Candy Prices Over The Years
I was wondering how candy bars prices and sizes changed over the years. I know that with inflation rates candy would continually go up and never down however I thought the size of the candy bars would waver up and down.
Why candy bar size wavers up and down I assume is based on just another way to counter act inflation rates. Instead of going up on the price, you can go down on its size, making your manufacturing costs cheaper by volume. Thus, making the candy bar cost the same to make and the manufacture doesn’t have to change their prices.
I did some research and came up with a chart that are estimates based on a standard size common/non-premium US candy bar. Premium candy bars haven’t been around a long time and can cost twice as much as a common candy bar. I charted it on a 5 year period instead of an even 10 years since that time span is to long and inflation rates fluctuate yearly. So the prices shown are the average price over the entire 5 year periods.
| Years | Candy Size (Ounces) | Candy Price (cents) | Cost Pre Ounce (cents) | Stamp Price (cents) | |
| 1900-1904 | .50 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |
| 1905-1909 | .75 | 2 | 2.6 | 2 | |
| 1910-1914 | .75 | 2 | 2.6 | 2 | |
| 1915-1919 | 1.00 | 3 | 3 | 2 | |
| 1920-1924 | 1.20 | 4 | 3.3 | 2 | |
| 1925-1929 | 1.50 | 5 | 3.3 | 3 | |
| 1930-1934 | 1.75 | 5 | 2.8 | 3 | The great depression |
| 1935-1939 | 1.50 | 5 | 3.3 | 3 | |
| 1940-1944 | 1.50 | 5 | 3.3 | 3 | |
| 1945-1949 | 1.25 | 5 | 4 | 3 | |
| 1950-1954 | 1.00 | 5 | 5 | 4 | |
| 1955-1959 | 1.00 | 5 | 5 | 4 | |
| 1960-1964 | 1.00 | 5 | 5 | 5 | |
| 1965-1969 | 1.00 | 5 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1970-1974 | 1.30 | 10 | 7.6 | 8 | US Inflation Rates Rise |
| 1975-1979 | 1.20 | 20 | 16.6 | 15 | |
| 1980-1984 | 1.40 | 30 | 21.4 | 20 | |
| 1985-1989 | 1.50 | 40 | 26.6 | 25 | |
| 1990-1994 | 1.50 | 50 | 33.3 | 30 | |
| 1995-1999 | 1.50 | 70 | 43.3 | 32 | |
| 2000-2004 | 1.60 | 85 | 46.8 | 34 | |
| 2005-2009 | 1.60 | 1.10 | 50 | 44 | |
| A look at the future price index at the current inclining inflation rate (2.6% rate), amounts are estimated | |||||
| 2015 | 1.30 | .48 | |||
| 2020 | 1.50 | .54 | |||
| 2050 | 3.25 | 1.17 | |||
| 2100 | 11.75 | 4.23 | |||
Exceptions to the rule
The retail price of candy must always rise with inflation, this is a given. However, you don’t always have to pay retail. You can always buy wholesale, in bulk, on sale or use coupons. In May of 2009 I bought my specially marked candy bars “2 for $1” (Butterfinger and Baby Ruth), it was nice because I was really paying the retail value of 14 years ago. I also remember in the mid 1990s buying candy on sale at 4 for $1, that’s also a retail value of about 15 year prior. You may not always be able to know 15 years or more off the price but its nice when you do.
help me and my friend jody need help[ finding candy prices from 1999 for a school project!
Comment by ki yung — February 5, 2013 @ 6:51 am
Email me the candy items or other info and I’ll see what I can do. Thanks
Comment by Richard — February 7, 2013 @ 1:06 pm
I was standing in line with my daughter, at Target, and we were both hungry. The candy section was right there, of course, so we grabbed a 3 musketeers. After we got home I went to throw away the receipt and saw the candy bar only cost .69. I started remembering when I was 10, in 1990, getting change from my mom to buy candy. I remember tootsie role pops were .25, and still are in most places, and between .45 and .50 for candy bars, etc. I wonder how Target can keep the regular candies so cheap while other places, CVS, Von’s, etc charge a 1.00 or more. Also, I just remembered, I bought 3 king size candy bars from Walgreens for movie night for just 2.00. I have never seen a better deal than that. They also sell the huge box candies 3 for a 1.00 and when on sale .79 each. I love nerds so I buy those huge boxes often to help keep my fingers busy while I drive so I don’t smoke. Thank you for the information.
Comment by Rachel — February 25, 2013 @ 12:12 am
I remember “Big Time” candy bars when I was a little girls in the 1950s. I know they are not made anymore, but what I want to know is when were they discontinued? I remember them as being delicious and costing only a nickel. Thanks for any info you might provide.
Comment by tnwoman1948 — March 16, 2013 @ 5:04 pm
I just walked out of a gas station where a Twix and Milky Way were $1.89!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Comment by seriously2bucks — March 15, 2014 @ 3:58 pm
I remember snickers in a green wrapper in the 1960, was not part of the archive.
