Thanksgiving is on Thursday, Nov. 28, which means many people will be heading to the grocery store within the next week to grab staples for their feasts, including turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie filling and sweet potatoes.
In 2022, the price of Thanksgiving dinner was at an all-time high due to rising food costs and the avian flu, which caused turkey shortages nationwide. But as we previously VERIFIED, the cost of an average Thanksgiving meal came down in 2023.
Some peopleon social media claim this year’s Thanksgiving dinner will be even cheaper than it was in 2023.
THE QUESTION
Is this year’s average Thanksgiving meal cheaper than it was last year?
THE SOURCES
- American Farm Bureau Federation
- Datasembly, a retail data collection company
- Bureau of Labor Statistics: Consumer Price Index (CPI)
- U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
- Walmart
- Target
- ALDI
THE ANSWER
Yes, this year’s average Thanksgiving meal is slightly cheaper than it was last year.
WHAT WE FOUND
This year’s average Thanksgiving feast is slightly less expensive than it was in 2023 thanks to a decline in prices for turkey and various sides.
For the past 39 years, the American Farm Bureau Federation has conducted an annual Thanksgiving dinner survey. This year’s survey includes responses collected from volunteer shoppers who checked local grocery store prices for items like turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls and fresh cranberries in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.
The 2024 Thanksgiving dinner survey found that the average total cost of a classic meal for 10 people is $58.08, which is about a 5% decrease from the 2023 cost of $61.17. However, the cost is still 19% higher than it was five years ago in 2019, the Farm Bureau said.
An analysis of data from the federal government’s U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), as well as data from retail analyst Datasembly, also show the cost of a typical Thanksgiving dinner is cheaper this year than it was in 2023.
Datasembly, a retail data collection company, found that Thanksgiving dinner will cost families $50.58 on average, about $3 less than it cost in 2023, a spokesperson told VERIFY.
So what changed from 2022, when the cost of Thanksgiving dinner reached a record high, to now?
Turkey makes up almost half the cost of a Thanksgiving dinner, according to the Farm Bureau. In 2022, avian flu losses sent turkey prices climbing, but they’ve come back down over the past two years.
Demand for turkey has also fallen over the course of this year compared to 2023, USDA estimates show, causing prices to drop, the Farm Bureau said.
Comparing this year’s Thanksgiving dinner prices to 2023
For the Farm Bureau’s classic Thanksgiving dinner shopping list, the volunteer shoppers collected price data on turkey, cubed stuffing, sweet potatoes, dinner rolls, frozen peas, fresh cranberries, celery, carrots, pumpkin pie mix and crusts, whipping cream and whole milk.
The shoppers also checked prices on ham, Russet potatoes and frozen green beans to “reflect more Thanksgiving favorites,” according to the Farm Bureau. With the three additional items added, the cost of the meal rose to $77.34 for 10 people in 2024 – which is still an 8.7% decrease from last year’s cost of $84.75 for the same meal.
The Farm Bureau’s survey found that seven out of the 11 items in this year’s classic Thanksgiving dinner saw a drop in prices since 2023. They include turkey, sweet potatoes, frozen peas, a vegetable tray of carrots and celery, pumpkin pie mix, pie crusts and whole milk.
But the remaining four items – dinner rolls, fresh cranberries, whipping cream and cubed stuffing – rose in price this year compared to 2023, according to the Farm Bureau’s survey.
Here’s a comparison of 2024 Thanksgiving dinner prices versus 2023 Thanksgiving dinner prices based on the Farm Bureau’s survey.
2024 Average Thanksgiving Dinner Prices:
- 16-pound turkey: $25.67, or $1.60 per pound
- 12 ounces of cranberries: $2.35
- 3 pounds of sweet potatoes: $2.93
- 1/2 pound each of carrots and celery: 84 cents
- 16 ounces of green peas: $1.73
- Two 9-inch pile shells: $3.40
- 14 ounces of cube stuffing: $4.08
- 1 dozen dinner rolls: $4.16
- 30 ounces of pumpkin pie mix: $4.15
- 1 gallon of whole milk: $3.21
- 1/2 pint of whipping cream: $1.81
2023 Average Thanksgiving Dinner Prices:
- 16-pound turkey: $27.35, or $1.71 per pound
- 12 ounces of cranberries: $2.10
- 3 pounds of sweet potatoes: $3.97
- 1/2 pound each of carrots and celery: 90 cents
- 16 ounces of green peas: $1.88
- Two 9-inch pie shells: $3.50
- 14 ounces of cube stuffing: $3.77
- 1 dozen dinner rolls: $3.84
- 30 ounces of pumpkin pie mix: $4.44
- 1 gallon of whole milk: $3.74
- 1 pint of whipping cream: $1.73
The total cost of Thanksgiving staples varies based on where you live. For example, people celebrating Thanksgiving in the western U.S. will have grocery bills that are “at least 15% steeper than the rest of the country,” the Farm Bureau says.Major retailers offering Thanksgiving meal deals in 2024If you’re looking to save extra money this Thanksgiving, some major retailers, including ALDI, Target and Walmart, are slashing the prices on a variety of seasonal staples this year.Walmart, the nation’s largest food retailer, first bundled the makings of a traditional Thanksgiving feast into a meal deal three years ago. This year, the company’s 29-item offer, which includes a frozen turkey and ingredients for side dishes, serves eight people for less than $7 per person.Target’s Thanksgiving meal deal for four people costs $20, which is $5 less than its 2023 Thanksgiving meal, and includes a frozen turkey, stuffing mix, canned green beans, cream of mushroom soup, potatoes and canned jellied cranberry sauce. ALDI is offering a frozen Butterball turkey with gravy mix, as well as the ingredients for pumpkin pie and various side dishes, for $47.The Associated Press contributed to this report.