How Much Do Potatoes Cost?

Updated on August 12, 2026 | Written by Alec Pow
This article was researched using 10 sources. See our methodology and corrections policy.

Potatoes currently cost about $0.60-$1.00 per pound for many conventional grocery-store bags in the United States. The latest available Bureau of Labor Statistics national average for white potatoes is $0.923 per pound. Current 5-pound russet bags can cost about $2.99-$3.64, while organic potatoes commonly run around $1.30-$2.30 per pound and petite or specialty potatoes can reach roughly $2.50-$3 per pound.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics, USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, Walmart, Target, and Kroger provide several useful views of current potato pricing. The largest difference for shoppers is often not the variety alone but whether the potatoes are bought loose, in a large conventional bag, as certified organic produce, or as a smaller specialty product.

Bag size matters more than many shoppers expect. A current 5-pound russet bag at Target works out to about $0.60 per pound, while an organic 3-pound bag at Kroger costs about $1.33 per pound. A 1.5-pound package of petite potatoes can reach about $2.66 per pound.

Article Highlights

• The latest BLS national average for white potatoes is $0.923 per pound.
• Many conventional 5-pound russet bags currently cost about $0.60-$0.73 per pound.
• A current Target 5-pound Idaho russet bag costs $2.99, equal to about $0.60 per pound.
• A current Walmart 5-pound russet bag costs $3.28, or $0.656 per pound.
• Organic potatoes currently run about $1.33-$2.29 per pound in several mainstream retail examples.
• Petite and specialty potatoes can cost around $2.40-$2.70 per pound.
• USDA’s 2025 Idaho farm-level potato price was only $7.82 per hundredweight, equivalent to about $0.078 per pound.

How Much Do Potatoes Cost?

Potato type	Current price	Approximate price per pound
Target Idaho russets, 5 lb	$2.99	$0.60/lb
Walmart russets, 5 lb	$3.28	$0.656/lb
Walmart Idaho russets, 5 lb	$3.64	$0.728/lb
Target Idaho gold potatoes, 5 lb	$4.59	$0.918/lb
Kroger organic russets, 3 lb	$3.99	$1.33/lb
Walmart organic russets, 3 lb	$5.24	$1.75/lb
Walmart organic gold potatoes, 3 lb	$6.88	$2.29/lb
Kroger petite potatoes, 1.5 lb	$3.99	$2.66/lb

Prices vary by store and location, but these current listings show why a realistic answer needs separate ranges for ordinary bagged potatoes, organic potatoes, and smaller specialty varieties.

About 92 Cents Per Pound

The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis publishes the Bureau of Labor Statistics series for the average U.S. price of white potatoes. The latest available figure, for June 2026, is $0.923 per pound.

The recent monthly figures were:

• February 2026: $0.866/lb
• March 2026: $0.847/lb
• April 2026: $0.860/lb
• May 2026: $0.894/lb
• June 2026: $0.923/lb

From March through June, the average increased by:

$0.923 – $0.847 = $0.076 per pound

That is an increase of roughly 9% over those three months. It does not mean potatoes rise by that amount every spring or summer. The series moves as retail prices, crop conditions, promotions, regional supply, and other factors change.

Five-Pound Russet Bags

Russets are where shoppers can often find the lowest unit cost. Target currently lists 5 pounds of Idaho russet potatoes for $2.99.

That works out to:

$2.99 ÷ 5 = $0.598 per pound

Walmart currently lists a 5-pound bag of russet potatoes at $3.28, or:

$3.28 ÷ 5 = $0.656 per pound

Another Walmart Idaho russet bag is currently $3.64 for 5 pounds, equal to about $0.73 per pound.

Those examples support a practical conventional russet range near $0.60-$0.75 per pound when buying a 5-pound bag.

Buying a Bag

Loose potatoes are useful when you only need one or two, but a bag can be considerably cheaper per pound.

Walmart currently lists individual russet baking potatoes at approximately $0.88 per pound, while its larger russet bags can fall close to $0.60-$0.66 per pound.

Compare a 5-pound purchase at $0.656 per pound with the same weight at $0.88 per pound:

Bagged:

5 × $0.656 = $3.28

Loose equivalent:

5 × $0.88 = $4.40

Difference:

$4.40 – $3.28 = $1.12

Buying the bag saves about $1.12 in this example, provided you use all five pounds. A cheap large bag is not a bargain if several potatoes spoil before they are eaten.

Gold and Red Potatoes

Gold and red potatoes often carry a higher retail price than large russet bags. Target currently lists 5 pounds of Idaho gold potatoes for $4.59.

The unit price is:

$4.59 ÷ 5 = $0.918 per pound

Walmart currently lists conventional red potatoes around $1.41-$1.55 per pound depending on package size and location, while yellow potatoes can also exceed $1 per pound.

The difference does not mean one potato is inherently better. Russets are high-starch potatoes that work particularly well for baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, and french fries. Red, yellow, and waxier varieties are often chosen for roasting, boiling, soups, or dishes where the potato needs to hold its shape.

Organic Potatoes

Organic potatoes carry a noticeable premium, but ordinary grocery-store organic potatoes do not necessarily cost $3-$4 per pound.

Kroger currently lists 3 pounds of Simple Truth Organic russets for $3.99.

That equals:

$3.99 ÷ 3 = $1.33 per pound

Its current organic listings also include 3-pound gold and red potato bags at $5.79, or approximately:

$5.79 ÷ 3 = $1.93 per pound

Walmart lists organic russets at $1.75 per pound and organic gold and red potatoes at roughly $2.29 per pound.

