Bacon reflects the belly cut, processing and the wider hog market.
A pound of sliced bacon averages $6.76 — 11.2% below the October 2022 record and −7.3% versus last year.
Where bacon prices stand
The sliced-bacon price is 11.2% below the October 2022 record. Sliced bacon averaged $6.76 per pound for September 2026. It changed +2.3% from the prior month and −7.3% from a year earlier. Its latest observation is 11.2% below the October 2022 record; that historical comparison does not establish the direction of its next move.
What drives bacon prices
Bacon is cured pork belly, and the belly is a single cut whose price often moves on its own: when demand for bacon outruns the rest of the carcass, belly prices can jump even while overall pork is calm. Underneath that, bacon still rides the broader hog market — how many animals come to slaughter and the cost of corn and soybean-meal feed — and curing and slicing add a processing margin on top of the raw belly. Those stages help explain why a packaged bacon price differs from a raw hog or belly quotation.
A real shelf price
Every figure here is the BLS average retail price for sliced bacon, tracked monthly since January 1980 — an actual dollar amount shoppers paid, not a wholesale belly quote or a forecast.
Frequently asked questions
How much does bacon cost right now?
Sliced bacon averaged $6.76 per pound at the U.S. city average in September 2026, per BLS CPI Average Price Data.
Why is bacon so expensive?
Bacon is cured pork belly — a single cut that commands its own premium when bacon demand runs high, on top of hog-market and feed costs plus a curing margin. Bacon is −7.3% year over year as of September 2026.
Is bacon cheaper than last year?
As of September 2026 bacon is −7.3% versus a year ago and 11.2% below the October 2022 record of $7.61.
Sources and methodology
- BLS average retail food and energy prices
- USDA ERS hog and pork production
- USDA FSIS: how bacon is made
- Basket Report methodology
- Basket Report data downloads
Data through September 2026 · Editorial prose reviewed for September 2026 · Source data is independently analyzed by Basket Report and does not imply BLS endorsement.
Explore bacon prices
See the full price history and how bacon tracks the pork-belly market.