WASHINGTON — The average price paid for white pan bread rose 1.8c per lb in May, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. The gain comes on the heels of a decline of 1.5c in April. The price of whole wheat bread, meanwhile, fell for the fourth straight month, easing 2.9c per lb after falling 2.9c per lb in April.

The national average retail price of white pan bread was 141.3c, according to the B.L.S. The May price for white pan bread increased 4.3c compared with May 2008. On a month-to-month basis, the average price for white pan bread rose in three regions — up 2.5c in the Northeast; up 4.6c in the South; and up 2.6c in the West — and fell in one, easing 3.1c in the Midwest.

At 188.5c per lb, the national average price for whole wheat bread was down 8.8c per lb from May 2008.

The national average price of family flour in May was 51.5c per lb, up 3c from April but down 1.9c from May 2008.

The national average price for spaghetti and macaroni in May was 117.4c per lb, up 5.2c from April and up 7.3c from May 2008. Chocolate chip cookies were 322.1c per lb, up 8.6c from April and up 35.1c from May 2008.