Grocery Price CheckAll groceries › Beef › Ground beef
Ground beef prices this week
+$0.08 vs last week −0.9% vs a year ago
80–89% lean, fresh, all pack sizes · USDA-reported store count 10,070 · ads for the week of Oct 19, 2026
What this number means: the average advertised sale price in grocery-store weekly ads across the US, not the price at any one store, and not the everyday shelf price. Ground beef, 80–89% lean, fresh, all pack sizes, per lb; ads for the week of October 19, 2026.
Definition and sources
- How it's averaged: each advertised price is weighted by the number of stores USDA reports running it. That store count is summed across qualifying ads, so a store running two qualifying ads may count twice.
- USDA label: “GROUND BEEF 80-89%”.
- Data week: ads for the week of October 19, 2026, published by USDA on October 23, 2026. USDA publishes these weekly, on Fridays; this site checks for new reports every 30 minutes.
- Coverage: USDA-reported store count 10,070, 8 of 8 regions. History since 2014.
- BLS comparison: an approximate match. BLS tracks 100% ground beef of any fat level; ads here are 80–89% lean. BLS averages include both sale and regular prices.
- Sources: USDA AMS “Weekly Grocery Store Beef Feature Activity” (report 3228); BLS series APU0000703112. How we check the data.
Experimental · next call pending
The model's next call needs a complete month of store ads and appears once it's in.
In an expanding-window historical backtest (2017-03 to 2026-09, 111 months), this model called the BLS price's monthly direction right in 62% of months. The same model using only last month's change got 58%; always guessing the most common direction got 59%. Evidence vs the naive guess: weak (unadjusted p = 0.487; the signal was picked after looking at the full history, so treat it as exploratory). In months it called up, the BLS price moved +1.1% on average (72 months); called down, −0.4% (39 months). 1 month with no change is left out. Not shopping advice. Full record.
Ground beef prices by region
Week of Oct 19, 2026, cheapest first. Bar: price relative to the priciest region. Chip: last 4 weeks vs the same weeks a year earlier.
The US figure reflects both prices and which stores and regions advertised, so it can move differently from every region.
The last 52 weeks
52-week low $5.12, high $6.54.
Ground beef prices since 2014
Ad prices are sale prices, so they usually sit below the BLS average retail price, which includes both sale and regular prices. How closely the two track each other varies by item: see the checks.
Good time to buy?
Low line this season: $5.67/lb (US). The latest average ad price, $5.41, is at or below it. In past weeks at or below the line, the ad price fell more than 2% further within 4 weeks 35.5% of the time, compared with 72.2% of all weeks (121 weeks over 10 years). That isn't rare enough to call it a good price outright.
The line is set each week from the same season in the previous 3 years, scaled to recent prices; both results come from tests that only use data available at the time. Check a store price · How these are tested.
Best time of year to buy
We haven't found a calendar pattern strong enough to plan around for ground beef: the months that looked lowest-priced in earlier years came in below the trend in 4 of 8 later years, by 0.7% on average.
Descriptive pattern, all years: each month's average advertised sale price compared with the item's average over the 13 months around it (so inflation and price spikes don't tilt it), 2014 through April 2026. Below zero = lower than the trend. Months less than 6 months old aren't measured yet. A month is named only if this method, picking from earlier years alone, came in below the trend in at least 80% of at least 8 later years, by at least 2% on average, with no more than 4 months picked (claims policy v1).Every year's picks and results.
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Weekly prices, US and regions (CSV) · Monthly ad and BLS prices (CSV) · Report a correction
Embed the 52-week chart
Free to use with a link back. The chart updates itself when new USDA data arrives.
