There are few things as dire for American families as the cost of Thanksgiving dinner (thanks). It is probably the most important holiday in the country, when millions of people travel to share a table with their loved ones. On this occasion, the celebration is marked by the cost of living crisis, which has led the White House to take extraordinary measures to try to reduce the shopping cart. This year, Thanksgiving dinner will cost 5% less, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), an agricultural insurance company that has been compiling statistics for 40 years.
“Although this is the third consecutive annual decline, consumers have not fully recovered from the sharp increases that pushed classic dining to a record high in 2022,” says Faith Parum, an economist who prepared the report for the agricultural organization.
Parum estimates that this year’s traditional dinner for 10, which includes 12 ingredients such as turkey, peas, cranberries, rolls, whipped cream, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie, among others, will cost about $55.18, or $5.52 per person. This is the cheapest Thanksgiving dinner since 2021, just before the inflationary crisis sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine erupted. That year, American families could host a traditional dinner for $53.31.
“Despite modest decreases in the cost of the Thanksgiving meal, I know that food prices are a real concern for many families, even in rural America,” said AFBF President Zippy Duvall.
There are other calculations on the cost of the Thanksgiving menu. Wells Fargo’s fell between 2% and 3%, depending on the shopper’s strategy, according to Michael Swanson, the financial institution’s chief agricultural economist, who estimates that families will pay between $80 and $95 depending on whether they buy private-label products at supermarkets. “It is fascinating to explore this difference and why it occurs. The key to the increase in shopping carts is primarily proteins, particularly beef and eggs, which are not usually included in Thanksgiving dinner. Without these products, consumers will find relief in a traditional meal,” he adds.
Sprayed by politics
Politics plagued this year’s Thanksgiving dinner due to the cost of living. Debate over affordability has spread across the United States following New York’s mayoral election a month ago, won by socialist Zohran Mamdani. The Democratic candidate has made the cost of living the main focus of his campaign by promising to freeze rents on social housing and affordable schools and supermarkets.
The White House has developed measures to try to regain the initiative. Trump announced tariff reductions on products such as coffee, beef and various fruits and vegetables to make Americans’ shopping carts cheaper. He also promised, without providing many details, a $2,000 check per family and even threatened meat companies with a federal investigation into the prices of their products.
“I just saw that Walmart put out a statement last night, they’ve been doing this for many years, that this year’s Thanksgiving will be 25% cheaper than last year’s Thanksgiving,” Trump said a few days ago. The truth is that economists remembered that Walmart’s shopping cart contained fewer and lower quality products than in previous years.
In any case, dinner will not be the biggest expense for American families on this last Thursday of November. “This Thanksgiving will cost the average American nearly $1,000,” a new study from Talker Research reveals. The most expensive chapter will be travel ($293), followed by gifts ($291) and food ($175).
More expensive companions; turkey, cheaper
Turkey is the most expensive dish at dinner. This year, according to the study by the agricultural association AFBF, a seven-kilo turkey will represent 39% of the total cost of food. This is the lowest percentage of turkeys since 2000. On average over the last 25 years this bird represents 43% of the total. Families have limited turkey from their usual diet and mostly reserve its consumption for this holiday. Declining demand in recent years has made this dish cheaper. Americans consume just six pounds of turkey a year, nearly 3 pounds less than six years ago. A seven-pound turkey will cost an average of $21.50, 16% less than in 2024. In contrast, vegetables and other side dishes have become more expensive, which explains why turkey costs less and less at Thanksgiving.
The agricultural organization estimates that four of the items that make up the dinner have decreased in price this year: turkey, cubed stuffing, fresh cranberries and rolls. However, five ingredients – sweet potatoes, frozen peas, a veggie tray with carrots and celery, whole milk and whipped cream – became more expensive. Traditional pumpkin pie dough and pie crusts haven’t changed much from last year.
Faith Parum explains that AFBF added some new items to the dinner in 2018 such as ham, red potatoes and frozen green beans. If these new ingredients are included in the dinner, the price of the meal rises to $77.09 or the equivalent of $7.71 per person. “The updated Thanksgiving dinner is virtually unchanged from last year (just 28 cents less than in 2024) thanks to the increase in three additional ingredients,” Parum says.
What is the origin of the celebration
Thanksgiving Day commemorates the supposed celebration of the first Pilgrims who came to the United States to thank the friendly Americans who helped them survive the first harsh winter in those lands. The history taught in schools tells that in 1620, the ship Mayflower He arrived from England in Plymouth (Massachusetts) with about a hundred pilgrims. The story goes that a native leader helped the outsiders gather land and weather the harsh continental winter, even as inclement weather wiped out half the settlers. According to the historical version, the following year, the survivors organized a three-day celebration to which they invited some natives. The last Thursday of November is considered the day of the meal of concord.
However, Native communities celebrate the National Day of Mourning, an annual celebration that aims to reclaim true Native history and dispel myths surrounding the history of Thanksgiving in the United States, as well as raise awareness of the struggles faced by Native American tribes.
