Energy Prices vs. Groceries: What’s Risen Most Since 2020?

From 2020 through early 2026 in the United States, consumer prices for energy items like electricity, natural gas and gasoline all rose, but several everyday goods, notably coffee and orange juice, climbed even faster.

Tracking Bureau of Labor Statistics data from 2020 through early 2026, the divergence is stark. What the data shows:

• Electricity prices have risen 43% since 2020, a steady climb that has outpaced chicken, milk, bananas and butter.
• Piped natural gas increased 60%, reflecting the global energy shock that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
• Gasoline spiked dramatically in 2022, briefly nearing +100% year-over-year at its peak, before retreating. But over the full period, gasoline prices are up just 15%, far less than the peak or consumer sentiment suggests.

Inflation is never just one story. Energy grabs the headlines, but it also quietly pressures food supply chains through higher operating costs that ultimately hit household budgets hardest and longest.