The prices for Thanksgiving meals this holiday season have declined once again, sinking below record prices.
The American Farm Bureau Federation released its 40th annual Thanksgiving dinner survey, analyzing the costs of a dozen Thanksgiving staple foods and how these costs have changed from years past. The average price of a Thanksgiving meal declined for the third straight year, with a holiday feast for 10 amounting to about $55.18, or roughly $5.52 per person.
The $55.18 price is a 5% decrease from 2024, and a 13.8% decrease from the record-high price of $64.05 in 2022.
The AFBF credited the overall decrease to a decline in the effects of the avian flu, decreased wheat prices, and falling demand.
“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. “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.”
Turkeys led the Thanksgiving reprieve, with a standard 16-pound turkey decreasing over 16% since last year to $21.50.
While the significant decline in turkey prices drove the fall in overall meal price, half the items on the AFBF’s list saw an increase in price. The worst offenders were the veggie tray and sweet potatoes, items that rose in price by over 61% and 37%, respectively. The organization laid the blame on natural disasters — North Carolina is the largest grower of sweet potatoes in the U.S. — and farm labor shortages. The prices of fresh produce were noted as particularly volatile.
Despite the decrease, AFBF President Zippy Duvall acknowledged the dissatisfaction that prices still haven’t fallen further, pointing to other problems faced by farmers.
FDR’S VERY BIG ‘FRANKSGIVING’ MISTAKE
“We are blessed to live in a country that is capable of producing such an abundant food supply, and for that we should be thankful,” he said. “Despite modest declines in the cost of a Thanksgiving meal, I know food prices are a real concern for many families, including in rural America. We lost 15,000 farms last year because of factors including historically low crop prices, high supply costs and trade uncertainty, which continue to squeeze farmers and ranchers.”
However, CNBC noted that with inflation factored in, the average Thanksgiving meal for 2025 is roughly in line with the 2020 Thanksgiving meal price of $46.90.