Comment by Harry — April 18, 2014 @ 2:33 pm
Thanks for the infomation on inflation and prices! Great for school work!
Comment by Anon — May 28, 2014 @ 7:18 pm
hi there, I’m wondering what the price of Kit KAT was from 1960 to 1964 was. I lived in the Lincoln Square on the north side of Chicago. Thanks, have a great holiday season…
Comment by Kenneth Miller — December 5, 2014 @ 7:55 pm
I remember in the 60s going to Walgreens before the movies they had all their nickle candy bars and Red Hots Lemonheads small packs of Davids Sunflower Seeds a whole row of nickle candy 3 for 11 cents. I usually bought 6 things but in 2 separate sales to avoid the 2 cent sales tax.
Comment by tom Burke — January 9, 2015 @ 10:32 am
I may be misremembering, but I could swear candy bars were $0.15 each at some point in the seventies.
Comment by Avery — April 27, 2015 @ 10:58 am
Thanks for this information ! I loved it and used it for all my schoolwork ! My partner and I told all our friends !
Comment by ST Valuse — August 31, 2015 @ 11:06 am
When I was a kid Everything was .15 In 40 years things have risen at a greater rate than they should have. No reason a candy bar should cost a dollar. Too much inflation.
Comment by Roger Walker — December 8, 2015 @ 4:41 am
So according to the chart, 1.50 oz of candy would equel like one snickers bar, or one Butterfinger or one Baberuth, etc.? So buying one Butterfinger, Snickers, etc. in 1960 would’ve been 5 cents, right?
Comment by Allen — August 6, 2016 @ 1:21 pm
I NEED PRICES OF M&M’S FOR 1966, 1976, 1986, 1996, 2006 & 2016
Comment by TAMMY LOCKE — August 31, 2016 @ 11:07 am
When I was a kid (circa 1954) I set up a “store” for the neighbors on the front porch of the home I grew up in. We lived about a mile from the closest “candy store”. I would walk to the store once a week and buy candy by the gross (144). At that time, a candy bar was a nickel and I would sell them for 10 cents each and penny candy for 2 cents each.
In 1974 there was a sugar shortage in the U.S. and the price of candy bars shot up from a nickel to a dime almost overnight….. After the shortage ended, the candy makers decided to keep the higher price.
Comment by Doug Moore — September 20, 2016 @ 8:43 am
Hi, I am doing some research on the history of candy sales. Would you mind sharing your sources for this data?
Comment by Dan — September 23, 2016 @ 11:47 am
I got all my info from Google’s newspaper archive online. Thanks
Comment by Richard Saunders — September 25, 2016 @ 1:21 pm
Thanks!
Comment by Dan — September 26, 2016 @ 12:24 pm
Hello, I am trying to find out how many ounces was in the Milky Way candy bar in the late 1960’s or early 1970? I always made a Milky Way cake and loved it, but now the candy bars have changed in size and the recipe just states candy bars. The last one I tried by guessing didn’t work out. Please let me know if you find an answer. Thanks, Cleopatra McCaleb
Comment by Cleopatra McCaleb — February 21, 2019 @ 9:51 pm
I can still remember getting a Hersheys Krackle bar every friday during the summer vacation this feed store carried Ice Cube Candy for 2 cents my mom like the 2 cent tootsie rolls they also had this old coke machine which sold it out of 12 oz bottles for 10 cents my older brothers prefered Look Bar,Big Hunk and Neccos
Comment by Whipoorwill — March 22, 2019 @ 11:40 pm
I will always remember that in 1970 candy bars were 10 cents. I was in kindergarten. We had a candy machine by the door at school and I wanted a candy bar before I got on the bus but my dime wouldn’t work. The principal gave me a different dime so I could get my candy bar. I probably remember this only because I was scared the bus would leave without me!
Comment by Vicky Lynne — July 27, 2019 @ 6:56 am
Born in 1955, candy bars were a nickel and remained that price for the next 15 years. The great part was stores would sell you six bars for a quarter, but most kids didn’t have a quarter back then.
Comment by Doug — December 17, 2019 @ 8:19 am
Starting in the 1995 section, the price per ounce is wrong. 95-99 should be 46.67 cents. 00-04 should be 53.125 cents and 05-09 should be 68.75 cents
Comment by Chris — February 11, 2020 @ 5:28 pm
First, I totally agree with Chris. Your numbers are way off for those years, and that’s going to corrupt your data in the long term.
Second, if anyone would like additional help with vintage candy bar to modern candy bar conversions for their old recipes, please comment below. I’ll be checking often. Happy to help.
Lastly, I’m looking for the price of a Mr. Goodbar in Marblehead, Ohio in March 9, 1979. I need this information as soon as possible. I’ll check back later this evening before I take my melatonin and I’m all but dead to the world til around 6:15 tomorrow morning. Yours, DVP
Comment by Dick Van Patten (yes, that’s my real name) — June 28, 2020 @ 5:58 pm