School lunch prices over the last 20 years

Ask a young student what's their favorite subject ... and many of them might say, "lunch!" Those same students might not pay much attention to the cost of lunch items, but the price of lunch is a subject many parents study closely. For example, common sandwich items, white bread, lunchmeats, and lettuce have risen 87.5 percent, 58.3 percent, and 52.0 percent, respectively over the past 20 years.

Cookie prices increased 79.8 percent over the last 20 years. Prices of juice and drinks purchased by consumers in August 2026 were 46.3 percent higher than 20 years earlier. Prices of apples and oranges increased less than many other items, up 27.1 percent and 36.1 percent, respectively. Price of food served at elementary and secondary schools, generally in school cafeterias, nearly doubled since August 2006. (Note that in some years these data are not available for the summer months.)

The overall price level of all items (including shelter, transportation, apparel and other consumer goods and services) increased 64.3 percent from August 2006 to August 2026. During this period, average weekly earnings of private sector employees rose from $694.14 to $1,314.74, an increase of 89.4 percent.

These price data are from the Consumer Price Index program and are not seasonally adjusted. To learn more, see "Consumer Price Index — August 2026 " and more charts on consumer prices. Earnings data come from the Current Employment Statistics program.