Monthly data table
| Month | Ad price | BLS average |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-10 | $5.53 | – |
| 2026-09 | $5.97 | $6.79 |
| 2026-08 | $5.86 | $6.92 |
| 2026-07 | $5.90 | $6.88 |
| 2026-06 | $5.89 | $6.83 |
| 2026-05 | $5.88 | $6.75 |
| 2026-04 | $5.79 | $6.90 |
| 2026-03 | $5.80 | $6.70 |
| 2026-02 | $5.65 | $6.74 |
| 2026-01 | $5.74 | $6.75 |
| 2025-12 | $5.52 | $6.69 |
| 2025-11 | $5.64 | $6.54 |
| 2025-10 | $5.40 | – |
| 2025-09 | $5.74 | $6.32 |
| 2025-08 | $5.52 | $6.32 |
| 2025-07 | $5.38 | $6.25 |
| 2025-06 | $5.00 | $6.12 |
| 2025-05 | $4.91 | $5.98 |
| 2025-04 | $4.90 | $5.80 |
| 2025-03 | $4.75 | $5.79 |
| 2025-02 | $4.63 | $5.62 |
| 2025-01 | $4.68 | $5.54 |
| 2024-12 | $4.67 | $5.61 |
| 2024-11 | $4.85 | $5.63 |
| 2024-10 | $4.58 | $5.59 |
| 2024-09 | $4.71 | $5.67 |
| 2024-08 | $4.58 | $5.58 |
| 2024-07 | $4.40 | $5.50 |
| 2024-06 | $4.37 | $5.47 |
| 2024-05 | $4.18 | $5.15 |
| 2024-04 | $4.40 | $5.24 |
| 2024-03 | $4.46 | $5.13 |
| 2024-02 | $4.23 | $5.13 |
| 2024-01 | $4.12 | $5.03 |
| 2023-12 | $4.38 | $5.21 |
| 2023-11 | $4.52 | $5.35 |
| 2023-10 | $4.54 | $5.23 |
| 2023-09 | $4.49 | $5.11 |
| 2023-08 | $4.14 | $5.08 |
| 2023-07 | $4.26 | $5.10 |
| 2023-06 | $4.23 | $5.03 |
| 2023-05 | $4.07 | $4.96 |
| 2023-04 | $3.94 | $4.79 |
| 2023-03 | $3.78 | $4.81 |
| 2023-02 | $4.08 | $4.78 |
| 2023-01 | $4.01 | $4.79 |
| 2022-12 | $3.96 | $4.80 |
| 2022-11 | $4.12 | $4.85 |
| 2022-10 | $4.13 | $4.84 |
| 2022-09 | $4.10 | $4.86 |
| 2022-08 | $4.33 | $4.94 |
| 2022-07 | $4.04 | $4.89 |
| 2022-06 | $4.24 | $4.89 |
| 2022-05 | $4.21 | $4.79 |
| 2022-04 | $4.31 | $4.92 |
| 2022-03 | $4.31 | $4.76 |
| 2022-02 | $4.22 | $4.63 |
| 2022-01 | $4.22 | $4.55 |
| 2021-12 | $4.08 | $4.60 |
| 2021-11 | $4.42 | $4.72 |
| 2021-10 | $4.01 | $4.72 |
| 2021-09 | $3.90 | $4.50 |
| 2021-08 | $4.25 | $4.47 |
| 2021-07 | $3.53 | $4.39 |
| 2021-06 | $3.53 | $4.36 |
| 2021-05 | $3.23 | $4.10 |
| 2021-04 | $3.36 | $4.10 |
| 2021-03 | $3.61 | $4.04 |
| 2021-02 | $3.65 | $3.99 |
| 2021-01 | $3.27 | $3.96 |
| 2020-12 | $3.67 | $3.95 |
| 2020-11 | $3.20 | $4.03 |
| 2020-10 | $3.20 | $4.01 |
| 2020-09 | $3.44 | $4.08 |
| 2020-08 | $3.58 | $4.18 |
