Cost of Thanksgiving Dinner declines

Cooking a Thanksgiving dinner for your friends and family will cost less than last year, marking the third straight year of price declines. The American Farm Bureau Federation’s 40^th annual Thanksgiving dinner survey provides a snapshot of the average cost of Thanksgiving staples that make up a classic holiday feast for 10, which is $55.18 or about $5.52 per person.

This is a 5% decrease from 2024. Three years of declines don’t fully erase the dramatic increases that caused a record-high cost of $64.05 in 2022.

The centerpiece on most Thanksgiving tables – the turkey – has dramatically decreased in price, helping to lower the overall cost of dinner. The average price for a 16-pound frozen turkey is $21.50, which is $1.34 per pound, a decline of more than 16% from last year. While the wholesale price for fresh turkey has increased since 2024, grocery stores are offering Thanksgiving deals and trying to attract consumers back to turkey, resulting in lower retail prices for a holiday bird.

Farm Bureau volunteer shoppers checked prices in the first week of November. Grocery stores often offer whole turkeys at even lower prices in the days before Thanksgiving. According to the latest USDA Agricultural Marketing Service data, the average per-pound price for whole frozen turkeys decreased further during the second week of November.

“It’s encouraging to see some relief in the price of turkeys, as it is typically the most expensive part of the meal,” said AFBF Economist Faith Parum, Ph.D. “Farmers are still working to rebuild turkey flocks that were devastated by avian influenza, but overall demand has also fallen. The combination will help ensure turkey will remain an affordable option for families celebrating Thanksgiving.”