Thanksgiving dinner is cheaper than last year, but the West has the most expensive grocery bills
Some of the prices on grocery store shelves may have been on an upward trajectory, but overall, Americans are expected to pay less for their Thanksgiving dinners for the second year in a row.
That’s according to the American Farm Bureau Federation, which has been tracking the cost of Thanksgiving classics for the last 39 years. This year, a meal for 10 will cost about $58.08, the survey found, down about 5% from 2023. However, that’s still 19% higher than pre-pandemic prices.
But Western states will have a bill 14% more expensive than the rest of the country, the federation wrote. Out West, a classic dinner for 10 people will be around $67.05 this Thanksgiving. The holiday meal is expected to be the cheapest in the South at about $56.81, followed by the Northeast at $57.36 and the Midwest at $58.90.
In the country’s West, food prices in grocery and convenience stores are likely to increase about 2.5% this year compared to 2023 levels, according to Dave Davis, president and CEO of the Utah Food Industry. But, food inflation, not including restaurants, he said, is trending in a good direction.
https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2024/11/27/thanksgiving-dinner-is-cheaper-than-last-year-but-the-west-has-the-most-expensive-grocery-bills/