By No wonder American consumers are feeling shell shock.
The average price for a dozen eggs in the U.S. has jumped 50% in the past year and the cost increase appears to have accelerated since November, the same month Donald Trump was elected president, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In the week ending Jan. 18, a dozen yolks cost $5.29, a steep climb from February 2024 when the price was a little over $3.50 a dozen, data compiled by the NIQ consumer research group shows.
In November, the price of a dozen eggs edged-up to $3.65, and December the price rose again to $4.15, the BLS figures showed.
The chief reason for the price spike, economists and market analysts have said, is the highly-infectious bird flu that has cut like a scythe through the chicken population and reduced egg supplies, along with strong consumer demand for eggs that is typical during the winter holiday season.
More than 13 million hens have been lost or slaughtered since December 2024 as a result of the bird flu outbreak, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s latest Egg Markets Overview.