A useful current mainstream range is therefore about $1.30-$2.30 per pound for organic potatoes, although individual stores and specialty products can exceed it.

Petite Potatoes

Smaller packages and specialty potatoes frequently occupy the highest part of the fresh-potato price range.

Kroger currently lists a 1.5-pound package of Private Selection petite potatoes for $3.99.

That gives a unit cost of:

$3.99 ÷ 1.5 = $2.66 per pound

Walmart’s current petite red potatoes are around $2.41 per pound. These are the products that make a headline upper range near $3 per pound reasonable.

It would be misleading, however, to say ordinary potatoes generally cost $1-$3 per pound when common 5-pound russet bags remain well below $1 per pound.

Farm Potatoes

The most striking potato price difference appears between the farm and grocery store.

USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service data show that Idaho’s 2025 potato crop had an average price of $7.82 per hundredweight.

One hundredweight is 100 pounds, so:

$7.82 ÷ 100 = $0.0782 per pound

Compare that with the latest consumer average of $0.923 per pound:

$0.923 ÷ $0.0782 = about 11.8 times

This does not mean the supermarket simply buys potatoes for 8 cents and marks them up to 92 cents. The farm price and consumer price measure different stages of the supply chain.

8-Cent Potatoes Become 92-Cent Potatoes

Potatoes leaving a farm still need to be handled before reaching a grocery shelf. Costs can include washing, grading, sorting, packing, storage, refrigeration, rejected or damaged potatoes, transportation, distribution-center handling, store labor, shrink, rent, utilities, and retail margin.

USDA Agricultural Marketing Service publishes daily Idaho Falls shipping-point potato prices. Those reports quote potatoes by grade, size, package, market basis, and other commercial specifications rather than reducing the entire wholesale market to one price per pound.

This is why a universal claim such as “wholesale potatoes cost $0.22-$0.65 per pound” can be misleading. A 50-pound carton of a specific grade and size is a different commercial product from a retail 5-pound bag.

Do Potato Prices Change With the Season?

Potato prices can change during the year, but there is no dependable nationwide rule that one exact month is always the most expensive or cheapest.

Potatoes can be stored for months under controlled conditions, allowing growers and distributors to supply the market between harvests. New crop timing also varies by producing area and variety.

Weather can still matter. Heat, drought, excess rain, disease, planting conditions, harvest problems, and storage losses can affect supply. Fuel, fertilizer, labor, packaging, and freight can change the cost of moving that supply to consumers.

The recent BLS figures show the point. The national price declined from $0.866 per pound in February to $0.847 in March before increasing to $0.923 in June. That pattern should not be converted into a rigid rule that potatoes always peak in June.

Three Potato Shopping Budgets

Case 1: basic 5-pound russet bag. At Target’s current $2.99 price, the household pays about $0.60 per pound. If five pounds make roughly 15 side-dish servings, the raw potato cost is about $0.20 per serving.

Case 2: 10 pounds of conventional potatoes. At the current BLS national average of $0.923 per pound:

10 × $0.923 = $9.23

Buying two value-priced 5-pound russet bags at $2.99 each instead would cost only $5.98, a difference of $3.25.

Case 3: organic potatoes. Two 3-pound Kroger organic russet bags at $3.99 each cost $7.98 for six pounds, or about $1.33 per pound. Six pounds of a conventional $0.60-per-pound russet would cost only about $3.60.

What We Verified

• Checked: the latest available BLS national average for white potatoes is $0.923 per pound.
• Confirmed: current mainstream 5-pound russet bags can cost roughly $0.60-$0.73 per pound.
• Cross-referenced: current organic examples range from about $1.33-$2.29 per pound, while petite potatoes can exceed $2.50 per pound.
• Verified: USDA’s 2025 Idaho farm-level potato price of $7.82 per hundredweight equals only about $0.078 per pound, but it is not directly comparable with a finished retail bag.

Related Food Costs

The price of the raw potato is only a small part of what consumers pay after processing and restaurant preparation. Our guide to the cost of french fries looks at what happens after potatoes are cut, fried, packaged, and sold as a restaurant side.

Another example is the cost of potato chips, where oil, seasoning, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, and branding make the per-pound price much higher than fresh potatoes.

For a comparison with a much more expensive food sold by weight, see our guide to the cost of venison per pound.

Answers to Common Questions

How much does one pound of potatoes cost?

The latest BLS national average is $0.923 per pound. Value-priced 5-pound russet bags can cost only about $0.60-$0.73 per pound, while organic and specialty varieties commonly cost more.

How much does a 5-pound bag of potatoes cost?

Current 5-pound russet examples cost about $2.99-$3.64. Gold and red potatoes can cost more, with a current 5-pound Target gold bag at $4.59.

How much does a 10-pound bag of potatoes cost?

Large bags can be cheaper per pound than smaller packages. A rough conventional budget is around $5-$9 for 10 pounds depending on variety, store, and local promotions.

How many potatoes are in one pound?

One pound is approximately two or three medium potatoes. Two 8-ounce potatoes equal one pound, while smaller 5-6 ounce potatoes would require about three. Weight is more reliable than counting individual potatoes.

Are organic potatoes much more expensive?

Yes. Current mainstream organic examples cost around $1.33-$2.29 per pound, compared with roughly $0.60-$1.00 per pound for many conventional bagged potatoes.

Do older potatoes taste better?

Not necessarily. Potatoes stored at low temperatures can undergo cold-induced sweetening as some starch converts to sugars. The University of Minnesota Extension recommends storing potatoes intended for frying at 40-50°F to reduce excessive sweetening and dark discoloration during frying. Longer storage also increases the chance of sprouting.