Lower price per pound lifts volumes but trims revenue; two-to-four, eight, and 10-lb bags post growth.
According to a press release issued by Potatoes USA, retail sales of potatoes in the U.S. remained strong from July 2024-June 2025, with total volume increasing 2.3%, reflecting sustained consumer demand for this versatile, nutrient-dense vegetable. Notably, volume sales were 13% higher than the comparable period from July 2018-June 2019, indicating greater demand than before the pandemic. Dollar sales remained relatively stable during July 2024–June 2025, dipping just 0.5% to $19.86 billion.
Category performance: fresh, frozen, and deli-prepared lead; chips stable
Sales volume increases were driven by fresh (2.6%), frozen (3.7%), and deli-prepared sides (1.6%). At the same time, potato chip volume sales were stable (0.2%), and volume sales modestly declined for dehydrated (-2.0%), refrigerated (-0.4%), and canned potatoes (-1.1%).
Pricing dynamics: lower average price per pound trims dollar sales
The modest decrease in dollar sales (-0.5%) was driven by a 2.7% decrease in the average consumer price per pound of all potatoes compared to last year. Only refrigerated potatoes (1.6%), deli-prepared sides (2.8%), and canned potatoes (0.4%) saw consumer price increases. As a result, most potato categories saw a modest decrease in dollar sales except for refrigerated potatoes (1.2%) and deli-prepared sides (4.4%).
Fresh varietal trends: russet, yellow, petite, fingerlings up; red, white, purple down
Among fresh potatoes, volume sales increased from the prior year for russets (4.0%), yellow (5.5%), petite (7.8%), and fingerling potatoes (1.5%). Sales volume fell for red (-11%), white (-4%), and purple potatoes (-5.5%). The average consumer price per pound of fresh potatoes decreased 5.6% compared to the year prior, driving a modest decrease in all fresh potato dollar sales by 3.2%. Russets saw the largest price drop (-11.8%), followed by white potatoes (-7.6%) and petite potatoes (-3.2%).
Formats and pack sizes: bagged dominates; mid-size and larger packs gain
Volume sales increased for fresh potatoes sold in bulk, bags (representing 87% of fresh potato sales), and trays. Within the bagged category, the following pack sizes increased in volume sales: under one to under two pounds (7.2%), two to four pounds (10.5%), eight pounds (17.8%), and 10 pounds (3.6%).
Source: Potatoes USA
Image: Credit Potatoes USA