(The Center Square) – Colorado shoppers can expect to pay well above the national average for a typical Thanksgiving meal again this year, according to a survey by a farm industry group.
The survey, conducted by the Colorado Farm Bureau and its parent, the American Farm Bureau Federation, found that a classic Thanksgiving meal for 10 will cost $74.75 in Colorado, compared to $58.08 for the national average.
When the Colorado Farm Bureau conducted the survey in 2022, the cost was $67.14, The Center Square reported at the time. Data was not available in the state for 2023.
State farm bureaus representing states around the country sent volunteer shoppers to grocery stores during the first week of November to record prices for 12 items typical to a Thanksgiving meal.
The $58.08 national average is down 5% from last year, AFBF said.
AFBF cited lower demand for turkeys as a reason for lower prices nationally.
“The turkey is traditionally the main attraction on the Thanksgiving table and is typically the most expensive part of the meal,” AFBF Economist Bernt Nelson said in a statement. “The American turkey flock is the smallest it’s been since 1985 because of avian influenza, but overall demand has also fallen, resulting in lower prices at the grocery store for families planning a holiday meal.”
Colorado’s price tag was also higher than elsewhere in the region. The average cost in Western states was $67.05, the survey found.
The average price for a 16-pound frozen turkey in the state was $31.68, compared to $25.67 nationally. Pumpkin pie mix was $4.59 in Colorado and $4.15 nationally, while frozen pie shells were $9.80 in the state and averaged $3.40 across the country.
