U.S. retail price of ice cream 1995-2023

Retail prices of ice cream in the United States have been trending upwards since the mid-90’s. They peaked in 2011 at 5.52 U.S. dollars per half gallon and have settled at an average of 4.75 over the last four years. In 2023, however, ice cream prices reached a new high at 6.02 U.S. dollars. In contrast, per capita consumption of ice cream has been trending downwards, with people eating 20 percent less ice cream per year than they did at the start of the millennium. In 2022, people in the U.S. ate 12.7 pounds of ice cream on average during the year.

Consumers want healthy

Perhaps the rise in price of ice cream reflects a change in perception about the frozen dessert. With consumers increasingly concerned about health and wellness, ice cream may be seen more and more as an indulgence and not a suitable snack. A recent survey showed that “eating healthy” was one of the top things that consumers thought of when asked what being healthy meant to them. The ice cream industry has taken note of consumers’ desires for healthier products as the production of regular ice cream has decreased over the years, while low fat ice cream production has grown nearly 20 percent in the last ten years.