USDA: Thanksgiving Dinner Will Cost Iowans Less This Year

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For the second consecutive year, the Thanksgiving feast will cost Iowans less than the year before.

A report finds the average price to feed a family of four a turkey dinner with all the fixings will run a little over 23-dollars, which is down a $.87 from last year.

USDA livestock analyst Shayle Shagum says the biggest drop is in the price of the main course. Shagum says turkey producers recovered well from the bird flu outbreak a few years ago.

However, “It would seem to some extent that the demand has not fully recovered.” He adds, “Frozen, whole turkeys were averaging about 83-cents a pound which is about 29% below a year ago.”

While turkey prices have dropped, the prices for several other traditional items on our tables have gone up. USDA food price analyst Annemarie Kuhns says one popular dish that went up in price is sweet potatoes.