Inflation is hitting Thanksgiving dinner tables hard this year with turkey prices reaching record highs in many states. And if you're the chef in charge of preparing the spread, the sticker shock just might put you into cardiac arrest before the mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie get the chance to.
In addition to an overall rise in food prices, an outbreak of bird flu has helped to elevate the price of the holiday's main attraction. And though average prices in some states remain cheap, prices in others have soared to such heights we're betting residents are hunting for alternatives.
Don’t mind Donald, he’s just screaming about turkey prices! pic.twitter.com/zsdUCZyBKg
— Jimmy Kimmel Live (@JimmyKimmelLive) November 22, 2022
The nationwide average for a 15-pound Thanksgiving turkey is $34.15, according Finance Buzz, but depending on where you live, you can find one for less than $30 or upward of $50.
Cheapest states to buy a turkey:
- Mississippi: $26.35
- Texas: $28.30
- Utah: $28.30
- Iowa: $29.10
- Florida: $29.80
- Arizona: $29.85
- Louisiana: $29.85
- Nebraska: $30.85
- Oklahoma: $31.20
- New Mexico: $31.35
Most expensive states to buy a turkey:
- Hawaii: $50.35
- Alaska: $49.85
- South Carolina: $38.85
- Idaho: $37.85
- California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Washington, and Georgia tied for the fifth-highest average turkey prices at $37.35.
Gallery: 25 Best Thanksgiving Buys at Costco
Though 49 states have established flocks, turkeys aren't native to Alaska, which likely contributes to the high cost of the birds in that state. It along with Hawaii — the two noncontiguous U.S. states — are home to the priciest poultry. Meanwhile, Mississippi, a state known for its low cost of living, is slingin' gobblers at the grocery store for $7 cheaper than the national average.
