway — cereal consumption has dropped about 30% from its 1990s peak as younger households switch to yogurt, eggs, or just skip breakfast entirely.
Year-by-Year Data
| Year | Price (USD per box) | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | $0.89 | — |
| 1981 | $0.95 | +6.7% |
| 1982 | $1.01 | +6.3% |
| 1983 | $1.05 | +4.0% |
| 1984 | $1.10 | +4.8% |
| 1985 | $1.15 | +4.5% |
| 1986 | $1.20 | +4.3% |
| 1987 | $1.28 | +6.7% |
| 1988 | $1.35 | +5.5% |
| 1989 | $1.45 | +7.4% |
| 1990 | $1.58 | +9.0% |
| 1991 | $1.72 | +8.9% |
| 1992 | $1.85 | +7.6% |
| 1993 | $1.98 | +7.0% |
| 1994 | $2.15 | +8.6% |
| 1995 | $2.35 | +9.3% |
| 1996 | $2.52 | +7.2% |
| 1997 | $2.65 | +5.2% |
| 1998 | $2.78 | +4.9% |
| 1999 | $2.82 | +1.4% |
| 2000 | $2.87 | +1.8% |
| 2001 | $2.95 | +2.8% |
| 2002 | $2.99 | +1.4% |
| 2003 | $3.05 | +2.0% |
| 2004 | $3.10 | +1.6% |
| 2005 | $3.18 | +2.6% |
| 2006 | $3.26 | +2.5% |
| 2007 | $3.38 | +3.7% |
| 2008 | $3.60 | +6.5% |
| 2009 | $3.52 | -2.2% |
| 2010 | $3.48 | -1.1% |
| 2011 | $3.65 | +4.9% |
| 2012 | $3.72 | +1.9% |
| 2013 | $3.80 | +2.2% |
| 2014 | $3.92 | +3.2% |
| 2015 | $3.98 | +1.5% |
| 2016 | $3.85 | -3.3% |
| 2017 | $3.78 | -1.8% |
| 2018 | $3.82 | +1.1% |
| 2019 | $3.90 | +2.1% |
| 2020 | $4.05 | +3.8% |
| 2021 | $4.20 | +3.7% |
| 2022 | $4.92 | +17.1% |
| 2023 | $5.18 | +5.3% |
| 2024 | $5.30 | +2.3% |
| 2025 | $5.42 | +2.3% |
Sources & Methodology
BLS average retail price for a standard box (18 oz) of corn flakes or comparable ready-to-eat cereal, from CPI survey data. Reflects national urban averages.
Primary source: BLS
For a full explanation of how we collect and adjust data, see our methodology page.