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By Jordan King
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The price of eggs has dropped from $7.22 per dozen, just a little less than the all-time high of $8.17 a few days before, to $4.90 in a single week, new data shows.
Newsweek created a chart to illustrate the price fluctuation eggs have gone through this year based on data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Why It Matters
Egg prices have skyrocketed to historic levels over the past year, with wholesalers recently paying more than $8 for a dozen eggs, compared to just $2 per dozen in previous years.
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The issue became a flashpoint issue during last year's presidential election as a symbol of the increasing financial hardship many Americans have been experiencing.
A Gallup poll showed that voters overwhelmingly cited economic pressures as the key reason they voted for President Donald Trump in November.
What To Know
This year started with the price of eggs at $5.81 on January 3, moved up to $6.55 by January 23, $7.09 five days later, $7.52 by the end of the month and $7.86 at the start of February.
By February 20, the price had shot up to $8.03, before hitting an all-time high of $8.17 on March 3. But then the price started dipping, down to $7.22 by March 6, $6.08 by March 10, $5.18 by March 12 and $4.9 on March 13.
The surge in egg prices is the ongoing bird flu outbreak, which has decimated poultry stocks at farms across the country—more than 111 million birds—mostly egg-laying hens—were infected or culled between February 2022 and January 2025.
Other issues that have affected prices include inflation, supply chain issues, transportation costs, and new state animal welfare regulations.
Trump promised that he would tackle egg prices on "day one" of his administration but said in December 2024 that it was "hard to bring things down once they're up."
Earlier this month, Trump shared on his Truth Social account an article written by conservative activist Charlie Kirk that called for Americans to "shut up" about rising egg prices.
"The high price of eggs is in no way President Trump's fault," Kirk wrote in the piece published by the Daily Caller, pushing the blame on former President Joe Biden. "Trump is already hard at work to deliver savings for American families," he said.
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What People Are Saying
The USDA's Daily National Shell Egg Index Report said: "National FOB shell egg weighted average prices are mostly sharply lower. The undertone is sharply lower. Retail demand is light to occasionally moderate. Loose egg movement is light. Offerings remain light to moderate. Supplies are mixed, mostly moderate. Market activity is slow to moderate...The 6-Area Total shell egg inventory increased 5.2% when compared to a week ago."
During his address to the joint session of Congress last week, President Donald Trump said that former President Joe Biden "let the price of eggs get out of control."
United Egg Producers told The Wall Street Journal that egg farmers are "doing everything they can to fight back against this deadly bird flu outbreak."
What Happens Next
Last week, the Justice Department reportedly launched an investigation into the cause of rising egg prices, including whether top egg producers are conspiring to keep them high by holding back supply.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture expects egg prices to increase 41 percent in 2025.
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