🐔 Chicken Price History: 1984–Today
Complete price timeline for Chicken (per lb) from 1984 to 2024.
The Bottom Line
In 1984, chicken cost $0.81. Today it costs $2.00. That's a 2.5x increase — but wages only grew 3.7x.
1984 Price
$0.81
Today's Price
$2.00
Price Growth
2.5x
Wage Growth
3.7x
📊 Year-by-Year Data
| Year | Nominal Price | Inflation-Adjusted | Actual Today | Labor Hours | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | $0.81 | $2.45 | $2.00 | 0.1h | 0.66x |
| 1985 | $0.76 | $2.23 | $2.00 | 0.1h | 0.74x |
| 1986 | $0.83 | $2.39 | $2.00 | 0.1h | 0.71x |
| 1987 | $0.78 | $2.17 | $2.00 | 0.1h | 0.79x |
| 1988 | $0.85 | $2.26 | $2.00 | 0.1h | 0.76x |
| 1989 | $0.93 | $2.35 | $2.00 | 0.1h | 0.74x |
| 1990 | $0.90 | $2.16 | $2.00 | 0.1h | 0.79x |
| 1991 | $0.88 | $2.03 | $2.00 | 0.1h | 0.82x |
| 1992 | $0.87 | $1.94 | $2.00 | 0.1h | 0.84x |
| 1993 | $0.89 | $1.93 | $2.00 | 0.1h | 0.84x |
| 1994 | $0.90 | $1.91 | $2.00 | 0.1h | 0.85x |
| 1995 | $0.92 | $1.89 | $2.00 | 0.1h | 0.89x |
| 1996 | $0.97 | $1.95 | $2.00 | 0.1h | 0.87x |
| 1997 | $1.00 | $1.96 | $2.00 | 0.1h | 0.88x |
| 1998 | $1.04 | $2.01 | $2.00 | 0.1h | 0.89x |
| 1999 | $1.06 | $1.99 | $2.00 | 0.1h | 0.92x |
| 2000 | $1.07 | $1.95 | $2.00 | 0.1h | 0.94x |
| 2001 | $1.11 | $1.96 | $2.00 | 0.1h | 0.91x |
| 2002 | $1.07 | $1.87 | $2.00 | 0.1h | 0.94x |
| 2003 | $1.03 | $1.76 | $2.00 | 0.0h | 1.00x |
| 2004 | $1.07 | $1.78 | $2.00 | 0.1h | 0.99x |
| 2005 | $1.06 | $1.70 | $2.00 | 0.0h | 1.05x |
| 2006 | $1.05 | $1.63 | $2.00 | 0.0h | 1.10x |
| 2007 | $1.12 | $1.69 | $2.00 | 0.0h | 1.08x |
| 2008 | $1.21 | $1.76 | $2.00 | 0.0h | 0.99x |
| 2009 | $1.28 | $1.87 | $2.00 | 0.1h | 0.93x |
| 2010 | $1.26 | $1.82 | $2.00 | 0.1h | 0.93x |
| 2011 | $1.29 | $1.80 | $2.00 | 0.1h | 0.93x |
| 2012 | $1.42 | $1.94 | $2.00 | 0.1h | 0.86x |
| 2013 | $1.50 | $2.01 | $2.00 | 0.1h | 0.85x |
| 2014 | $1.53 | $2.03 | $2.00 | 0.1h | 0.84x |
| 2015 | $1.49 | $1.97 | $2.00 | 0.1h | 0.91x |
| 2016 | $1.46 | $1.91 | $2.00 | 0.1h | 0.96x |
| 2017 | $1.47 | $1.88 | $2.00 | 0.1h | 0.99x |
| 2018 | $1.50 | $1.87 | $2.00 | 0.0h | 1.01x |
| 2019 | $1.50 | $1.83 | $2.00 | 0.0h | 1.10x |
| 2020 | $1.56 | $1.89 | $2.00 | 0.0h | 1.04x |
| 2021 | $1.53 | $1.77 | $2.00 | 0.0h | 1.11x |
| 2022 | $1.80 | $1.93 | $2.00 | 0.1h | 0.99x |
| 2023 | $1.91 | $1.97 | $2.00 | 0.0h | 1.01x |
📈 Labor Multiplier Trend
How many times harder (or easier) it is to earn chicken compared to each year. >1x = harder, <1x = easier.
1984
0.66x
1985
0.74x
1986
0.71x
1987
0.79x
1988
0.76x
1989
0.74x
1990
0.79x
1991
0.82x
1992
0.84x
1993
0.84x
1994
0.85x
1995
0.89x
1996
0.87x
1997
0.88x
1998
0.89x
1999
0.92x
2000
0.94x
2001
0.91x
2002
0.94x
2003
1.00x
2004
0.99x
2005
1.05x
2006
1.10x
2007
1.08x
2008
0.99x
2009
0.93x
2010
0.93x
2011
0.93x
2012
0.86x
2013
0.85x
2014
0.84x
2015
0.91x
2016
0.96x
2017
0.99x
2018
1.01x
2019
1.10x
2020
1.04x
2021
1.11x
2022
0.99x
2023
1.01x
🔗 Explore Chicken by Year
Category
🛒 Food & Groceries