Potato Chips Are Getting More Expensive. Here's Why

While the price of eggs has risen so much in 2025 that some stores (like Trader Joe's and Walmart) have limited purchases, another staple of the American diet has also leapt in cost over the past decade. The average price of a 16-ounce bag of potato chips has shot up from around $4.50 to around $6.50 since 2015, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Inflation is, of course, part of that equation, but The Allegheny Front reports that climate change is also a reason for the spike.

Potato crops are as sensitive to temperatures as any other, notes the outlet, which covers the environment in western Pennsylvania. As the world's largest producer of potato chips, Pennsylvania is the nation's potato chip bag. And an increase of hotter days and nights is suboptimal for tubers.

"If it's a month of high temperatures, [a potato crop will] stop growing and not come back," former Lehigh County Extension director and potato breeder Bob Leiby told The Allegheny Front. Fewer crops then means fewer potatoes to turn into crisps, which creates a market void that allows for the higher prices.

Although it makes a lion's share of potato chips, Pennsylvania does not produce the majority of potatoes in the U.S. But states where more potatoes are grown do not fare much better in the face of climate change. The country's most prolific growers, Idaho and Washington, had their third and 15th warmest recorded years in 2024, according to The Cool Down, which also covers climate change.

Potato chips' rising prices and that increase's link to climate change are both part of a trend in increasing consumer costs due to historically higher temperatures and unreliable weather patterns. According to a 2024 study published in Communications, Earth, and Environment, extreme weather and climate change will continue driving up food prices all over the world in the coming years. This will impact many crops in addition to potatoes. In fact, it's also why coffee prices might skyrocket in 2025 and the reason your 2025 Valentine's chocolate probably cost more than you expected.