Americans can continue to expect high prices for eggs this year, new estimates show, due to the ongoing avian flu outbreak and inflation.
The US Department of Agriculture’s price outlook predicts that egg prices are likely to rise by around 20% in 2025, significantly higher than the anticipated 2.2% increase for food prices in general. This surge is attributed to the impact of an aggressive strain of avian flu on egg production, unlike other grocery items such as beef, coffee, and orange juice.
Despite some states avoiding outbreaks last year, many are now experiencing a resurgence of the virus. The avian flu resulted in the loss of approximately 17.2 million egg-laying hens in November and December, which accounts for almost half of the total bird casualties in 2024, according to the USDA reports.
In December, the average price for a dozen large, grade-A eggs rose to $4.15 from $3.65 in November, as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Additionally, the Consumer Price Index highlighted a more than 36% year-over-year increase in egg prices for December, adding to the challenges faced by consumers.
“Not to be the bearer of bad news, but we’re in this for a while,” said Emily Metz, president and CEO of the American Egg Board. “Until we have time without a detection, unfortunately this very, very tight egg supply is going to continue.”
The industry has seen more than 20 consecutive months of record-high demand, according to Metz. The demand, which increased due to the holidays, contributes to therising cost of eggs.
Some grocers have put limits on how many eggs a shopper can buy on one trip. The USDA said in its egg markets overview that it’s an effort to stretch their supply because, as Metz described, “people start to panic buy eggs.”
“People recognize the value in eggs, even with a slightly elevated price, and are also finding that eggs are indispensable to their daily lives,” said Metz.
As long as the avian flu persists, so will high prices. There are outbreaks in California, Indiana, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio, the USDA said. About 8.3 million birds have died in Januarybecause of those outbreaks, according to the USDA.
Manufacturers and egg wholesalers have also drastically increased their prices in recent months. In New York, the wholesale price of large-carton eggs rose to $7.24 per dozen, while in the Midwest it increased to $6.84. In California, large eggs declined to $8.35 per dozen.
That’s costing grocers, who are holding prices at record or near-record highs, the USDA said. Avian flu outbreaks have spread to farms where birds are raised to lay eggs, hurting the population of young birds needed to offset the loss of egg-laying hens.
