You probably have a jug of orange juice in your refrigerator right now (it’s estimated that around 60% of US households do). If you’re an OJ lover, I have some bad news. Orange juice is costing consumers noticeably more than it did just a year ago, and it’s causing supply issues for some brands.
Prices increasing over recent years
According to price-tracking data, the cost of a typical 64-ounce container of orange juice in 2025 was approximately 8.5% higher than in 2024, with many shoppers noting even steeper increases on grocery shelves. One of the most significant drivers of the price increase is citrus greening, a disease that is wiping out oranges in key growing areas.
If you look further back, there’s an even more significant price increase from around 2022 to 2024. According to price tracking by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average cost for a 12‑oz can of frozen OJ concentrate increased from roughly $2.72 in late 2022 to around $4.29 in late 2024 – a nearly 58% increase over two years.
Citrus greening: A disease devastating orange trees
One of the primary causes of reduced orange juice supply is a plant disease known as citrus greening, also called Citrus huanglongbing (HLB). This bacterial infection is spread by tiny, sap-sucking insects called Asian citrus psyllids. Once a tree contracts HLB, it produces bitter, misshapen fruit and eventually dies. There is no known cure, and the disease has devastated citrus groves in major producing regions in the US and overseas.
In Florida, a historic hub for U.S. orange production, citrus greening has infected more than 90% of groves and has contributed to a sharp decline in juice-grade oranges over the past two decades.
Meanwhile, in Brazil—the world’s largest orange juice supplier—HLB is devastating citrus supplies as well. In 2024, HLB impacted around 44% of citrus trees in the “Citrus Belt” (the area in Brazil that grows around 80% of the country’s oranges).
Why that means higher prices
With fewer healthy oranges available for processing, producers face lower yields and higher costs. Lower output and disrupted supply dynamics push up prices for orange juice concentrate and ready-to-drink products, a cost passed on to consumers at supermarkets and cafés.
Orange juice prices are expected to either stay high or continue to trend upward over the coming months and years, so we’ll see what prices end up doing this year.
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