• Egg prices have soared in the U.S. due to an outbreak of bird flu, which has impacted poultry flocks and led to supply shortages.
• Grocery store prices for eggs vary across the country, with California cities experiencing some of the highest prices.
• Trader Joe’s consistently offered the lowest egg prices among major grocery chains surveyed.

Egg prices have left U.S. consumers scrambling and shell-shocked this year, contending with all-time high costs and supply shortages. Wholesale prices appear to have been coming down recently, though it’s unclear whether consumers are feeling relief.

This spike in prices has largely been a result of the spread of bird flu, which has caused major losses among the egg-laying stock in the U.S. H5N1, the predominant outbreak strain of the highly pathogenic avian influenza, or bird flu, emerged among poultry flocks and wild birds in Europe in the fall of 2020 before moving to the U.S., Africa, the Middle East and Asia. It has become the largest-ever such outbreak in the U.S.

As of March 25, the virus had hit more than 168 million poultry across 51 U.S. states since January 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Infected birds are being culled nationwide, sometimes numbering in the millions at a single location.

With huge flocks at commercial facilities and farms being killed or declared infected, the very source of eggs, a grocery staple, is under strain, driving supply down and, in turn, prices up.

Why has so much anxiety proliferated around a simple commodity? It is often viewed as one of the staples that serve as a marker for grocery prices overall. If bread, milk, eggs or beef are up, your overall shopping bill likely is as well. It is also one of the food items tracked regularly by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

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With the constant barrage of stories about eggflation, it can be hard to keep up or know where to shop. Worry not − we had a team of USA TODAY reporters survey egg prices at five major grocery chains from across the country. Here’s what they found.

How have egg prices changed in the past 10 years?

Egg prices have experienced some volatility in the past decade, with a sizable spike coming in January 2023, also thanks to an outbreak of avian influenza. After reaching a peak of $4.82, prices plummeted to a more “normal” rate of $2.04 by August.

In March 2004, Grade A large eggs averaged just $1.13 a dozen. In March 2025, prices have been dynamic, starting around $6.85 a dozen on average in the week ending March 6 but dropping as low as $3.27 a dozen by the week ending March 21, according to USDA data.

Whether $6.85 or $3.27, prices have been a far cry from the $1 zone, which was last seen in January 2022.

How have egg prices increased in the past year?

The average price per dozen was $2.99 in February 2024 versus $5.89 in February 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s a nearly 97% increase.

The upward swing began in earnest in October, around the time the outbreak strain of bird flu started widely circulating. The price of a zone then averaged $3.37 before steadily climbing to $4.14 by the end of the year.

How do egg prices compare across the country?

Methodology

To get this snapshot of egg prices, USA TODAY reporters in 16 major metro areas across the U.S. checked their local grocery stores either online or in person during the week ending March 16: Boston; New York City; Jersey City, New Jersey; Pittsburgh; Washington; Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio; Chicago; Indianapolis; Nashville, Tennessee; St. Louis; Houston; Tucson, Arizona; and San Francisco, Los Angeles and Anaheim, California.

The team surveyed five grocery store chains and stuck to generic brands, regular, large, grade A for one dozen eggs (except for Trader Joe’s, which offers only “pasture-raised” eggs). These stores and brands include Walmart (Great Value brand), Target (Good and Gather brand), Aldi (Goldenhen brand), Kroger and its family of stores (Kroger or subsidiary brands), and Trader Joe’s (Trader Joe’s brand).

Pricing highs and lows from coast to coast

Major California metro areas, including Los Angeles, San Francisco and Anaheim, consistently topped the list when it came to prices. Besides being some of the highest cost-of-living locales in the U.S., these metro areas are probably affected by California Proposition 12, also called the Farm Animal Confinement Initiative, which places restrictions on how hens can be kept and therefore limits how many eggs can be produced and how quickly.

The New York City metro area also ranked high on the list, which probably does not surprise locals who have long battled a skyrocketing cost of living in the city.

The highest price in the USA TODAY survey was $13.39 a dozen at Kroger subsidiary Foods Co. in San Francisco. The lowest was $3.49 at Trader Joe’s in Indianapolis.

How do grocery store egg prices compare?

If you’re looking for the lowest prices, the survey says Trader Joe’s is the winner, averaging $4.86 a dozen and boasting consistent prices across all included major metro areas.

Will egg prices drop?

Egg prices have already seen a decline in March, though the outlook for the future is still not exactly stable.

Supply and prices will stabilize only when farms and producers can recover their stock of healthy laying hens. USDA market forecast reports have reflected that by decreasing production predictions for the year.

“No one can predict the future, but bird flu remains an ongoing threat to our egg farms, and egg farmers are working around the clock to protect their birds, replenish supply and keep those eggs coming,” Emily Metz, president and CEO of the American Egg Board, told USA TODAY. On a positive note, she said, farmers have a lot more experience fighting the disease now, which means farms can recover faster.

Illustrations by Veronica Bravo