Harvests and federal supply policy both influence U.S. sugar prices.
A pound of white sugar averages $1.02 — 3.3% below the May 2025 record and −2.2% versus last year.
Where sugar prices stand
The white-sugar price is within 5% of its BLS record high. White sugar averaged $1.02 per pound for September 2026. The monthly change is −0.5% and the annual change is −2.2%. The latest price is 3.3% below the May 2025 record, which describes its position in the BLS retail history rather than a world raw-sugar quotation.
What drives sugar prices
The federal sugar program uses price-support loans, domestic marketing allotments and tariff-rate quotas on imports to influence how much sugar reaches the U.S. market. Domestic production comes from sugar beets and sugarcane, and harvest conditions also matter. A BLS retail price for packaged white sugar is not a wholesale raw-sugar quote, so comparing it directly with a world commodity price would mix products and stages of the supply chain.
A real shelf price
Every figure here is the BLS average retail price for white sugar, tracked monthly since January 1980 — an actual dollar amount shoppers paid, not a commodity-exchange quote or a forecast.
Frequently asked questions
How much does sugar cost right now?
White sugar averaged $1.02 per pound at the U.S. city average in September 2026, per BLS CPI Average Price Data.
Why is sugar so expensive in the U.S.?
The federal sugar program — price supports, marketing allotments and import quotas — influences domestic sugar supply and prices. That does not isolate the reason for the latest retail move. Sugar is −2.2% year over year as of September 2026.
Is sugar at a record high?
As of September 2026 sugar is 3.3% below the May 2025 record of $1.05 (May 2025).
Sources and methodology
- BLS average retail food and energy prices
- USDA ERS sugar policy
- 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 sugar prices
See the full price history and how U.S. sugar tracks federal supply policy.