The best time to buy romaine, from 20 years of U.S. government shelf prices.
A small season
Romaine is cheapest in June, but the season is small.
Over 2006–2025, June ran a typical 5% below trend and November 4% above. June was below trend in only 10 of 16 years, so it’s a lean, not a rule. Worth knowing if you buy a lot of romaine or can stock up; otherwise a store sale beats the calendar.
Most U.S. lettuce is grown in California’s Salinas Valley in summer and in the Arizona and California desert in winter. Prices often jump around the November hand-over.
Typical price each month compared with that year’s trend, 2006–2025. The bar is the median year; the thin line spans the middle half of years.
| Month | Typical vs trend | Middle half of years | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | +4% | +0.5% to +8% | 16 |
| February | +2.1% | −1.9% to +8% | 15 |
| March | −0.7% | −4% to +6% | 15 |
| April | −1.8% | −5% to +2.3% | 15 |
| May | −2% | −5% to −1.2% | 15 |
| June | −5% | −7% to +2.1% | 16 |
| July | −5% | −7% to +0.1% | 17 |
| August | −3% | −5% to −1.9% | 17 |
| September | −3% | −5% to −1.8% | 16 |
| October | −0.6% | −5% to +1.3% | 16 |
| November | +4% | −0.7% to +8% | 16 |
| December | +3% | −1.2% to +9% | 16 |
The U.S. average price of romaine (per pound) was $3.49 in October 2026. At today’s price level, the typical June price is about $3.35 and the typical November price about $3.66.
Each row is one year; the dot is the month romaine was cheapest relative to that year’s trend. June was the single cheapest month in 2 of 14 years; the rest of the time it moved around.
| Year | Cheapest month |
|---|---|
| 2024 | February |
| 2023 | August |
| 2018 | June |
| 2017 | January |
| 2016 | October |
| 2015 | August |
| 2014 | February |
| 2013 | June |
| 2012 | December |
| 2011 | July |
| 2010 | October |
| 2009 | October |
| 2008 | April |
| 2007 | July |
What else is cheap in June: what’s cheap in June. Vegetables: tomatoes (Aug), iceberg lettuce (Aug), bell peppers (Sep), broccoli (May), potatoes (Dec). All 39 foods: the grocery price calendar.
June. Over 2006–2025 the U.S. average price of romaine in June was typically 5% below that year's trend, and below it in 10 of 16 years. November is the dearest month (4% above).
November, typically 4% above the year's trend price.
The U.S. average was $3.49 a pound in October 2026 (BLS Average Price Data).
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Average Price Data (U.S. city average, not seasonally adjusted), the shelf prices BLS collects every month for the Consumer Price Index, through October 2026. Seasonal pattern and every number on this page computed by Online List Maker; how.