Thanksgiving is over, the leftovers are packed away, and the holiday season is officially underway, but before shoppers dive into Black Friday and Cyber Monday, here’s how much Thanksgiving dinners cost per state.
The national average meal price was $80.22 for 12 people this year, according to a report by the Center of Food Demand Analysis & Sustainability from the Department of Agricultural Economics at Purdue University.
The cost of a 12-person meal was based on a whole turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, sweet potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, dinner rolls and an apple pie with whipped cream.
Hawaii was the most expensive state for Thanksgiving dinner this year, costing a group of 12 people $96.77. Alaska was the second most expensive at $89.30. Dinner in both states was about 12% higher than the national average.
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Back on the mainland, Purdue University found that Maryland and Nebraska were the most expensive states for Thanksgiving dinner this year, at $85.45 and $85.01, respectively.
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The next most expensive states were California, South Dakota, Virginia, New York, Wisconsin and Oregon.
While prices were expected to drop closer to Thanksgiving, turkey was projected to come with a higher price tag this year. The national average for a 16-pound turkey was $33.63.
And those who shop organic were expected to pay 50% more for an organic turkey, compared to a non-organic turkey. The national average for an organic turkey was $50.63 or $3.16 per pound.
Meanwhile, 12 bread rolls were slated to cost $2.36, while one pound of butter was expected to cost $4.05, with $9.95 per five pounds of potatoes, $7.33 for two pounds of green beans, $2.52 per 12 ounces of cranberries and $4.11 for two pounds of apple pie.
The most affordable states for Thanksgiving dinner this year were Georgia, Kansas, Missouri, Alabama and South Carolina, followed by Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Montana and Florida.
Dinner in Georgia and Kansas was about 12% lower than the national average.
Nationally, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.3% in September this year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ October report, which was up 3% from the past 12 months.
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Meanwhile, the food index increased 3.1% from September 2024 to 2025. And as Americans hit the road around the holidays, the gasoline index was up 4.1% in September.
The longest government shutdown in history delayed the October inflation report. The Labor Department was scheduled to release the October consumer price index (CPI) on Nov. 13, but the report had been delayed, and as of then it was uncertain if or when the report would be released.
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