(The Center Square) — The cost of a Thanksgiving meal for 10 in Virginia is down from last year’s record high of $66.88 to an average of $58.41, or $5.84 per person.
Thanksgiving dinner prices in the commonwealth lagged the nation some; while prices peaked nationally in 2022 at $64.05, prices didn’t peak in Virginia until 2023. This year, Virginia prices still exceed the national average of $58.08, but by less than 50 cents. But neither the commonwealth nor the nation have returned to pre-pandemic prices.
“Despite the encouraging momentum, a Thanksgiving meal is still 19% higher (nationally) than it was in 2019, which highlights the impact inflation has on food prices – and farmers’ costs – since the pandemic,” according to a press release from the American Farm Bureau Federation.
The decrease in the cost of turkey played a role in reducing the overall cost of dinner nationally, but it played an ever bigger part in Virginia. This year, Virginians could buy a 16-pound turkey for an average of $26.92, or $1.68 per pound – down 23% from last year’s $34.88, or $2.18 per pound. Nationally, turkeys went for about 6% less.
Most items cost less this year than in 2023, but that may have less to do with the items themselves and more with how they get to grocery store shelves.
“The big story is that [Consumer Price Index] data shows energy commodities like transportation are down 12.4% year over year, which is likely a significant factor in this year’s lower Thanksgiving food costs,” said Elijah Griles, video content creator for the Virginia Farm Bureau.
The lower prices are a “solid reflection of the overall economy,” said Bernt Nelson, an economist for the federation, in a statement – an indication that inflation has “slowed, but it’s not gone,” according to the release.
A few other aspects of Thanksgiving economics have also shifted since last year.
Last year, the Virginia locality with “the highest average cost for a traditional Thanksgiving meal was Powhatan County at $124.84.” Richmond had the lowest average cost at $57.93. This year, the highest prices on average were found in Essex County, with a Thanksgiving meal for 10 coming in at $121.55. Pittsylvania County boasted the lowest prices, at $57.29.
Also, the same Thanksgiving dinner was most affordable in the Midwest last year, then in the South, West, and Northeast. This year, the South became the best place to purchase an affordable Thanksgiving dinner at $56.81, followed by the Northeast at $57.36, the Midwest at $58.90 and “a significant jump in the West at $67.05.”
