Average cost for Thanksgiving dinner down about $3

White House photo: President Joe Biden on Monday pardoned two turkeys in a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House. He was joined in the annual ceremony by John Zimmerman, chairman of the National Turkey Federation, and his son Grant.

The average cost for a Thanksgiving dinner for 10 has declined from $61.17 a year ago to $58.08, the American Farm Bureau Federation reported in its annual Thanksgiving dinner survey. In 2022, the cost was an average of $64.05.

The cost for this year is still up significantly from the $53.31 average in 2021. The cost jumped nearly $12 from 2021 to 2022, but has been coming down since then.

“Two years of declines don’t erase dramatic increases that led to a record high cost of $64.06 in 2022,” American Farm Bureau stated in a news release. “Despite the encouraging momentum, a Thanksgiving meal is still 19% higher than it was in 2019, which highlights the impact inflation has had on food prices – and farmers’ costs – since the pandemic.”

The average price for a 16-pound turkey is $25.67, which $1.60 per pound, down 6% from last year, the organization reported.

Farm Bureau volunteer shoppers checked prices Nov. 1-7, before most grocery store chains began featuring whole frozen turkeys at sharply lower prices. This year’s national average cost was calculated using surveys completed with pricing data from all 50 states and Puerto Rico.

Farm Bureau volunteer shoppers checked prices in person and online using grocery store apps and websites. They looked for the best possible prices without taking advantage of special promotional coupons or combined purchase deals, American Farm Bureau stated.

The Thanksgiving dinner survey was first conducted by American Farm Bureau in 1986.

Individual Prices

• 16-pound turkey: $25.67 or $1.60 per pound (down 6.1%)
• 14-ounces of cubed stuffing mix: $4.08 (up 8.2%)
• 2 frozen pie crusts: $3.40 (down 2.9%)
• Half pint of whipping cream: $1.81 (up 4.7%)
• 1 pound of frozen peas: $1.73 (down 8.1%)
• 1 dozen dinner rolls: $4.16 (up 8.4%)
• Misc. ingredients to prepare the meal: $3.75 (down 5.1%)
• 30-ounce can of pumpkin pie mix: $4.15 (down 6.5%)
• 1 gallon of whole milk: $3.21 (down 14.3%)
• 3 pounds of sweet potatoes: $2.93 (down 26.2%)
• 1-pound veggie tray (carrots & celery): $.84 (down 6.4%)
• 12-ounce bag of fresh cranberries: $2.35 (up 11.8%)