USDA data: beef $9.64 per pound

U.S. beef prices reached a new retail high in April, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data cited in a Yahoo report published May 24. The average retail price of beef rose to $9.64 per pound in April, a record in the USDA series. Yahoo said that was about 13% higher than a year earlier. Separate April inflation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed beef prices were still rising more broadly at the grocery store. ### Where does the $9.64 figure come from? USDA’s Economic Research Service publishes a monthly retail prices table that tracks average U.S. prices for beef, pork, poultry, eggs and dairy products. The ERS data page says the retail-price files were last updated on May 12 and list the next update for June 10, 2026. Yahoo reported on May 24 that the USDA data showed average retail beef prices hit $9.64 per pound in April. That report described the April figure as a record and said it was roughly 13% above the level a year earlier. ### Was beef also rising in the government inflation report? (ers.usda.gov) The Bureau of Labor Statistics said on May 12 that the index for meats, poultry, fish and eggs increased 1.3% in April from the prior month. The same release said the beef index rose 2.7% in April, while the broader food-at-home index increased 0.7%. (yahoo.com) BLS measures inflation through its consumer price index, while USDA’s ERS table reports average retail prices in dollars per pound. The two series are different, but both pointed in the same direction in April: beef cost more. ### Why are cattle prices feeding into higher beef prices? (bls.gov) ConsumerAffairs reported on May 23 that beef prices were being pushed up by the smallest U.S. cattle herd in decades, drought conditions and firm consumer demand heading into Memorial Day cookouts. The report cited analysts saying ranchers had reduced herds after years of dry weather and high input costs. (ers.usda.gov) USDA’s April 2026 Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook said the 2026 beef production forecast was lowered to 25.790 billion pounds and projected slaughter steer prices at $241.66 per hundredweight, up 8% from last year. That outlook also said beef imports were expected to rise as domestic production tightened. (consumeraffairs.com) ### Is this just a holiday-weekend story? Memorial Day coverage put the retail price jump into focus because burgers are a holiday staple, but the underlying data are monthly and national. Yahoo framed the increase around cookout costs, and ConsumerAffairs said ribeye, brisket and ground beef were all running above year-earlier levels. (ers.usda.gov) USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service also continues to publish daily, weekly and monthly beef market reports, including boxed beef cutouts and cattle-and-beef summary data used across the industry to track wholesale and production trends. ### What should readers watch next? June 10, 2026 is the next scheduled USDA ERS update for its meat price spreads and retail price files, according to the agency’s data page. (yahoo.com) That release will show whether the April record of $9.64 per pound held, rose again or eased in May. June 11, 2026 is the next scheduled monthly CPI release from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for May data. (ams.usda.gov) That report will provide the next federal inflation reading on grocery prices, including beef. (bls.gov) (ers.usda.gov)