Each year the American Farm Bureau Federation releases a price survey of classic items found on the Thanksgiving dinner table. This year, the average cost of feasting stands at $54.33, which is less than last year but still constitutes a $8.64 increase from before the pandemic.
The most expensive item by far is the turkey, which this year costs an average of $25.67 and is an increase of $4.87 from pre-pandemic levels. While most ingredients have increased somewhat, sweet potatoes, fresh cranberries and whipping cream have dropped in value.
2024 marks the second consecutive year that the average price of a Thanksgiving dinner in the United States has decreased. However, this does not erase the increases seen between 2020 and 2022, when the meal rose from an average of $46.90 to $64.05 thanks to the impacts of inflation on food prices and farmers’ costs.
The AFBF discovered regional differences in the average cost of a Thanksgiving meal, with the most affordable prices found in the South at $56.81 and the most expensive in the West at $67.05.
The shopping list of the survey includes all ingredients and foods in quantities sufficient to serve a family of 10. Volunteers checked prices in grocery stores in all 50 states and Puerto Rico for the Farm Bureau.
