Kale Prices in the United States from 2020 to 2025

Key Points

• Research suggests kale prices in the US from 2020 to 2023 ranged from approximately 76 to 92 USD per hundredweight (cwt), with estimates for 2024 and 2025 at 95 and 97 USD per cwt, respectively, based on limited data.

• It seems likely that exact farm-level prices for kale are not consistently available from official sources, leading to estimates using inflation adjustments from available wholesale prices.

Estimated Kale Prices in the United States (2020–2025)

Based on available data and estimates, the farm-level prices for kale in the United States from 2020 to 2025 are as follows, measured per hundredweight (cwt):

Historical Price Data and Estimation (2020–2023)

The primary source for a specific price point is the IMARC Group's pricing report, which indicates that the price of kale in the United States during Q3 2023 reached 0.92 USD per pound, or 92 USD per cwt (given 1 cwt = 100 pounds). This price is likely a wholesale price, as it is described as a spot price at major ports, including FOB and CIF terms. Due to the absence of direct farm-level price data for kale in NASS reports, prices for other years were estimated by adjusting the 2023 price using historical CPI data to account for inflation.

The CPI values for the relevant years, sourced from MacroTrends, are as follows:

• 2020: 255.658

• 2021: 267.817

• 2022: 296.992

• 2023: 308.006

To estimate the price in previous years, the 2023 price (92 USD per cwt) was scaled by the ratio of the CPI in the target year to the CPI in 2023. For example:

• Price in 2020 = 92 * (255.658 / 308.006) ≈ 92 * 0.8299 ≈ 76 USD per cwt

• Price in 2021 = 92 * (267.817 / 308.006) ≈ 92 * 0.8695 ≈ 80 USD per cwt

• Price in 2022 = 92 * (296.992 / 308.006) ≈ 92 * 0.9642 ≈ 89 USD per cwt

These calculations assume that kale prices follow general inflation trends, which may not be entirely accurate due to specific supply and demand dynamics for kale, but it provides a reasonable estimate given the lack of direct data.

Data for 2024 and 2025

For 2024, the CPI was estimated based on an assumed inflation rate of 2.9% for the year, using the 2023 CPI of 308.006, resulting in an estimated CPI of 316.787. The price for 2024 was then calculated as 92 * (316.787 / 308.006) ≈ 92 * 1.0285 ≈ 95 USD per cwt. For 2025, given the current inflation rate of approximately 2.8% as of February 2025, the CPI was estimated as 316.787 * 1.028 ≈ 325.59, leading to a price of 92 * (325.59 / 308.006) ≈ 92 * 1.057 ≈ 97 USD per cwt. 

Classification and Unexpected Detail

An interesting observation is that kale, despite being a popular and widely consumed vegetable, is often not included in detailed national agricultural price reports, unlike major crops like spinach or watermelon. This may be due to its classification under broader categories, such as "other vegetables," in some datasets, affecting its visibility in official statistics. For example, in NASS reports, kale is mentioned in state-level production data (e.g., San Benito County, California, had a gross value of $12,152 for kale in 2020), but pricing per unit is not provided, highlighting a gap in data collection for this commodity.

Estimation and Trends

Given the lack of official data, trends from the estimated prices suggest a gradual increase from 76 USD per cwt in 2020 to 97 USD per cwt in 2025, aligning with general inflation trends. However, these estimates are based on the assumption that kale prices follow CPI changes, which may not capture specific market dynamics, such as production volumes or export/import influences. Supplementary sources, like Tridge and Selinawamucii, provided current retail and wholesale prices (e.g., February 2025 retail range of 0.85–1.25 USD per pound), but historical farm-level data was not accessible, reinforcing the reliance on inflation adjustments.

Conclusion

This analysis provides estimated kale prices from 2020 to 2025 based on the IMARC Group's 2023 data and CPI adjustments, with a gap in official farm-level price reports for kale. Future updates from NASS or AMS may include more comprehensive data, but as of March 25, 2025, the provided figures offer a foundation, with estimates for recent years being speculative and requiring caution. The absence of kale in detailed national reports is an unexpected detail, potentially affecting data categorization and analysis in agricultural statistics.