Every year, a survey is released detailing the average cost of Thanksgiving dinner for American families. Volunteers across the country visit their local grocery stores to assess the prices of the common staples found in a “typical Thanksgiving feast,” for 10 people. For 39 years, these shoppers have collected data on the average cost of foods like turkey, vegetables, pumpkin pie, and all other accompanying Turkey Day necessities.
The survey serves a number of purposes. It can be used to financially prepare families ahead of time for their holiday celebrations, or simply offer a glimpse into the fluctuations of grocery prices across the years. Normally, these shifts are nothing major or impactful. Unfortunately, the past 4 years have been anything but normal, and Americans everywhere are feeling the sting of rampant inflation on their upcoming holiday plans.
In 2019, the Farm Bureau was reporting that the average Thanksgiving dinner for ten remained steadily below the $50 mark at an average of $48.61. Today, Thanksgiving will run shoppers an average total of $58.08. In only 5 short years, Thanksgiving prices have risen by over 19%, and it’s no coincidence that within that same period of time the federal government drastically expanded in both size and spending.
There are regional disparities found in the survey which are worthy of note. The Western United States face their highest prices of all, by far, with an average total of $67.81. Midwesterners are faring significantly better, with Thanksgiving prices sitting at $58.90, and those living in the Northeast will pay roughly $57.36. The Southeastern region, which in this survey encompasses Texas, has the lowest average Thanksgiving dinner cost in the nation, with a price tag of $56.81.
Some relief is found in the fact that the average Thanksgiving meal price has fallen by 5% over the last year. This is largely due to decrease in turkey prices, which has fallen by 6% due to a lack of demand. 2024’s total is also significantly lower than the 2022 all-time-high of $64.05, which was a whole 10% higher than the previous year’s total.
Despite this menial, turkey-related decrease, the fact that prices are still up by almost 20% compared to 2019 is by itself a damning indictment of federal governance over the last four years. While Thanksgiving is only one day out of the year, Americans are dealing with the burdensome effects of inflation every time they visit the grocery store. Additionally, non-food related costs, such as transportation, housing, and energy, continue to rise at unprecedented rates.
The economic turmoil plaguing American families was entirely avoidable, and fully results from government incompetence and fiscal irresponsibility. President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party’s legislative victories over the last four years, such as the so-called Inflation “Reduction” Act and the American Rescue Plan have decimated the spending power of the American dollar. Oppressive regulations have strangled the energy sector, causing prices of all kinds to skyrocket, and mass, unchecked immigration has devalued labor across the country.
Thankfully, Americans overwhelmingly rejected the policies of the Biden/Harris Administration on November 5th, and President-elect Donald Trump may be able to return the United States to the more prosperous days of his first term. This aspiration, of course, can only be achieved through a prudent approach to fiscal policy and with taxpayers holding their elected officials accountable on every vote, every regulation, and every dollar spent.
Texans for Fiscal Responsibility relies on the support of private donors across the Lone Star State in order to promote fiscal responsibility and pro-taxpayer government in Texas. Please consider supporting our efforts! Thank you!
Get The Fiscal Note, our free weekly roll-up on all the current events that could impact your wallet. Subscribe today!
