Thanksgiving: How Much Does the Average Dinner Cost This Year?

Thanksgiving dinner cooked at home is going to be less costly than last year, thanks to a drop in the price of that centerpiece dish: the turkey.

The cost of a traditional Thanksgiving feast for 10 people has dropped 4.5% from last year’s high to $61.17 this year, or $6.12 a person, the American Farm Bureau Federation said.

Nearly half of that total comes from the $27.35 price for a 16-pound frozen whole turkey, down 5.6% from last year. Turkey flocks have recovered from avian influenza, an epidemic last year that contributed to the record-high price of the 2022 Thanksgiving meal at around $64.05.

The Farm Bureau Federation has done the survey annually for 38 years, using volunteer shoppers in 50 states and Puerto Rico recording prices while visiting their local grocery stores.

The rest of the estimated traditional meal price was gleaned from store prices for stuffing, sweet potatoes, dinner rolls, frozen peas, fresh cranberries, celery, carrots, pumpkin pie mix, pie shells, whipping cream, and whole milk, the survey said.

Adding in other dishes such as boneless ham, russet potatoes, and frozen green beans would raise the cost of this year’s Thanksgiving meal to $84.75, or $8.48 a person, the survey said.

This year’s biggest price increases came from canned pumpkin pie mix, up 3.8%, and dinner rolls, up 3% a dozen. Prices dropped 23% for whipping cream and 18% for fresh cranberries, because of this year’s larger supply and higher imports, mostly from Canada, according to the Cranberry Marketing Committee.

The survey doesn’t factor in free turkey promotions that many grocery stores offer shoppers who are members of their loyalty clubs and spend a certain amount in their stores in November. And it doesn’t account for other food items that Americans may offer on the holiday, including appetizers, a variety of desserts, and other family favorites.

Despite the drop in the price of the holiday meal overall, Thanksgiving for 10 still costs 25% more than it did in 2019. The traditional meal costs the most in the Northeast, at $64.38, and is cheapest in the Midwest, at $58.66.

Despite food inflation and supply chain challenges, Americans spend about 6.7% of their disposable income on food, the lowest of 104 countries the Agriculture Department tracks. In the next nearest country, Singapore, people spend 8.4% of their income on food, while in Nigeria, they spend 59%, the Farm Bureau Federation said.

Write to Janet H. Cho at [email protected]

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