DENVER — Potato sales rose almost 18% this year compared to last year, according to a report from advocacy organization Potatoes USA.

Total sales for all forms of potatoes – fresh, frozen, canned and so forth – were nearly $4 billion in July-September 2022, an increase of 17.8% over July-September 2021. Frozen potatoes, which is where the bulk of the Basin’s potato crop goes, saw the largest leap, coming in 22.8% more than last year. Frozen potatoes constitute 15% of total dollar sales in the potato market, according to Potatoes USA. Potato chips, comprising 51% of sales, rose 19% while fresh spuds, 23% of the market, were up 19.2%.

Among fresh potatoes, dollar sales were up for all types, except fingerling and purple, due to tight supply, the report said. The biggest decreases in volume sales for the July-September 2022 time frame were purple potatoes, fingerlings, and white potatoes, down 38.5%, 14.9%, and 13.2%, respectively.

All pack sizes saw an increase in dollars, except packages greater than 10 pounds, which decreased by 27.3%. The pack sizes that grew the most were five-pound and 10-pound packs, increasing by 29.4% and 29.3%, respectively. Volume sales of all pack sizes were down except for pack two- to four-pounds and five-pound bags.

The average consumer price per pound has risen every year for the last five years, the report said, peaking at $2.35 this year.

Despite this, volume sales were slightly down in 2022, at 3.2 billion pounds compared to 3.3 pounds last year, a drop of 2.1%. Volume sales are still above pre-pandemic levels, the report noted. The figures were compiled by the market research company IRI Unify, the report said.