The ground-coffee price is within 5% of its BLS record high.
A pound of ground roast averages $9.33 — 4.0% below the April 2026 record and +2.1% versus last year.
Where coffee prices stand
The ground-coffee price is within 5% of its BLS record high. Ground roast coffee averaged $9.33 per pound for September 2026. The price is 2.1% higher than a year ago. It is 4.0% below the April 2026 record. That compares a packaged retail product with its own BLS history, while the ICO series below describes green beans.
What drives coffee prices
The ICO’s September 2026 report describes falling green-coffee prices as Brazil’s harvest reached the market. That is a different measure from BLS packaged ground coffee at U.S. stores. Roasting, packaging, distribution, inventories and retail pricing stand between the bean market and the shelf, so the two measures need not move together in one month. The BLS series does not establish the cause of its latest change.
A real shelf price
This is the BLS average shelf price across U.S. retailers, recorded monthly since January 1980 — not a futures quote — so it shows what shoppers actually paid.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a pound of coffee cost?
Ground roast coffee averaged $9.33 per pound at the U.S. city average in September 2026, per BLS data.
What influences coffee prices?
Coffee is +2.1% year over year. Global green-bean markets are one influence, but the ICO reported declining bean prices in September 2026. Retail prices can move on a different schedule, so the BLS change should not be attributed automatically to a new crop shortage.
Is coffee at a record high?
As of September 2026 coffee is 4.0% below the April 2026 record of $9.72 (April 2026).
Sources and methodology
- BLS average retail food and energy prices
- ICO Coffee Market Report, September 2026
- 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 coffee prices
See the full price history and how coffee tracks global bean costs.