Yet another bird flu outbreak has hit poultry flocks nationwide, increasing the price of eggs once again. It's hard to say it comes as a shock; higher egg prices and egg shortages have made headlines countless times since 2022, when the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) hit the U.S. hard.
The USDA released its most recent egg market news report on Jan 7, 2025, and it shows that the increased prices of shelled eggs, which began skyrocketing in December of 2024, have yet to come down in the new year.
As you may recall, there were multiple egg shortages or price increases in 2023 and 2024. This news always serves as a reminder that the egg industry is fragile (no pun intended). It also reminds us that eggs are typically more expensive in seasons where they are in high demand, like around Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter.
Despite the most recent surge in egg prices beginning in the holiday season, the reasons for increases extend far beyond the time of the year. We chatted with egg experts to sort out why the price of eggs is so high, why the price of eggs fluctuates and what you can do as a shopper to save money on eggs.
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The USDA’s 2024 Food Price Outlook revealed that retail egg prices were 37.5% higher in November of 2024 than in the same month of the previous year. And a December 2024 outbreak of avian flu drove the price even higher.
Egg prices also tend to fluctuate by location. With the current HIPAI outbreak, the average price of a dozen eggs in California is $8.97, compared to $6.06 in New York and $5.75 in the Midwest.
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What Affects Egg Prices?
Metz explains that while market conditions drive egg prices, “it’s important to know that egg farmers do not set the price for their eggs; eggs are sold as commodities and wholesale egg prices are set by the market based on supply and demand. Egg farmers are price takers, not price makers. While egg farmers don’t set the prices for their eggs, they take great care to produce the 92 billion eggs Americans eat every year as efficiently and economically as they can.”
While supply and demand impact egg prices the most, there's also a hefty cost to produce them.
Lisa Steele, a fifth-generation chicken keeper, blogger, cookbook author and television host notes that states such as Michigan, California and Washington “have instituted (or will be putting in place) cage-free stipulations, which is requiring the egg farms to give each bird more room, which also of course drives up their costs.” There’s also an increase in gas, labor, packaging and chicken feed.
Another factor could be consumers’ move to vegetarian diets. Steele says that, “the increased interest in vegetarian diets, or those trying to limit the red meat, has also put a higher demand on the egg market, coupled with rising prices for beef and chicken, more people are turning to eggs as a more affordable protein source.”
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So what can you expect for the rest of the year? It's hard to say. Every time there's a notable outbreak, the industry has to recover from the chickens lost. "Since a hen doesn't start laying until she's about 5 months old, it will take those farms a long time to replace those laying birds," says Steele. The USDA's production reports are forecasted downward for 2025, meaning that they predict it could take a bit to recover from the recent damage to the nation's flocks.
According to Emily Metz, president and CEO of the American Egg Board, “eggs are a spring essential—especially for Easter and Passover—and Easter is one of the strongest sales seasons of the year for eggs, so demand is really high. In fact, Americans consume nearly 3 billion eggs every Easter season.” Hopefully we see some relief in the months leading up to spring so that any price increase doesn't hurt quite as badly.
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Tips to Save Money on Eggs
To combat egg price increases now and in the future, you can save money on eggs in a number of ways:
Swap your protein sourceSave with egg couponsFind a good deal and freeze eggsShop store brands (Aldi fans are often posting about egg deals on Reddit)Watch for salesSources:
Emily Metz, President & CEO of the American Egg BoardLisa Steele, 5th generation chicken keeper, founder of the Fresh Eggs Daily blog, author of The Fresh Eggs Daily Cookbook, and host of “Welcome to My Farm” on CreateTV and American Public TelevisionUSDA.gov, Egg Market News ReportUSDA.gov, Food Price Outlook 2024-2025USDA.gov, Egg Markets OverviewUp next: The Best Way to Make Smooth, Fluffy, Never-Ever Lumpy Deviled Egg Filling
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