Consumers rate chicken’s value very highly, especially when compared with competing meats.
| WHOLESALE PRICE | RETAIL PRICE | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YEAR | BEEF | PORK | BROILERS | BEEF | PORK | BROILERS |
| ---------cents per lb. on a wholesale weight basis------- | ----------cents per lb. on a retail weight basis--------- | |||||
| 1960 | 59.6 | 44.0 | 29.9 | 82.1 | 55.4 | 42.7 |
| 1965 | 57.3 | 52.6 | 26.4 | 82.0 | 65.2 | 39.0 |
| 1970 | 67.3 | 59.8 | 26.4 | 99.9 | 77.4 | 40.8 |
| 1975 | 104.4 | 108.8 | 45.1 | 152.2 | 134.6 | 63.3 |
| 1976 | 88.2 | 99.3 | 40.2 | 145.7 | 134.0 | 59.7 |
| 1977 | 90.4 | 93.4 | 40.8 | 145.8 | 125.4 | 60.1 |
| 1978 | 115.1 | 101.6 | 44.5 | 178.8 | 143.6 | 66.5 |
| 1979 | 145.1 | 101.4 | 44.4 | 222.4 | 152.5 | 67.7 |
| 1980 | 149.8 | 99.0 | 46.8 | 233.6 | 147.5 | 70.9 |
| 1981 | 144.0 | 107.8 | 46.3 | 234.7 | 161.2 | 73.2 |
| 1982 | 145.3 | 123.1 | 44.0 | 238.4 | 185.6 | 71.4 |
| 1983 | 140.2 | 110.1 | 49.4 | 234.1 | 179.7 | 72.5 |
| 1984 | 142.3 | 111.2 | 55.6 | 235.5 | 171.4 | 81.0 |
| 1985 | 130.3 | 102.2 | 50.8 | 228.6 | 171.4 | 76.3 |
| 1986 | 128.3 | 112.1 | 56.9 | 226.8 | 188.8 | 83.5 |
| 1987 | 140.1 | 114.2 | 47.4 | 238.4 | 199.4 | 78.5 |
| 1988 | 148.3 | 102.1 | 56.3 | 250.3 | 194.0 | 85.4 |
| 1989 | 154.8 | 100.3 | 59.0 | 265.7 | 193.5 | 92.7 |
| 1990 | 166.0 | 119.5 | 62.2 | 281.0 | 224.9 | 145.5 |
| 1991 | 159.8 | 110.0 | 58.5 | 288.3 | 224.2 | 143.4 |
| 1992 | 157.3 | 100.0 | 59.3 | 284.6 | 209.5 | 141.8 |
| 1993 | 159.8 | 103.9 | 60.9 | 293.4 | 209.1 | 144.0 |
| 1994 | 146.0 | 100.0 | 60.6 | 282.9 | 209.5 | 154.0 |
| 1995 | 143.5 | 99.8 | 62.4 | 284.4 | 206.1 | 144.1 |
| 1996 | 138.4 | 118.5 | 66.0 | 280.2 | 233.7 | 150.5 |
| 1997 | 138.5 | 118.4 | 61.1 | 279.5 | 245.0 | 150.6 |
| 1998 | 134.7 | 93.6 | 63.5 | 277.1 | 242.7 | 153.7 |
| 1999 | 150.2 | 95.2 | 54.1 | 287.8 | 241.5 | 154.4 |
| 2000 | 159.5 | 110.1 | 53.5 | 306.4 | 258.2 | 155.3 |
| 2001 | 168.1 | 113.3 | 62.0 | 337.7 | 269.4 | 157.7 |
| 2002 | 157.5 | 96.8 | 56.0 | 331.5 | 265.7 | 161.8 |
| 2003 | 195.0 | 103.3 | 65.6 | 374.6 | 265.8 | 161.3 |
| 2004 | 191.5 | 122.5 | 76.7 | 406.5 | 279.2 | 172.8 |
| 2005 | 197.8 | 120.1 | 67.7 | 409.1 | 282.7 | 174.1 |
| 2006 | 199.5 | 116.7 | 56.3 | 397.0 | 280.8 | 157.1 |
| 2007 | 202.1 | 116.8 | 76.2 | 415.8 | 287.1 | 165.1 |
| 2008 | 205.4 | 119.6 | 71.1 | 432.5 | 293.7 | 174.6 |
| 2009 | 190.1 | 107.0 | 75.5 | 426.0 | 292.0 | 178.0 |
| 2010 | 211.0 | 135.8 | 74.3 | 439.5 | 311.4 | 175.3 |
| 2011 | 241.2 | 152.7 | 71.5 | 482.7 | 343.4 | 176.7 |
| 2012 | 254.3 | 141.5 | 84.5 | 498.6 | 346.7 | 189.3 |
| 2013 | 261.0 | 151.4 | 88.3 | 528.9 | 364.4 | 196.5 |
| 2014 | 319.1 | 180.4 | 86.9 | 597.1 | 402.0 | 196.3 |
| 2015 | 316.9 | 139.8 | 77.3 | 628.9 | 385.3 | 196.7 |
| 2016 | 277.3 | 144.3 | 73.7 | 620.0 | 378.0 | 189.7 |
| 2017 | 282.0 | 149.8 | 86.2 | 590.8 | 378.4 | 187.6 |
| 2018 | 287.4 | 135.0 | 79.3 | 592.4 | 374.4 | 187.3 |
| 2019 | 298.4 | 139.8 | 76.8 | 604.3 | 384.3 | 187.7 |
| 2020 | 317.8 | 141.7 | 67.0 | 653.6 | 402.9 | 190.8 |
| 2021 | 370.9 | 193.2 | 85.4 | 724.9 | 450.4 | 209.4 |
| 2022 | 348.0 | 192.2 | 106.5 | 758.5 | 489.7 | 242.8 |
| 2023 | 396.3 | 160.4 | 93 | 798.3 | 480.9 | 246 |
NOTE Wholesale beef price is wholesale choice grade value adjusted to wholesale weight equivalent using a coefficient of 1.142 (1.1428 for 2000 on). Wholesale pork price is wholesale value adjusted to wholesale weight equivalent using coefficient of 1.06 (1.04 for 2000 on). Retail prices for choice beef and pork are weighted composite prices as used by USDA in their farm to retail price spread series. Wholesale and retail broiler price are composite prices of parts from 1990 forward. USDA’s New York wholesale whole-carcass broiler price from 1960 to 1963; from 1964 to May 1983 USDA’s 9 city composite wholesale broiler price used from June 1983 to 1989 USDA’s 12-city wholesale, whole-carcass composite price used.
Source: USDA
March 19, 2021
