Bidenflation: Thanksgiving Dinner Costs Hit Record High, Up 14% From Last Year

This year’s Thanksgiving dinner will be the most expensive on record.

The average cost of a classic Thanksgiving feast for 10 rose to $53.31, 14 percent higher than last year’s $46.90, according to the Farm Bureau.

This is the highest cost in the 36 years of Farm Bureau surveys. The average cost in 2019, before the pandemic struck, was $48.91.

In the five years before the pandemic struck, the average cost of Thanksgiving tended to fall year to year, although it rose by a penny in 2019 compared with 2018. As a result, the cost of a Thanksgiving meal for 10 was lower than it had been in 2011, when the Farm Bureau said the average price was $49.20.

That error of falling Thanksgiving expenses came to an abrupt halt thanks to the inflationary fiscal policies of President Joe Biden’s administration.

The price of turkey is a huge driver of this year’s Thanksgiving inflation. Absent turkey, however, the average cost is still up 6 percent, according to the Farm Bureau.

Here are the components of the traditional meal measured by the Farm Bureau, alongside their prices and price changes.

• 16-pound turkey: $23.99 or approximately $1.50 per pound (up 24%)
• 2 frozen pie crusts: $2.91 (up 20%)
• 30-ounce can of pumpkin pie mix: $3.64 (up 7%)
• Half pint of whipping cream: $1.78 (up 2%)
• 1 dozen dinner rolls: $3.05 (up 15%)
• 12-ounce bag of fresh cranberries: $2.98 (up 11%)
• 1 gallon of whole milk: $3.30 (up 7%)
• 1 pound of frozen peas: $1.54 (up 6%)
• 3 pounds of sweet potatoes: $3.56 (up 4%)
• 1-pound veggie tray (carrots & celery): 82 cents (up 12%)
• Misc. ingredients to prepare the meal: $3.45 (up 12%)
• 14-ounce bag of cubed stuffing mix: $2.29 (down 19%)

This year’s national average cost was calculated using over 2000 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 purchase deals.