Turkeys aren’t recognized for flying however their costs are hovering forward of the Thanksgiving vacation.

A September outlook report from the USA Agriculture Division estimates that wholesale costs for frozen turkeys can be $1.32 per pound this 12 months, a 40% improve from 2024’s common of $0.94 per pound. 

The wholesale worth is what retailers pay to purchase gadgets in bulk. Retailers then resolve how a lot they wish to cost customers. 

The explanation the birds — historically the centerpiece on the Thanksgiving desk — are getting costlier comes down to provide. The variety of obtainable turkeys has shrunk in recent times amid barely weakened demand and avian flu outbreaks, in keeping with USDA information. 

Greater than 3 million turkeys have been impacted by chook flu outbreaks this 12 months, together with over half one million this month alone, USDA information exhibits.

That interprets to much less turkeys: USDA forecasts that farmers raised round 195 million turkeys in 2025 in contrast with 200 million in 2024, a 3% lower. To make certain, the variety of turkeys in provide has been sliding over the past decade. In 2016, farmers raised round 245 million turkeys, roughly 50 million greater than immediately’s provide.

Offers abound

Amid the rise in wholesale turkey costs, a number of corporations are floating offers in an try to win over budget-conscious clients. 

Walmart introduced Tuesday that it’s providing Butterball turkeys for $0.97 per pound this 12 months. The retailer additionally mentioned its 10-person meal deal will price underneath $4 per particular person. Grocery chain Aldi has supplied an identical deal, at $40 for 10 individuals.

“Retailers usually use turkeys as a loss chief,” David Ortega, a professor and meals economist at Michigan State College, advised CBS Information. “That’s, they worth them very competitively — generally even under price — to attract consumers into shops forward of Thanksgiving.”

Each offers characterize a lower within the common price for a Thanksgiving meal from 2024, which was $58 for 10 individuals, in keeping with a report from the American Farm Bureau Federation. Frozen turkeys that 12 months accounted for a big share of People’ vacation grocery invoice, at a mean retail price of $25 for a 16-pound chook.

Regardless of the surge in wholesale turkey costs in 2025, Bernt Nelson, an economist on the American Farm Bureau Federation  does not count on shopper costs to extend a lot. 

“We see that uptick proper now within the wholesale worth by about 40%, so we’ll positively see some worth will increase there, however I do not assume they are going to go a complete lot larger above the place they’re at,” he mentioned on a Farm Bureau podcast. 

“Greater wholesale costs for turkeys are prone to translate into considerably larger costs on the grocery retailer, however the improve customers see will most likely be smaller than what’s taking place upstream,” Ortega defined. 

In different welcome information for consumers, CBS Information’ worth tracker exhibits that costs for Thanksgiving dinner substances like butter, milk and potatoes have not budged a lot in contrast with costs the identical time final 12 months. 

Edited by

Anne Marie D. Lee