While it is certainly priceless to set aside a day each year to appreciate the many blessings we all share, the cost of our Thanksgiving groceries will likely not be on the list of things for which we are giving thanks, this year.
If you are celebrating Thanksgiving in Miami or Boston, you have more to be thankful for since grocery costs have stayed pretty much the same there. Most other locations across the U.S., however, are not quite so fortunate. To see how your city ranks, read more…
If you are celebrating Thanksgiving in Miami or Boston, you have more to be thankful for this year since your grocery costs have stayed pretty much the same as last year. Most other locations across the U.S., however, are not quite so fortunate.
The Consumer Price Index is published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The CPI-U measures “…the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services.”
CPI-U has information on a variety of specific items. Generally, it is not a good idea to look at a single month, as prices fluctuate throughout the year. Using a multi-month average smooths out outliers. But Thanksgiving leads to many purchases that only happen once a year and so using just the latest month available does make sense in this case.
The price changes below are for “Thanksgiving items” if they were purchased in October of this year versus October of last year. Food, in general, is up significantly, but it is not all bad news. There are pockets of items that are up minimally or even down a tad.
CPI-U has data for a small number of metro areas. The table below looks at the price changes for all food at home in the available markets.
GROCERIES
- U.S. City Average…………………………………………………..5.4%
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA…………………………….. 2.3%
- Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD………………………………. 2.9%
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH…………………………… 0.5%
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI………………………………. 3.9%
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX………………………………….. 6.1%
- Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO……………………………………. 3.5%
- Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI……………………………………… 7.5%
- Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX……………………. 5.9%
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA………………………… 5.5%
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL…………….. -1.6%
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI…………………. 5.5%
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA……………………… 4.9%
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD……….. 3.9%
- Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ……………………………………… 5.3%
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA……………………….. 4.6%
- San Diego-Carlsbad, CA………………………………………………. 2.4%
- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA………………………….. 7.1%
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA………………………………………. 9.1%
- St. Louis, MO-IL…………………………………………………………… 3.4%
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL………………………….. 5.0%
- Urban Alaska………………………………………………………………. 7.8%
- Urban Hawaii……………………………………………………………… 7.6%
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV………. 4.2%
SOME SPECIFIC ITEMS (US City Average Only)
Salad
- Fresh Vegetables……………………………………………………….. 1.7%
- Lettuce……………………………………………………………………… -0.6%
- Tomatoes…………………………………………………………………… 0.2%
- Salad Dressing…………………………………………………………… 7.7%
Rolls & Butter
- Fresh Biscuits, Rolls, Muffins……………………………………… 4.8%
- Butter………………………………………………………………………… 0.9%
Doing Some Baking?
- Flour and Prepared Flour Mixes………………………………… 5.0%
- Fresh Whole Milk………………………………………………………. 5.8%
- Sugar & Sugar Substitutes…………………………………………. 5.2%
- Eggs…………………………………………………………………………. 11.6%
- Salt & Other Seasonings and Spices…………………………… 4.9%
- Butter………………………………………………………………………… 0.9%
Main Dishes
- Other Uncooked Poultry inc. Turkey…………………………. 1.7%
- Ham (not canned)……………………………………………………… 7.6%
Perhaps Some After Dinner Coffee?
- Roasted Coffee………………………………………………………….. 4.7%
With fresh vegetables and turkey amongst the groceries that have maintained their price since last year, we can focus on the healthy foods as we gather ’round the Thanksgiving table with family and friends. But feel free to also be generous with the butter!
What are grocery prices like where you live? And what favorite dishes will be on your Thanksgiving table? Add a comment below to let us know!