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Price of Thanksgiving dinner soars 26%, NY Farm Bureau finds
By
Gwynne Hogan
Published Nov 22, 2022
Modified Nov 22, 2022
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By
Gwynne Hogan
Published Nov 22, 2022
Modified Nov 22, 2022
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An average Thanksgiving feast that serves 10 people will cost about $66 in New York this year – up $14 compared to one year ago and the largest jump in more than three decades, according to the state’s Farm Bureau.
The price of an average 16-pound turkey surged to $30, compared to about $23 in 2021, the New York Farm Bureau found. Other Thanksgiving staples, from frozen peas and pumpkin pie mix, to sweet potatoes and fresh cranberries saw similar increases, according to the bureau, which sends volunteer shoppers to supermarkets across the state each year ahead of the holiday.
Some New York City shoppers were pained by the surging prices as they hit the supermarkets Wednesday ahead of Thanksgiving.
“The prices are too high, so for us we have to budget it,” said Maria Rivera, 81, who was shopping with her granddaughter in the East Village.
The family usually buys a small turkey, but this year they were settling for chicken instead. Rivera said they were still determined to make the best of the situation.
“You know, be with the family, and enjoy what we have.”
Another shopper, Carolyn Blackett, 60, said she, too, was curbing her spending this year.
“I’m not gonna make that many sweet potato pies, just a few,” she said. “Before I used to make [them] for all the neighbors, can’t do that this year. This year we just gonna have to cut down.”
Nationwide, the cost of a Thanksgiving meal was up 20%, an increase of about $11, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.
Still, New Yorkers are feeling the pinch, paying about $2.34 more on average for their Thanksgiving fare than the rest of the country.
“New Yorkers continue to face challenges at the grocery store,” said Darleen Krisher-Meehan, with the New York Farm Bureau. “But the supply of food remains strong in this country thanks to our farmers and farmworkers who continue to produce amidst their own price and labor challenges.”
The state’s farm bureau said that costs were driven up by several factors, including increased transportation costs and the war in Ukraine’s impact on commodity prices.
The uptick in meal costs comes as the nation faces some of the highest inflation rates in decades.
The national consumer price index, an indicator of inflation rates, peaked in June above 9%. However, there are some indications that inflation is slowing down, with slightly lower rates in October.
While many New Yorkers may be forced to pinch pennies ahead of Thanksgiving dinner, there’s one kind of inflation we can all get behind.
Gwynne Hogan
Gwynne Hogan is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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