How Much Does Shrimp Cost?

Updated on August 7, 2026 | Written by Alec Pow
This article was researched using 13 sources. See our methodology and corrections policy.

Shrimp currently costs about $8 to $10 per pound for many mainstream frozen grocery-store options, while fresh and premium wild-caught shrimp commonly runs about $14 to $28 per pound. Current examples range from $7.98 per pound for Walmart 31/40-count peeled shrimp to $28 per pound for super-colossal U/12 wild Gulf shrimp. Size, count per pound, processing, origin, certification, and shipping can matter more than labels such as “fresh,” “jumbo,” or “wild.”

A lower sticker price does not always mean a lower food cost. Shell-on shrimp includes weight that is removed before eating, while peeled and deveined shrimp costs more for processing but gives you more ready-to-cook meat. Online wild shrimp may also add overnight shipping unless the order is large enough to qualify for a shipping promotion.

Article Highlights

• Mainstream frozen shrimp: about $8 to $11 (at $30 per hour, earning that amount would take about 16 to 22 minutes, before taxes) per pound
• Fresh peeled Gulf shrimp: around $16 per pound in a current example
• Wild Gulf shrimp: about $14 to $28 per pound
• 16/20 headless wild Gulf shrimp: $20 per pound
• 16/20 peeled and deveined wild shrimp: $25.50 per pound
• Count rule: lower count means larger shrimp
• Hidden costs: shell and head waste, shipping, thaw loss, and preparation

How Much Does Shrimp Cost?

Current shrimp product	Price	Count and preparation
Walmart Great Value frozen raw	$7.98/lb	31/40, peeled and deveined, tail-off
Walmart Great Value shell-on	$9.24/lb	21/25, easy-peel, tail-on
Walmart Great Value colossal	$10.19 (about 20 minutes at $30 per hour)/lb	16/22, peeled and deveined, tail-on
Biloxi small wild Gulf shrimp	$14/lb	61/90, peeled and deveined
The Shrimp Net fresh Gulf shrimp	$16/lb	16/20, peeled and deveined
Biloxi extra-large wild Gulf shrimp	$17.75/lb	31/40, peeled and deveined
Biloxi extra-jumbo wild shrimp	$20/lb	16/20, headless shell-on
Biloxi extra-jumbo wild shrimp	$25.50/lb	16/20, peeled and deveined
Biloxi super-colossal wild Gulf shrimp	$28/lb	U/12, headless shell-on

Walmart currently sells a two-pound bag of 31/40 peeled shrimp for $15.96, equal to $7.98 per pound. Its 12-ounce 16/22 colossal shrimp costs $7.64, equal to about $10.19 per pound.

A two-pound bag of Walmart 21/25 shell-on shrimp costs $18.47, or about $9.24 per pound. These products are not identical, so the difference cannot be credited to shell status alone.

Biloxi Shrimp Co. currently lists wild Gulf shrimp from $14 per pound for 61/90 peeled shrimp to $28 per pound for U/12 headless shrimp in its current shrimp catalog. The size and processing choices create a much wider price spread than one generic “wild shrimp” average.

Use Count

Shrimp size names are not reliable enough for price comparison. Serious Eats’ 2026 shrimp size guide recommends using the count per pound because words such as “large,” “jumbo,” and “colossal” can change by seller and region.

• U/10 or U/12: fewer than 10 or 12 shrimp per pound
• 13/15: 13 to 15 shrimp per pound
• 16/20: 16 to 20 shrimp per pound
• 21/25: 21 to 25 shrimp per pound
• 26/30: 26 to 30 shrimp per pound
• 31/40: 31 to 40 shrimp per pound
• 41/50 and higher: progressively smaller shrimp

Within the same seller and processing style, larger shrimp often command a premium. Biloxi’s peeled 31/40 wild Gulf shrimp costs $17.75 (about 36 minutes at $30 per hour) per pound, while its peeled 16/20 shrimp costs $25.50 per pound. The larger shrimp costs $7.75 more per pound, a premium of about 44%.

For a four-pound party order, 31/40 shrimp at $17.75 per pound costs $71. Choosing 16/20 at $25.50 per pound raises the shrimp bill to $102, an extra $31.

Fresh vs Frozen Shrimp

Fresh is not automatically better than frozen. NOAA says frozen seafood can be an excellent choice because catch is often processed and frozen soon after harvest. Its seafood buying guidance recommends checking frozen packages for ice crystals, damage, discoloration, and signs that the product thawed and refroze.

NOAA also notes in its wild shrimp guidance that freezing soon after catch helps preserve quality. Seafood-counter shrimp may itself have been previously frozen and thawed, so ask the store when that matters to you.

Fresh shrimp can still be competitively priced. The Shrimp Net currently sells fresh 16/20 Gulf shrimp, peeled and deveined, for $16 per pound. That price is lower than several frozen premium wild-shrimp examples, showing why “fresh costs more” is not a reliable shopping rule.

Wild vs Farmed Shrimp

Wild-caught shrimp is not automatically higher quality than farmed shrimp. Taste and texture depend on species, handling, harvest conditions, processing, freezing speed, additives, and cold-chain management. Price also reflects labor, scale, origin, certification, and transportation.

NOAA considers U.S. wild-caught shrimp a sustainable choice under the domestic fishery-management system, but the reason is the management framework rather than a blanket rule that all wild seafood is better than farmed seafood.

For farmed shrimp, Best Aquaculture Practices explains that its BAP certification system can cover the processing plant, farm, hatchery, and feed mill. Its star system indicates how many stages of the production chain are certified.

