Thanksgiving dinner is less expensive this year, but the small decline doesn't make up for 2022's dramatic increases

Serving up this year's Thanksgiving dinner will cost 5% less than it did in 2023. The average price of this year's turkey dinner with all the trimmings rings in at $58.08, compared to 2023's, $61.17, and 2022's painful $64.05. And while the decrease is welcomed news, this year's Thanksgiving meal is still 19% higher than it was in 2019, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation's 39th annual survey.

To tally this year's Thanksgiving dinner costs, the AFBF sent out volunteer shoppers who checked prices Nov. 1-7, which is notably before most grocery store chains began featuring deep discounts on whole frozen turkeys. U.S. turkey prices declined in 2024, with the average price for a 16-pound turkey at $25.67 or $1.60 per pound, down 6% from 2023.

Several other ingredient prices declined, including the cost of whole milk, which dropped more than 14%, and the price of fresh vegetables decreased by 6.4%. Those decreases helped offset the price hikes on dinner rolls and stuffing cubes, which increased by around 8%.

Individual Prices:

• 16-pound turkey: $25.67 or $1.60 per pound (down 6.1%)
• 14 ounces of cubed stuffing mix: $4.08 (up 8.2%)
• 2 frozen pie crusts: $3.40 (down 2.9%)
• Half pint of whipping cream: $1.81 (up 4.7%)
• 1 pound of frozen peas: $1.73 (down 8.1%)
• 1 dozen dinner rolls: $4.16 (up 8.4%)
• Misc. ingredients to prepare the meal: $3.75 (down 5.1%)
• 30-ounce can of pumpkin pie mix: $4.15 (down 6.5%)
• 1 gallon of whole milk: $3.21 (down 14.3%)
• 3 pounds of sweet potatoes: $2.93 (down 26.2%)
• 1-pound veggie tray (carrots & celery): $.84 (down 6.4%)
• 12-ounce bag of fresh cranberries: $2.35 (up 11.8%)