U.S. bakery market statistics point to a long rise in producer prices across retail bakery products and bread, alongside thousands of bakery-related employer establishments. The figures below separate broad retail bakery products, white pan bread, the wider bread category, and 2023 establishment counts so that each measurement keeps its original geography and date.
Contents
- Retail bakery product prices
- Retail bakery prices from 2020 to 2026
- White pan bread prices
- Bread prices, including frozen products
- Bakery establishment counts
- Category comparison
Retail bakery product prices
The U.S. retail bakery products Producer Price Index (PPI), identified by FRED series WPU021130, was 100.0 in June 2014. It reached 101.5 in January 2015, then measured 105.6 in December 2015 and 109.6 in December 2016. The index was 115.1 in December 2017, 120.5 in December 2018, and 124.2 in December 2019. These are index readings, not dollar prices.
The series was 124.3 in June 2020. It later measured 137.2 in December 2021, 154.8 in December 2022, and 163.5 in December 2024. The July 2025 reading was 166.9, followed by 169.1 in December 2025 and 169.1 again in April 2026. The repeated April 2026 value is retained as a date-specific reading rather than treated as a new movement.
According to FRED series WPU021130, the index rose from 100.0 in June 2014 to 169.1 in April 2026, a gain of 69.1 index points. Because the supplied record reports points rather than a calculated percentage, this comparison is stated in points. It covers U.S. retail bakery products and runs from June 2014 through April 2026.
Retail bakery prices from 2020 to 2026
Additional observations from FRED series WPU021130 show the path at several points within the period. The U.S. retail bakery products PPI was 124.3 in March 2020 and 124.3 in June 2020. It was 128.9 in July 2021 and 139.2 in January 2022. By July 2022, the index was 149.5, and it reached 158.0 in March 2023.
The same series measured 164.7 in January 2024, 166.9 in March 2025, and 169.1 in April 2026. The March 2025 value of 166.9 matches the separately reported July 2025 value of 166.9, but the two observations have different measurement dates. The April 2026 value is also reported elsewhere in the series records; it is one reading for that month, not two separate observations.
Read chronologically, these observations place the index at 124.3 in early 2020, 128.9 in July 2021, 139.2 in January 2022, 149.5 in July 2022, 158.0 in March 2023, 164.7 in January 2024, 166.9 in March 2025, and 169.1 in April 2026. This sequence describes producer-price index levels for the U.S. retail bakery products category; it does not represent retail shelf prices paid by consumers.
White pan bread prices
FRED series WPU0211020111 tracks U.S. white pan bread PPI readings. The index was 100.0 in December 2011. It measured 111.3 in February 2021 and 116.8 in January 2022. The reading was 123.5 in April 2022 and 138.9 in December 2022.
Later observations were 144.3 in April 2024, 144.6 in January 2025, 145.0 in May 2025, 145.2 in June 2025, and 145.4 in July 2025. The series then reached 146.1 in December 2025, 152.9 in January 2026, and 153.9 in April 2026.
| Measurement date | U.S. white pan bread PPI |
|---|---|
| December 2011 | 100.0 |
| February 2021 | 111.3 |
| January 2022 | 116.8 |
| April 2022 | 123.5 |
| December 2022 | 138.9 |
| April 2024 | 144.3 |
| January 2025 | 144.6 |
| July 2025 | 145.4 |
| December 2025 | 146.1 |
| April 2026 | 153.9 |
The dates matter when comparing adjacent observations. For example, the white pan bread PPI was 144.6 in January 2025, 145.0 in May 2025, 145.2 in June 2025, and 145.4 in July 2025. The January 2026 reading was 152.9, while the April 2026 reading was 153.9. These figures describe the white pan bread producer-price index in the United States, rather than sales volume or bakery revenue.
Bread prices, including frozen products
The broader FRED series WPU021102 covers U.S. bread, including white, wheat, rye, and other bread products, with frozen products included. Its index was 100.0 in June 2006 and 133.4 in November 2014. It measured 143.7 in December 2019 and 139.7 in December 2020.
The series rose to 147.967 in December 2021, 157.439 in May 2022, and 168.401 in October 2022. It was 174.102 in December 2023 and 173.922 in December 2024. The January 2025 reading was 179.394.
| Measurement date | U.S. bread PPI, including frozen products |
|---|---|
| June 2006 | 100.0 |
| November 2014 | 133.4 |
| December 2019 | 143.7 |
| December 2020 | 139.7 |
| December 2021 | 147.967 |
| May 2022 | 157.439 |
| October 2022 | 168.401 |
| December 2023 | 174.102 |
| December 2024 | 173.922 |
| January 2025 | 179.394 |
This broader bread series differs in scope from both the retail bakery products series and the white pan bread series. Its 2020 reading was 139.7 in December, while its December 2019 reading was 143.7. The later values include three decimal places: 147.967 in December 2021, 157.439 in May 2022, 168.401 in October 2022, 174.102 in December 2023, 173.922 in December 2024, and 179.394 in January 2025.
Bakery establishment counts
The U.S. Census Bureau’s 2023 industry profiles report 9,219 retail bakery employer establishments under profile 311811. The 2023 profile for commercial bakeries, 311812, reports 2,842 employer establishments. The profile for frozen cakes, pies, and other pastries, 311813, reports 237 employer establishments.
For broader context, the Census 311 Food Manufacturing profile reports 31,130 U.S. employer establishments in the food manufacturing subsector in 2023. This subsector figure is broader than the three bakery-related categories, so it should not be read as a bakery count.
| 2023 U.S. category | Employer establishments |
|---|---|
| Retail bakeries, Census 311811 | 9,219 |
| Commercial bakeries, Census 311812 | 2,842 |
| Frozen cakes, pies, and other pastries, Census 311813 | 237 |
| Food manufacturing subsector, Census 311 | 31,130 |
These establishment measures count employer establishments, not locations of every kind, employee totals, production output, or annual sales. The retail bakery, commercial bakery, and frozen pastry categories also represent different industry profiles, so their counts describe separate reported categories rather than a single additive market total.
Category comparison
The supplied PPI observations show three different measurement scopes. Retail bakery products reached 169.1 in April 2026 in FRED series WPU021130. White pan bread reached 153.9 in April 2026 in WPU0211020111. The broader bread series, which includes frozen products, reached 179.394 in January 2025 in WPU021102.
| Series and scope | Latest supplied reading | Measurement date | Source label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail bakery products | 169.1 | April 2026 | FRED WPU021130 |
| White pan bread | 153.9 | April 2026 | FRED WPU0211020111 |
| Bread, including frozen products | 179.394 | January 2025 | FRED WPU021102 |
The dates are not identical for the broader bread series and the two April 2026 series, so the readings are not a same-month comparison. The category definitions also differ. Retail bakery products is a broad retail-bakery product series; white pan bread is narrower; and the bread series explicitly includes multiple bread types and frozen products.
The broadest time span begins with the bread index at 100.0 in June 2006, while the retail bakery series begins at 100.0 in June 2014 and white pan bread at 100.0 in December 2011.
Together, the establishment counts and PPI readings provide two distinct views of the U.S. bakery market. The Census profiles quantify employer establishments in 2023, while the FRED series quantify index levels at specified dates from 2006 through April 2026. Neither group of figures, by itself, measures total market revenue, unit sales, consumption, or profit.