Rice Price Today: Live Chart & Price History

The rice price most people search for is the grocery store shelf price, but the figures on this page measure something earlier in the chain: what U.S. farmers receive for rough rice. The U.S. Department of Agriculture publishes that number in its monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report, known as WASDE. It is a useful signal for where rice markets are heading, though it is not what you pay at a store.

Prices in WASDE are expressed per hundredweight, abbreviated cwt, which is 100 pounds. They are season-average farm prices, meaning USDA's estimate of the average price farmers receive across an entire marketing year, not a daily quote.

For the 2026/27 marketing year, USDA's most recent projection for all rice is $15.20/cwt. The label marks it as a forecast, so it will be revised in later monthly reports as harvest and market conditions become clearer. The table also shows the estimate for the year before and the final figure for the year before that.

The rows split rice into long-grain and medium and short-grain types. Long-grain rice is the most widely grown type in the South, while medium and short-grain rice is grown in California and some other states. The two types are priced differently, which is why the all-rice average sits between them.

USDA reports early numbers as projections and then replaces them with estimates once the crop is further along. A forecast can shift each month as new information comes in about yields, acreage, stocks, exports and demand. The "estimate" label on a prior year means the figure is not final until USDA completes its accounting.

Farm prices cover rough rice, which still has its hull. Mills clean, hull, polish and package the grain, and retailers add their own costs and margins before it reaches your cart. Because of those steps, a change in the farm price does not move the shelf price by the same amount or at the same time. Brand, package size, rice type and store all affect what you pay in a supermarket.

Several factors push rice prices up or down:

• Weather and growing conditions in major producing states and countries.
• Planted acreage, which responds to how profitable rice looks compared with other crops.
• Beginning and ending stocks, which show whether supplies are tight.
• Export demand and import competition.
• Input costs such as fertilizer, fuel and water.

USDA's monthly reports track each of these and explain the reasoning behind changes in the forecast.

A higher farm price helps growers cover costs, while buyers such as millers and food makers may face higher input costs. Whether that reaches consumers depends on competition, contracts and how long mills hold inventory. A forecast also reflects USDA's view of supply, so it can fall as quickly as it rises if the crop outlook improves.

USDA updates WASDE once a month. The report is free at usda.gov, and USDA's Economic Research Service publishes rice outlook coverage at ers.usda.gov. Figures on this page are tied to the October WASDE release and may have been updated since.