Variations in lobster meat prices and inflation made Maine’s eateries consistently dole out lobster roll meals at top dollar this summer, a reprise of 2024.
An assessment by the Bangor Daily News covering end May through mid-August 2025 showed steady restaurant pricing.
According to the report, 10 facilities from Portland to Lubec averaged $24.95-35.41 across different roll sizes, from 4-oz to pounders.
Overall, there was a 1-dollar price change between late May’s average of $34.79 and mid-August’s median of $35.41.
There is general expectation by restauranteurs, however, for a slight decrease upon the onset of Labor Day in September. By then, the soft-shell market will be ending while the North American October-December season ender will be starting.
Regarding which, lobster roll rates in Maine have historically been a game of numbers, seasonality and annual trends.
In 2020, a roll at the keynote Clam Shack based in Kennebunkport, Maine, averaged $18.95 but in 2021 cost $24.95.
The same venue upped the price to $29.95 in 2023, according to a Portland Press Herald’s survey via the Robb Report.
Clam Shack’s quotations underscore the ever-increasing average lobster roll rates in Maine, which topped $30 a pound summer 2025.
What Caused Price Steadiness ?
In July 2025, federal wholesale inflation for groceries notched up by 3.3% and spilled over to seafood products.
Another factor, which in turn reflects historical trends, is the change in lobster meat market quotations. American lobster prices for the period ending July 2025 steadied due to a 37.8% yearly landings drop in Maine since January.
Ultimately, although supplies through summer 2025 sometimes rallied and spurred affordability, most eateries had no choice but inflate their rolls. This marks a trend where lobster roll prices sometimes stay up even when live lobster sells cheap, per the below statistics.
Maine Lobster Roll Prices Statistics
Lobster in butter or mayonnaise is a treat that traces origins in Connecticut and Maine in the early 20th century. Since then, lobster roll pricing has depended on season, inflation and other factors. The median price for small sizes is at least $12 while the average for a big-sized pounder is $23 to $35. Ironically, rolls are costlier in lobster-rich New England than elsewhere in the U.S. where they average $15 a roll.
Most times, rolls and live lobster reflect each other in pricing. For example in 2021, fishers raised their rates by 60% year-on-year. Restaurants upped their roll prices accordingly, to about $24.95 a pound, per the Robb Report. In 2022, the base price at most restaurants hit $30 per big roll, same as 2025.
Still, discrepancy between raw lobster and lobster roll rates sometimes rears its head. In May 2022, live lobster in Maine lost $3 to cost just $9.35 a pound while lobster rolls costs rose to $30.54.