Turkey Prices by State: Cost of a Turkey Up 11.2% in 2025

Home chefs across America are gearing up for the biggest feast of the year. While individual tastes dictate what side dishes are at the table, at the center of most Thanksgiving meals is an entrée that's a time-honored tradition: the turkey.

Turkey also tends to be the most expensive part of a Thanksgiving feast, so our team at FinanceBuzz wanted to help give cooks a leg-up on their shopping by calculating how much they should expect to budget for their bird this year.

To determine the average cost for a turkey in 2025, we collected prices from multiple U.S. grocery stores across the country and determined how much shoppers in each state can expect to pay for a Thanksgiving turkey this year.

Key findings

• On average, Americans can expect to pay $34.65 for a 15-pound turkey this year — an average of $2.31 per pound. This is 11% higher than 2024.
• Across the country, turkey prices are up 11% in 2025 vs. last year.
• At more than $55 per bird ($55.70), Hawaii has the highest average turkey prices of all the states. In the contiguous U.S., Iowa has the highest average price at $41.35.
• Oklahomans can expect to pay just $24.85 on average for their Thanksgiving turkey, which is the lowest rate in the nation.

2025 Thanksgiving turkey prices: Prices are rising

Some shoppers may be curious how turkey prices for this year compare to previous Thanksgivings, and whether or not they're getting a better or worse deal on their holiday meal.

Compared to last year, turkey prices across the country are up in 2025. Last year, a 15-pound bird cost shoppers $31.16 on average, and this year that size turkey costs $34.65, an increase of a little more than 11% year-over-year. That $34.65 price tag for a turkey is still lower than both 2022 and 2023, however, as the average price for a turkey exceeded $35 in both of those years.

How much are Thanksgiving turkeys this year? Average turkey costs by state

States with the most expensive Thanksgiving turkeys

As is the case with many goods, the most expensive average turkey prices in the U.S. were found away from the contiguous United States. Residents of Hawaii can expect to pay the highest rate in the country ($55.70) for a 15-pound turkey. That's over 60% more than the national average of $34.65.

Turkeys are more than $10 less expensive in Alaska ($42.35), but that still makes the bird more expensive than in any of the remaining 48 states. Hawaiians and Alaskans are no strangers to high prices. Alaska and Hawaii consistently rank among the most expensive states to live in due to the high costs of transporting goods to the non-contiguous states.

In the contiguous United States, Iowa has the highest turkey prices this Thanksgiving, with an average price of $41.35 for a 15-pound bird. Montana is the only other mainland state where the average price for a turkey exceeds $40, at $40.85. A trio of New England states fall just short of that $40 mark, however, as the average cost for a turkey in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont clocks in at $39.85 this year.

States with the most affordable Thanksgiving turkeys

Turkeys are most affordable in Oklahoma, where they cost just $24.85 on average. That's nearly $10 cheaper than the national average. Oklahoma is also the only state in the country where the average price of a 15-pound turkey is below $25.

Neighboring Texas has the second-lowest turkey prices in the country, at $25.85. From there, costs go up by $1.50 (or 10 cents per pound) in Louisiana and Tennessee, two states where a turkey will cost shoppers $27.35 on average. Illinois and Kentucky are tied for fifth on the list of the five states where Thanksgiving turkeys are most affordable, at $28.40 per bird.

How to save money on Thanksgiving meals

Home-cooked meals are the best part of celebrating Thanksgiving. A good meal doesn't have to break the bank, though. Here are some tips on how to save money on groceries:

• Earn credit card rewards at checkout. To get the most out of your shopping trip, use one of the best credit cards for buying groceries to get rewards on your purchases.
• Use helpful grocery hacks at the store. Groceries are a big expense for families of all sizes. Learning insider tips on how to spend less on groceries can help reduce the overall cost of your essentials.
• Use travel credit cards when visiting family. The days and weeks leading up to Thanksgiving are a busy time of year for travel. When you book trips, use one of the best travel credit cards to earn rewards for future holidays.

Methodology

To compile the data shown above, FinanceBuzz researchers recorded the price of turkeys in at least three grocery stores in each state. In general, prices were obtained from regional, chain grocery stores with multiple locations in a state (rather than smaller individual companies) or prominent national chains.

All prices were collected for Butterball-brand turkeys weighing between 12-26 lbs. Prices per pound in each grocery store were averaged to find the cost per state and multiplied by 15 pounds to obtain our final rankings.

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Author Details

Chris Lewis, CEPF

Chris Lewis is the Director of Digital PR at FinanceBuzz and a Certified Educator in Personal Finance. As the head of research, Chris oversees FinanceBuzz’s data journalism and media relations departments and is responsible for executing our research studies.

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Josh Koebert

Josh Koebert is a Senior Content Marketer at FinanceBuzz who writes about personal finance trends. As an experienced researcher, Josh’s data-driven stories focus on the intersection between economics and consumer behavior: where personal finance meets everyday life.