The price of a Thanksgiving turkey is certainly not what it used to be.
According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the price of what the government calls “other uncooked poultry including turkey” in the United States has gone up 23 percent from October 2020 — the last Thanksgiving season of President-elect Donald Trump’s first term — to October 2024, about four years into the Biden-Harris administration.
This coincides with the reality that most Americans, 67 percent, expect a turkey to be at their Thanksgiving table.
Americans may feel slightly less sticker shock when they buy ham, which has risen 18 percent since October 2020, per Consumer Price Index (CPI) data.
Other Thanksgiving staples are also costing more under the Biden-Harris administration. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the price of potatoes decreased 1.5 percent from October 2023 to October 2024. However, this still reflects an overall 11-percent increase since October 2020, per the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
More via the Bureau of Labor Statistics:
As we wait for the turkey to cook, how about a charcuterie board made up of fresh fruit and cheese? Prices for fresh fruits increased 2.2 percent for the 12 months ending in October 2024, while prices for cheese and related products increased 0.6 percent. In the prior year, fresh fruits prices were up 1.8 percent and cheese and related products prices were down 1.9 percent.
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Let’s not count calories. Add a roll (or two) to the plate. Prices for fresh biscuits, rolls, and muffins were up 2.3 percent over the year. Costs for these fluffy meal companions rose 5.7 percent from October 2022 to October 2023.
For those that wash their meal down with some wine, prices for wine at home were 0.3 percent higher in October 2024 than in October 2023 after increasing 1.1 percent in the previous year.
This reality comes as 37 percent of Americans admit that they expect their Thanksgiving plans to be affected by price increases, per an Economist/YouGov survey.
That survey showed 61 percent disapproving of Joe Biden’s handling of inflation and prices.
Throughout her short-lived presidential campaign, Vice President Kamala Harris failed to take ownership for skyrocketing inflation under the Biden-Harris administration, including her role in ensuring that the inflationary $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan passed. Rather, she refused to go into details, instead offering Soviet-style price controls.