Dairy farmers enjoyed higher milk prices in 2024 due to lower milk output for much of the year, and that same market force caused retail milk prices to climb to a new high. The average price for a gallon of conventional whole milk in the U.S. last year was a record $4.39, up 5 cents from 2023.
That number is based on a survey federal order market administrators collect from large grocery store chains and dairy or convenience store chains each month in 30 cities or metro areas around the country. Last year, the average monthly price was lowest in March at $4.32 per gallon and highest in November and December, which both recorded an average of $4.48 per gallon. That is a narrow 16-cent window compared to the wide swings dairy farmers witness for their highly perishable raw product.
The locations with the lowest and highest average prices for a gallon of whole milk were unchanged from 2023. Customers paid the least for their whole milk gallon in Louisville, Ky., at an average of $3.29 per gallon. However, that was 35 cents higher than the city’s 2023 average price of $2.94 per gallon.
The only other surveyed areas where the average price for a gallon of whole milk was less than $4 were Cincinnati, Ohio ($3.33); Indianapolis, Ind. ($3.37); Dallas, Texas ($3.52); Detroit, Mich. ($3.78); and Syracuse, N.Y. ($3.93).
On the other hand, the most expensive place to buy a gallon of whole milk is 500 miles west of Louisville in Kansas City, Mo. There, you can expect to pay an average of $5.92 per gallon, although that was down slightly from 2023’s average of $6.05.
Other areas where a gallon of whole milk averaged over $5 were Philadelphia, Pa. ($5.39); Chicago, Ill. ($5.28); Pittsburgh, Pa. ($5.06), and New York, N.Y. ($5.05).
This was the third straight year that a whole milk gallon cost more than $4 on average, and that was also true for 2% milk. In the surveyed cities, a gallon of 2% milk cost $4.33 on average last year, which is 4 cents higher than 2023.
Organic products
Consumers who seek out organic milk continue to pay more for those products, with the average price for a half gallon of organic whole milk reaching $4.81 in 2024. That was down two pennies from the record high of 2023.
The cheapest half gallon of organic whole milk was found in Atlanta, Ga., which had an average price of $3.95. In Pittsburgh, Pa., though, that same half gallon cost $6.62, the highest average price in the country.
