The price of eggs during Bide term in office
Executive summary
Average U.S. retail egg prices rose sharply during President Joe Biden’s term but exact figures vary by data source and time frame, with Bureau of Labor Statistics‑based reporting showing an increase from about $1.60 per dozen in February 2021 to roughly $4.10 per dozen in December 2024 (his last full month), while other trackers show peaks near $4.82 in January 2023 and varied retail/wholesale readings used in political claims [1] [2] [3]. The spike is linked in reporting to a severe avian‑influenza outbreak that killed or prompted culling of more than 100 million egg‑laying birds, a supply shock that analysts say drove much of the price movement beyond day‑to‑day policy influences [1] [4].
1. What the numbers say — conflicting trackers, same trend
Government labor statistics commonly cited by fact‑checkers indicate egg prices climbed from about $1.60 per dozen in February 2021 to $4.10 per dozen in December 2024, marking a large increase over the Biden term [1], while other independent trackers report a peak average of roughly $4.82 in January 2023 that later eased [2]; media data visualizations show wholesale and retail measures moved differently, with wholesale peaking higher and retail following later, and overall averages declining from spring peaks back toward or below some late‑year levels [5] [3].
2. Why prices rose — disease, not a single administration’s policy
Reporting across outlets ties the main driver of the run‑up to a virulent HPAI (avian flu) outbreak that either killed or led to USDA‑ordered depopulation of flocks, contributing to the loss of more than 100 million egg‑laying birds during the crisis period and creating a supply shock for eggs [1] [4]; commentators and fact‑checkers note culling is an established USDA response used under multiple administrations, and the disease dynamic, not a single White House edict, is central to the shortage narrative [1].
3. Political claims and why they diverge from data
Political actors have offered divergent snapshots: Republican spokespeople and some partisan outlets emphasized dramatic percentage changes or selective peak wholesale figures to blame the Biden administration [6] [7], while opponents and some fact‑checks point out that culling policy predates Biden, that multiple data series (wholesale vs retail) produce different magnitudes, and that retail prices by some measures were lower at Biden’s very end than at earlier peaks [1] [3] [8]. Partisan analyses also cite different baselines—some using unusually low pre‑pandemic or regional prices—to amplify percent changes [9].
4. The role of timing and measurement: wholesale vs. retail, national vs. local
Much of the confusion stems from which price series is cited: wholesale egg‑carton prices can swing far more quickly than the retail price consumers pay, and national averages hide substantial regional variation where a dozen eggs ranged from bargain levels to double‑digit prices in some markets during peak strain [10] [9]. Media tracking projects emphasize that wholesale declines can precede retail relief and that temporary import measures and demand shifts also affected retail levels later in the cycle [11] [8].
5. What independent analysts conclude and what remains unresolved
Agricultural economists quoted in fact‑checks argue that the avian‑flu supply shock, changes in consumer demand, and market adjustments explain the bulk of the price moves rather than a single White House policy, and they caution against awarding exclusive credit or blame to either president for short‑term grocery prices [3] [1]. Where reporting differs is on exact peak figures and how quickly prices fell thereafter; available reporting does not permit a single definitive per‑dozen figure that captures every market and measure during the entire Biden term [5] [10].