| 2020-07 | $3.58 | $4.26 |
| 2020-06 | $4.36 | $4.74 |
| 2020-05 | $4.06 | $4.46 |
| 2020-04 | $4.05 | $4.05 |
| 2020-03 | $3.43 | $3.88 |
| 2020-02 | $3.69 | $3.87 |
| 2020-01 | $3.48 | $3.89 |
| 2019-12 | $3.74 | $3.86 |
| 2019-11 | $3.57 | $3.81 |
| 2019-10 | $3.44 | $3.84 |
| 2019-09 | $3.40 | $3.85 |
| 2019-08 | $3.20 | $3.82 |
| 2019-07 | $3.47 | $3.80 |
| 2019-06 | $3.30 | $3.81 |
| 2019-05 | $3.44 | $3.82 |
| 2019-04 | $3.48 | $3.77 |
| 2019-03 | $3.25 | $3.73 |
| 2019-02 | $3.32 | $3.76 |
| 2019-01 | $3.53 | $3.80 |
| 2018-12 | $3.30 | $3.73 |
| 2018-11 | $3.28 | $3.78 |
| 2018-10 | $3.14 | $3.71 |
| 2018-09 | $3.19 | $3.74 |
| 2018-08 | $3.16 | $3.79 |
| 2018-07 | $3.15 | $3.75 |
| 2018-06 | $3.22 | $3.73 |
| 2018-05 | $3.15 | $3.69 |
| 2018-04 | $3.36 | $3.73 |
| 2018-03 | $3.40 | $3.66 |
| 2018-02 | $3.29 | $3.64 |
| 2018-01 | $3.24 | $3.64 |
| 2017-12 | $3.25 | $3.71 |
| 2017-11 | $3.52 | $3.64 |
| 2017-10 | $3.35 | $3.69 |
| 2017-09 | $3.34 | $3.71 |
| 2017-08 | $3.56 | $3.73 |
| 2017-07 | $3.43 | $3.75 |
| 2017-06 | $3.25 | $3.68 |
| 2017-05 | $3.19 | $3.56 |
| 2017-04 | $3.21 | $3.55 |
| 2017-03 | $3.36 | $3.59 |
| 2017-02 | $3.25 | $3.56 |
| 2017-01 | $3.27 | $3.55 |
| 2016-12 | $3.43 | $3.56 |
| 2016-11 | $3.33 | $3.60 |
| 2016-10 | $3.27 | $3.68 |
| 2016-09 | $3.34 | $3.67 |
| 2016-08 | $3.43 | $3.66 |
| 2016-07 | $3.42 | $3.69 |
| 2016-06 | $3.68 | $3.73 |
| 2016-05 | $3.44 | $3.72 |
| 2016-04 | $3.56 | $3.81 |
| 2016-03 | $3.60 | $3.96 |
| 2016-02 | $3.82 | $3.96 |
| 2016-01 | $3.71 | $3.98 |
| 2015-12 | $3.76 | $4.06 |
| 2015-11 | $3.91 | $4.11 |
| 2015-10 | $4.01 | $4.08 |
| 2015-09 | $3.94 | $4.13 |
| 2015-08 | $3.99 | $4.16 |
| 2015-07 | $3.89 | $4.20 |
| 2015-06 | $4.02 | $4.22 |
| 2015-05 | $3.99 | $4.14 |
| 2015-04 | $4.22 | $4.23 |
| 2015-03 | $4.28 | $4.20 |
| 2015-02 | $4.45 | $4.24 |
| 2015-01 | $4.40 | $4.24 |
| 2014-12 | $4.06 | $4.16 |
| 2014-11 | $4.05 | $4.20 |
| 2014-10 | $4.04 | $4.15 |
| 2014-09 | $3.97 | $4.10 |
| 2014-08 | $3.76 | $4.01 |
| 2014-07 | $3.58 | $3.88 |
| 2014-06 | $3.45 | $3.88 |
| 2014-05 | $3.46 | $3.86 |
| 2014-04 | $3.65 | $3.81 |
| 2014-03 | $3.46 | $3.70 |
| 2014-02 | $3.19 | $3.56 |
| 2014-01 | $3.22 | $3.47 |