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Financial tools for understanding prices, value, and purchasing power.

BLS average price

How much did ice cream cost in May 1981?

Ice cream averaged $2.01 per half gallon in May 1981.

$2.01

per half gallon in May 1981

Adjusted with CPI-U, that is about $7.36 in 2026 dollars.

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Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Average Price Data, APU0000710411. Imported from BLS bulk time-series files (raw published monthly values).

Related historical prices

Ice cream prices in 1981
Historical ice cream prices
Ice cream prices in April 1981
Ice cream prices in June 1981
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Data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — CPI-U. Series CUUR0000SA0, base period 1982–84 = 100. Coverage: 1913–2026. April CPI is used for 2026 until the annual average is published.

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