Map: Where America's eggs come from
WASHINGTON - Egg prices continue to wreak havoc on consumers.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the latest numbers show wholesale prices for graded loose eggs remained steady but began to weaken as demand decreased.
The department said outbreaks of bird flu have slowed, giving some unaffected producers a chance to make up for the recent egg shortage.
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The average price of a dozen Grade A eggs in U.S. cities reached $4.95 in January, eclipsing the previous record of $4.82 set two years earlier and more than double the low of $2.04 that was recorded in August 2023.
Where do America's eggs come from?
By the numbers:
According to the USDA, Iowa, Ohio and Indiana were the top producers of the country's eggs in 2024. Iowa produced nearly 13,44 billion eggs. Ohio produced 12.35 billion, and Indiana produced 10.7 billion.
What’s behind the record egg prices?
Dig deeper:
The industry, and most experts, squarely blame bird flu. More than 166 million birds have been slaughtered to contain the virus. Some 30 million egg layers have been wiped out just since January, significantly disrupting egg supplies. The Department of Agriculture’s longstanding policy has been to kill entire flocks anytime the virus is found on a farm.
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As a result, the number of egg layers has dropped nationwide by about 12% from before the outbreak to 292 million birds, according to a Feb. 1 USDA estimate, but another 11 million egg layers have been killed since then, so it’s likely worse. When prices spiked to $4.82 two years ago and prompted initial calls for price gouging probes, the flock was above 300 million.
Egg prices could jump 41% this year, USDA says
The U.S. Agriculture Department predicts record egg prices could soar more than 40% in 2025, as the Trump administration offered its plan to battle bird flu and ease costs.
RELATED: Egg prices will climb even more this year, USDA says: See the data
A dozen eggs are seen in a carton on February 10, 2025 in Monterey Park, California. A resurgence of avian flu, which first struck the United States in 2022, is hitting chicken farms hard, sending egg prices soaring and rattling consumers accustomed
The plan calls for $500 million investment to help farmers bolster biosecurity measures, $400 million in additional aid for farmers whose flocks have been impacted by avian flu, $100 million to research and potentially develop vaccines and therapeutics for U.S. chicken flocks and explore rolling back what the administration sees as restrictive animal welfare rules in some states like California’s cage-free requirement approved by voters.
The Source: The Associated Prss contributed to this report. The information in this story comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and other sources such as industry experts and reports.