For wild seafood, the Marine Stewardship Council’s MSC shrimp guidance says the blue label applies to products from independently assessed certified fisheries. Certification should not be converted into a fixed $1 to $5 per pound premium because the price difference varies by product and seller.

Shell-On vs Peeled Cost

Peeled and deveined shrimp does not normally cost two or three times as much as the same shell-on shrimp. Biloxi provides a useful same-size comparison for 16/20 wild shrimp. Headless shell-on shrimp costs $20 per pound, EZ-peel costs $21.50 per pound, and peeled/deveined tail-on shrimp costs $25.50 per pound on its 16/20 shrimp page.

Moving from the headless shell-on version to peeled and deveined adds $5.50 per pound, or 27.5%. For two pounds, that is $40 versus $51, an $11 processing premium.

This is why a higher-priced peeled package can sometimes be the better value. Compare products with the same count, origin, raw or cooked status, and package weight before deciding which processing level costs less.

Shipping and Bulk Costs

Online Gulf shrimp can add a meaningful delivery cost. Biloxi’s current 16/20 headless product costs $20 per pound and offers $9.95 flat shipping when buying 6 to 8 pounds. Orders of 10 pounds or more qualify for free shipping.

Six pounds cost $120 before delivery. Add the $9.95 shipping charge and the subtotal reaches $129.95, or about $21.66 per delivered pound. Ten pounds cost $200 with free shipping, keeping the product rate at $20 per pound.

The larger order reduces the effective delivered price by about $1.66 per pound in this specific promotion. That saving only helps if you have freezer space and will actually use the extra shrimp.

How Much Shrimp to Buy

One pound of peeled shrimp can cover about four moderate quarter-pound raw portions, making the shrimp cost easy to compare. Walmart 31/40 shrimp at $7.98 per pound costs about $2 per quarter-pound portion. Wild Gulf 16/20 shrimp at $20 per pound costs $5 per quarter-pound portion.

For larger grilled shrimp or shrimp cocktail, count per pound also tells you how many pieces each guest receives. One pound of 16/20 shrimp gives roughly 16 to 20 pieces, while one pound of 31/40 produces roughly twice as many smaller shrimp.

Smaller shrimp can work well in fried rice, tacos, soups, pasta, salads, and fillings where the seafood is distributed through the dish. Large shrimp may be worth the premium when presentation and individual pieces matter more.

Three Realistic Shrimp Bills

Case 1: Four-person grocery dinner. One pound of Walmart 31/40 peeled shrimp costs $7.98, or about $2 per person before sides. At a wage of $30 per hour, the shrimp represents about 16 minutes of work.

Case 2: Four pounds of premium wild shrimp. Biloxi 31/40 peeled shrimp costs $71 for four pounds, while 16/20 peeled shrimp costs $102. The larger size adds $31, equal to about 1 hour and 2 minutes of work at $30 per hour.

Case 3: Six pounds shipped. Six pounds of Biloxi 16/20 headless shrimp cost $120, and the current flat shipping promotion adds $9.95. The delivered subtotal is $129.95, or $21.66 per pound.

The examples show why shrimp prices cannot be reduced to one “fresh” or “wild” average. Count, processing, edible yield, and fulfillment can each change the final food cost.

Storage and Food Safety

FDA recommends refrigerating seafood at 40°F or below and using it within two days after purchase, or freezing it for later use. Its seafood safety guidance recommends thawing frozen seafood overnight in the refrigerator or, for faster thawing, sealing it in a bag and immersing it in cold water.

FoodSafety.gov’s cold storage chart lists shrimp and crayfish at 3 to 5 days refrigerated and 6 to 18 months frozen. For a simple consumer rule, the FDA’s two-day purchase guideline is the more conservative approach for refrigerated seafood.

Cooking time varies with shrimp size and method, so a fixed “two to three minutes” rule does not fit every product. FDA recommends cooking most seafood to 145°F and says cooked shrimp flesh should become firm, pearly, and opaque.

For other seafood-price comparisons, see the cost of crab legs, current king crab prices, or our guide to Golden Corral prices.

Answers to Common Questions

How much does a pound of shrimp cost?

Many mainstream frozen grocery options currently cost about $8 to $11 per pound. Fresh and premium wild-caught examples run around $14 to $28 per pound, depending on count, processing, and seller.

Is frozen shrimp cheaper than fresh shrimp?

Sometimes, but not always. A current fresh peeled Gulf example costs $16 per pound, while premium frozen wild Gulf products can exceed $20 per pound. Frozen shrimp can also retain excellent quality when processed quickly after harvest.

Is wild shrimp better than farmed shrimp?

Not automatically. Quality depends on species, handling, processing, additives, harvest conditions, and storage. Wild and farmed shrimp should be compared by origin, traceability, certification, count, and actual product quality.

Is peeled shrimp worth the extra cost?

It can be. In one current same-size wild-shrimp comparison, peeled and deveined 16/20 shrimp costs $25.50 per pound versus $20 per pound headless shell-on. The higher purchase price buys more preparation and less shell waste.

How much is shrimp per kilogram?

One kilogram equals about 2.205 pounds. At $7.98 per pound, shrimp costs about $17.60 per kilogram. At $16 per pound, it costs about $35.28 per kilogram. At $28 per pound, it reaches about $61.74 per kilogram.

How should shrimp be stored?

Keep refrigerated shrimp cold and use it promptly. FDA recommends using refrigerated seafood within two days of purchase or freezing it. Thaw frozen shrimp in the refrigerator or in a sealed bag immersed in cold water.