Nils-Gerrit Wunsch
Research expert covering foods trends in North America, Europe, and the global food system
Thanksgiving - Statistics & Facts
Thanksgiving is one of the major holidays in the United States. Since it became a public holiday in 1862, it has taken place on the fourth Thursday of November each year. Family and friends usually come together for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner to be thankful for a good harvest or blessings in life. A traditional Thanksgiving meal in the United States commonly features turkey roast, mashed potatoes with gravy, sweet (mashed) potatoes, bread stuffing, cranberry sauce, sweet corn, vegetables of the season, bread rolls with butter and pumpkin pie with whipped cream as dessert.
Thanksgiving dinner staple: Turkey
In 2023, the average price of ingredients for a 10-person Thanksgiving dinner amounted to 58.08 U.S. dollars. Despite declining in 2023 and 2024, costs for a dinner are up by 11.18 U.S. dollars compared to 2020. As turkey plays a central role in the feast, this component typically takes up the largest share of the meal’s expenditure. On average, the price for a 16 pound (7.26 kg) turkey before Thanksgiving was 25.67 U.S. dollars. According to a 2022 survey, about 74 percent of U.S. respondents were planning to shop for a turkey on sale that year. In 2024, 37 percent of households stated that their plans for Thanksgiving had been impacted by high grocery prices. Compared to 2023, higher income groups are less likely to celebrate at all. Among those who earn 100,000 U.S. dollars or more, the share of those not celebrating jumped up 10 percent to 18 percent.Thanksgiving weekend shopping
Besides the reunion between family and friends, Thanksgiving contributes heavily to annual retail holiday sales. Black Friday, which is described by the media as the "busiest shopping day of the year", takes place right after Thanksgiving Day and advertises special offers and discounts to boost holiday sales. A recent survey revealed that American consumers use the opportunity to shop for gifts on Black Friday. Christmas gifts, gifts for friends and lovers, as well as gifts for themselves are all popular reasons for consumers to go shopping during Black Friday. In total, close to 132 million Americans plan to go shopping on Black Friday.
