Egg prices keep going up. Here’s the average cost for a dozen across the U.S.

Eggs are becoming harder to source across the country as farmers are forced to kill off millions of birds due to an avian flu outbreak. The average price of one dozen eggs hit a record high in January, costing a whopping $4.95 and hitting Americans’ wallets every time they go to the grocery store. Egg prices have become a de facto measure for inflation that has left a mark on the country for the last several years. However, there is more than inflation driving the egg increase. The ongoing bird flu has led to the slaughter of millions of chickens to contain the spread. That has dwindled the supply and increased the price.

Bad news is the hikes show no sign of slowing down. Here is the latest on egg prices and what people are finding in their local grocery stores:. Nationwide, the average cost of a dozen Grade A eggs was $4.95 in January 2025 – that’s a 15 percent increase from prices in December 2024. Eggs have dramatically fluctuated in price over the last four years due to the avian flu outbreak and inflation. Many Republicans blamed former president Joe Biden for driving up and the cost of eggs with policies that hurt inflation. While the price of eggs peaked during Biden’s presidency in January 2023, by the end of the Biden administration, the cost of eggs was $3.65.

President Donald Trump ran on a campaign highlighting the cost of eggs and promising to bring prices down. So far, that hasn’t happened. Five years ago, in 2020 during Trump’s first term, a carton of one dozen eggs averaged $1.50. While the average cost of one dozen eggs has risen, some states with stricter regulations, such as California, or states with more impacted flocks, such as in Ohio, are seeing a dramatic price difference.

In California, where shell eggs are required to be sold cage-free, a carton of two dozen eggs goes for $13.49 or $.74 per egg. A carton of one dozen eggs in Michigan, which also requires shell eggs to be sold cage-free, goes for $10 in some stores. Most people don’t need numbers to tell them eggs have become more expensive, across the country, egg consumers have shared the sky-high prices on social media.

“Forget about the national average. Absolutely ridiculous!!” Witter wrote. Emily Taversa lives in Indiana and joked about the high cost of eggs in a Facebook post. “Should I save money for another cruise? Or go to the store and buy eggs? The cost is about the same, and the cruise includes eggs,” she noted. Fellow Facebook user Toshia Cordes lives in Florida and noted the high cost of a dozen eggs. ‘$6 for a dozen eggs at my store, what in the absolute world is this world coming too!” she stated.

“Barely a cost difference between them and the bougie eggs,” Mew wrote on X. “What gives???”. Egg prices are rising due to a shortage of egg-laying hens across the country – attributable to the contagious avian flu going around. Per U.S. Department of Agriculture protocol, each time avian flu is detected in a flock, the entire flock must be slaughtered to prevent the spread of it to other animals or birds on a farm. This means millions of birds are being killed each day while the demand for eggs remains steady.

In order for eggs to go down in price, farmers need an opportunity to repopulate flocks. This means the number of confirmed bird flu cases must subside or consumers need to pull back on egg purchases. Often, during shortages, consumers will over-purchase a product out of fear they will not be able to access it at a later day. This exasperates shortages. Some supermarkets and local groceries have begun implementing policies that only allow customers to purchase one carton of eggs to prevent hoarding.