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Whats the percent egg prices have come down
Executive summary
Wholesale egg prices fell sharply from their winter peak: USDA-linked market measures show wholesale averages dropping from highs above $6–8 per dozen in March to roughly $3–4 per dozen later in March and April — declines in some wholesale series of roughly 39–>50% over weeks [1] [2]. Retail prices have declined more slowly: Bureau of Labor Statistics and USDA retail/ad price series show smaller drops and lingering elevation versus a year earlier (about 17% ad-price drop in May for one USDA series; BLS weekly retail averages fell from $6.23 in March to $5.12 in April) [3] [4].
1. What people mean when they say “egg prices came down 50%”
Claims that egg prices “came down 50%” refer primarily to short‑term moves in national wholesale indices, not consumer grocery‑shelf prices. The USDA’s wholesale measures and reporting tracked by news organizations showed wholesale averages around $6.55 per dozen in mid‑January and roughly $3 per dozen by late March — a fall of more than half in that specific wholesale series [2] [1]. Fact‑checking outlets note the 50% figure is “partially accurate” because it’s true for the wholesale indicator but omits the slower movement of retail prices and other series [2].
2. Wholesale vs. retail: different speeds, different magnitudes
Wholesale prices (what packers and distributors receive) were highly volatile during the avian‑influenza disruption and recovered faster once supplies improved; some USDA wholesale indexes dropped by roughly 39% in one week and moved from double‑digit highs to mid‑single digits per dozen within weeks [1] [5]. Retail prices — what consumers pay at the store — tend to lag. BLS and USDA data show retail averages peaked in March (BLS weekly chart: ~$6.23) then eased to about $5.12 in April, and USDA reported a 17% drop in the national average retail ad price for conventional caged eggs from April to May in one series [3] [4].
3. How big were the peaks and subsequent declines in context
Different data series give different peak and decline percentages. Trading Economics’ market tracker reported eggs at $2.22/ dozen on Nov. 21, 2025 and noted month‑to‑month volatility and being ~47% lower than a year earlier in that CFD market view — showing price dynamics vary by benchmark [6]. News coverage in March noted wholesale highs above $8 per dozen at points and subsequent falls of around one‑third to one‑half depending on the reference date and index [7] [8]. The USDA and analysis outlets emphasized that short windows (e.g., comparing a mid‑January value to a late‑March value) produce the largest percentage declines [1] [2].
4. Why prices moved so much: supply shock, seasonality, and inventories
The 2024–2025 wave of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) caused massive depopulation of laying flocks (tens of millions of hens), sharply tightening supply and driving wholesale and retail peaks earlier in 2025 [9] [10]. Once new outbreaks slowed and inventories recovered somewhat, wholesale markets reacted rapidly; retail demand seasonality (Easter) and retailers’ pricing behavior meant consumer prices fell more slowly [9] [10].
5. Conflicting narratives and political usage
Political claims that “egg prices came down 50%” are grounded in wholesale indexes and therefore technically supportable, but fact‑checkers stress the omission: retail prices and year‑over‑year comparisons tell a more nuanced story — consumers still faced much higher prices than before the bird‑flu shock and in some datasets prices remained above year‑earlier levels even after declines [2] [3]. Outlets like Poynter and FactCheck.org framed the 50% claim as incomplete rather than outright false [2] [1].
6. Bottom line for someone asking “what percent have egg prices come down?”
Available sources show wholesale egg indexes fell by about 39%–>50% from their short‑term peaks within weeks in spring 2025 [1] [2]. Retail prices and advertised retail averages fell by smaller amounts (examples: BLS retail weekly average from $6.23 to $5.12; USDA ad price down ~17% month‑to‑month in one series) and therefore consumer‑facing percentages are lower [3] [4]. Which percent is “correct” depends entirely on which series (wholesale index vs. BLS retail vs. specific USDA ad prices) and which start/ end dates you pick — sources explicitly caution about mixing these measures [1] [2].
Limitations: available sources do not provide a single unified “percent egg prices have come down” across every data series and timeframe; different sources and series yield different percentages depending on benchmark and dates chosen [6] [1].