WASHINGTON — The average price paid for white pan bread rose narrowly while the price for whole wheat bread climbed to a record high in September, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor.

The national average retail price of white pan bread was 147.7c, up 0.3c per lb from August and up 9.1c from September 2010. The gain followed a sharp month-over-month decline of 3.9c per lb in August. On a month-to-month basis, the average price for white pan bread in September rose in two regions — up 3.9c in the West and 2.1c in the Midwest — and fell in one region — down 1.6c in the South.

At 207.3c per lb, the national average price for whole wheat bread was up 9.9c per lb from August and up 29.9c per lb from September 2010. It was only the third time the average price has exceeded 200c per lb, and shattered the previous record high of 201.9c per lb set in November 2008. The record high comes just two months after whole wheat bread reached its lowest average price since October 2010.

The national average price of family flour in September was 55c per lb, up 1.3c from August and up 6.7c from September 2010. The price was up in all three regions — up 1.6c in both the South and West, and up 0.6c in the Midwest.

The national average price for spaghetti and macaroni in September was 127c per lb, down 0.9c from August but up 12.2c from September 2010. Chocolate chip cookies were 334.9c per lb, up 19.9c from August and up 13.2c from September 2010. The national average price of white long-grain rice was 71.9c per lb, up 0.4c from August but down 0.4c from September 2010.