Creative Commons License

Turkey prices were predicted to rise by more than 50% this year in the United States, thanks in part to avian flu affecting supply. But one survey found that the overall price of Thanksgiving dinner in Connecticut is down from last year.

In Connecticut, there have been 41 cases of the avian flu in wild birds this year alone, and 102 total since 2022, according to the USDA. Five flocks in Connecticut have been infected since 2022, three in 2025. And nationwide, the USDA projected that the cost of wholesale, whole turkey would increase at the end of this year after production fell in January due to the avian flu.

However, projections from the American Farm Bureau Federation found that many stores surveyed were offering holiday deals on turkey, decreasing consumer costs.

Overall, the survey projected that a meal serving 10 people could cost $55.81, down from last year but still higher than the organization projected in 2021. But since this decrease was due partly because of deals grocery stores put on, Thanksgiving meal costs may vary based on store and location.

According to Datasembly, a market research company that assess grocery prices from 150,000 stores across the country, prices rose, and poultry saw a 4.4% index change in Connecticut 4.4%. But just across the border in Massachusetts, there was a drop in prices, and a drop of 2.1%.

Side dishes like mac and cheese, and canned goods like vegetables, pumpkin and cranberry sauce, have seen price increases since last year.

Because of the Trump administration’s 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum, the price of canned goods has risen since last year. The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that September 2024 to September 2025, canned good prices increased by 5% in U.S. cities.

And pasta, one of the goods that could be affected by President Donald Trump’s proposed 107% tariff on Italian imports, is crucial to one of the nation’s favorite sides — mac and cheese.

An annual “sides report” from Campbell’s found that in the majority of U.S. states, including Connecticut, stuffing was the most popular of all the Thanksgiving sides. The survey also found that 67% of all Americans preferred eating sides over the main course.

Sasha is a data reporting fellow with The Connecticut Mirror. She graduated from the University of Maryland in May with a degree in journalism and a minor in creative writing. For the past year Sasha was working part time for the Herald-Mail, a newspaper based in Western Maryland. She was also a reporter and copy editor for Capital News Service, the university’s wire service where she covered the state legislature, the Baltimore Key Bridge collapse, school board elections, youth mental health and climate change. Earlier in her college career, Sasha also interned at the Baltimore Magazine and wrote for numerous student publications including the Diamondback, the university’s independent, student-run newspaper.