Thanksgiving dinner costs dip again, survey shows

The cost of the Thanksgiving feast is down for the second year in a row, according to the 39th annual American Farm Bureau Federation Thanksgiving dinner survey.

The classic Thanksgiving spread for 10 will run shoppers $58.08, down 5% from last year but still up 19% higher than five years ago. For one week each year, volunteer shoppers from all 50 states and Puerto Rico visit their local grocery store or a local store’s website to survey the prices of items used in a typical Thanksgiving feast, according to a news release.

Since 1986, the volunteers have collected price data on turkey, cubed stuffing, sweet potatoes, dinner rolls, frozen peas, fresh cranberries, celery, carrots, pumpkin pie mix and crusts, whipping cream and whole milk.

Seven items dropped in price this year, including turkey, sweetpotatoes, frozen peas, a vegetable tray of carrots and celery, pumpkin pie mix, pie crusts and whole milk, the release said. However, the remaining four items — dinner rolls, fresh cranberries, whipping cream and cubed stuffing — increased in price.

Prices for ham, russet potatoes and frozen green beans were added to the survey in 2018 to reflect more Thanksgiving favorites, with all of them showing a year-over-year reduction in price.

When including the additional items, the meal cost rose to $77.34, or $7.73 per person, with more leftovers, of course, according to the release. The updated Thanksgiving dinner nearly doubled the cost savings of the classic basket — an 8.7% decrease in price from 2023.

Overall price volatility in vegetables pulled fresh vegetable prices down, including those on the celery and carrot relish tray.

Fresh cranberries experienced an increase of 12% this year, however, the survey said the increase was a stabilization of prices after an 18% drop in prices from 2022 to 2023, the release said.

“Despite the year-over-year price increase, cranberries are still more affordable than historical averages,” the report said. “In fact, when adjusted for inflation, this is the lowest price for cranberries 1987.”

For those celebrating in the West, the Thanksgiving grocery bill will be at least 15% steeper than the rest of the U.S.: $67.81 for a party of 10, according to the release. The other regions of the U.S. are lower by $9 or more. Southern dinners will cost the least at $56.81, followed closely by the Northeast at $57.36 and $58.90 in the Midwest.