Here’s how much Thanksgiving turkeys are going to cost in 2023

The holiday season is officially upon us, which means Thanksgiving is right around the corner.

And when it comes to family gatherings for the holidays, it’s smart to start preparing early - especially when it comes to turkey.

Last year, turkey prices soared, forcing many shoppers to buy rather expensive meals for their parties.

In 2022, a 16-pound turkey cost about $28.96, almost $5 or 21 percent more than the average cost in 2021 and $9.57 more than in 2020, according to the American Farm Bureau’s annual Thanksgiving dinner survey.

Andrew Stevens, a professor of Agricultural and Applied Economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told Daily Express US what we can expect from turkey prices this year, and it might be good news.

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Stevens said: “Wholesale prices for frozen whole turkeys are about 25 percent lower now than they were this time last year.”

He explained that high turkey prices last year were driven by large outbreaks of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), or "bird flu."

Stevens added: “This means consumers can expect to pay less for their Thanksgiving turkey in 2023 than they did last year.”

However, Stevens said that overall prices for food at home in the US are higher this year than they were last year, according to data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Historically, food prices rise at a rate of about 2.5 percent on average. This year, they are projected to rise 5.1 percent. Last year, in 2022, they rose 11.4 percent.

Stevens added that prices this year will vary across the country.

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