Prescription Drug Costs Price History
1970–2025 · CMS / AHRQ Medical Expenditure Panel Survey
The average retail cost per prescription filled in the United States, tracked from 1970 to 2025. A single prescription cost about $3.50 in 1970 — roughly what you'd pay for a sandwich. By 2025, that average has climbed past $117. What makes this dataset especially interesting is the shape of the curve: drug prices exploded in the late 1990s and early 2000s as blockbuster branded drugs dominated the market, then growth slowed dramatically when generics took over a larger share of prescriptions. The recent uptick since 2020, though, suggests that specialty drugs and biologics are pushing costs right back up.
Price in 1970
$3.50
Price in 2025
$117.50
Total Change
+3257.1%
Years Tracked
55
Prescription Drug Costs 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
- The average prescription cost surged from $15.51 in 1990 to $42.42 by 2000 — a 174% jump in a single decade. That's when drugs like Lipitor, Prilosec, and Prozac were minting billions for pharma companies.
- Generic drugs actually flattened the curve: between 2007 and 2013, the average cost per prescription barely budged (moving from $69.91 to $76.53) as blockbuster patents expired and cheap generics flooded the market.
- Since 2020, costs have started climbing faster again — up about 22% in five years — driven largely by specialty medications and biologics that can cost thousands per dose, dragging the average upward even though generics now account for roughly 90% of scripts filled.
- In raw terms, a prescription that cost $3.50 in 1970 now costs $117.50 — a 3,257% increase. Even after adjusting for inflation, real drug costs have roughly quadrupled, which is hard to square with the fact that many of today's most-prescribed drugs are dirt-cheap generics.
Year-by-Year Data
| Year | Price (USD per prescription) | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | $3.50 | — |
| 1971 | $3.65 | +4.3% |
| 1972 | $3.80 | +4.1% |
| 1973 | $3.95 | +3.9% |
| 1974 | $4.15 | +5.1% |
| 1975 | $4.40 | +6.0% |
| 1976 | $4.70 | +6.8% |
| 1977 | $5.00 | +6.4% |
| 1978 | $5.30 | +6.0% |
| 1979 | $5.65 | +6.6% |
| 1980 | $6.04 | +6.9% |
| 1981 | $6.68 | +10.6% |
| 1982 | $7.35 | +10.0% |
| 1983 | $8.05 | +9.5% |
| 1984 | $8.75 | +8.7% |
| 1985 | $9.50 | +8.6% |
| 1986 | $10.32 | +8.6% |
| 1987 | $11.25 | +9.0% |
| 1988 | $12.30 | +9.3% |
| 1989 | $13.50 | +9.8% |
| 1990 | $15.51 | +14.9% |
| 1991 | $17.19 | +10.8% |
| 1992 | $19.03 | +10.7% |
| 1993 | $20.76 | +9.1% |
| 1994 | $22.50 | +8.4% |
| 1995 | $24.53 | +9.0% |
| 1996 | $27.09 | +10.4% |
| 1997 | $30.06 | +11.0% |
| 1998 | $33.44 | +11.2% |
| 1999 | $37.69 | +12.7% |
| 2000 | $42.42 | +12.5% |
| 2001 | $47.89 | +12.9% |
| 2002 | $52.70 | +10.0% |
| 2003 | $56.91 | +8.0% |
| 2004 | $59.87 | +5.2% |
| 2005 | $63.59 | +6.2% |
| 2006 | $67.31 | +5.8% |
| 2007 | $69.91 | +3.9% |
| 2008 | $71.69 | +2.5% |
| 2009 | $73.87 | +3.0% |
| 2010 | $75.66 | +2.4% |
| 2011 | $77.21 | +2.0% |
| 2012 | $75.83 | -1.8% |
| 2013 | $76.53 | +0.9% |
| 2014 | $80.50 | +5.2% |
| 2015 | $88.90 | +10.4% |
| 2016 | $89.74 | +0.9% |
| 2017 | $89.05 | -0.8% |
| 2018 | $89.47 | +0.5% |
| 2019 | $90.54 | +1.2% |
| 2020 | $96.01 | +6.0% |
| 2021 | $102.17 | +6.4% |
| 2022 | $105.32 | +3.1% |
| 2023 | $109.45 | +3.9% |
| 2024 | $113.80 | +4.0% |
| 2025 | $117.50 | +3.3% |
Sources & Methodology
Data is derived from CMS National Health Expenditure Accounts, calculated by dividing total national retail prescription drug spending by the total number of prescriptions dispensed in a given year. This yields an average cost per script that blends generics and brand-name drugs together. Pre-1990 figures are estimated from AHRQ historical data and earlier NHE revisions, so they carry more uncertainty. From 1990 onward, the data is anchored in CMS's well-established expenditure tracking. Note that this is the retail price — what pharmacies actually collect — not the manufacturer list price or what insurers negotiate behind closed doors.
Primary source: CMS / AHRQ Medical Expenditure Panel Survey
For a full explanation of how we collect and adjust data, see our methodology page.