The best time to buy strawberries, from 20 years of U.S. government shelf prices.
Worth timing
Buy strawberries in July if you can.
Over 2006–2025, strawberries in July ran a typical 20% below the year’s trend price, and July was below it in 15 of 15 years. December is the dearest month (31% above): a 51-point swing, one of the biggest in the grocery store.
Most U.S. strawberries come from California, whose harvest peaks in spring and summer. Winter berries come from smaller winter crops and imports, and the price shows it.
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 | +20% | +14% to +33% | 16 |
| February | +8% | +2.8% to +14% | 16 |
| March | −4% | −9% to −0.8% | 16 |
| April | −10% | −18% to −3% | 14 |
| May | −15% | −19% to −13% | 14 |
| June | −19% | −20% to −17% | 14 |
| July | −20% | −22% to −15% | 15 |
| August | −13% | −16% to −11% | 15 |
| September | −5% | −11% to −2.1% | 15 |
| October | +0.4% | −2.9% to +4% | 14 |
| November | +24% | +14% to +24% | 15 |
| December | +31% | +29% to +38% | 15 |
The U.S. average price of strawberries (for a 12 oz pint) was $2.81 in October 2026. At today’s price level, the typical July price is about $2.24 and the typical December price about $3.67.
Each row is one year; the dot is the month strawberries were cheapest relative to that year’s trend. July was the single cheapest month in 5 of 11 years, and the month next to it in 5 more.
| Year | Cheapest month |
|---|---|
| 2024 | June |
| 2023 | July |
| 2018 | June |
| 2017 | June |
| 2012 | July |
| 2011 | June |
| 2010 | July |
| 2009 | July |
| 2008 | April |
| 2007 | July |
| 2006 | June |
What else is cheap in July: what’s cheap in July. Fruit: grapes (Sep), navel oranges (Apr), grapefruit (Mar), lemons (Mar), bananas (Dec), peaches (Aug), cherries (Jul). All 39 foods: the grocery price calendar.
July. Over 2006–2025 the U.S. average price of strawberries in July was typically 20% below that year's trend, and below it in 15 of 15 years. December is the dearest month (31% above).
December, typically 31% above the year's trend price.
The U.S. average was $2.81 a 12 oz pint 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.