For decades a dozen eggs cost around $1.50, give or take. Then prices went haywire — spiking in 2022 and again in early 2025, when the average dozen blew past $6, more than triple its usual price, before tumbling back down. The culprit wasn't general inflation; it was a bird flu epidemic that wiped out tens of millions of egg-laying hens. This guide charts egg prices since 1990 and explains why this one grocery item became a symbol of the cost-of-living squeeze.
How much do eggs cost?
For most of the past 30 years, a dozen Grade A eggs cost roughly $1–2, drifting up slowly with general inflation. The chart shows that long, calm baseline — and then two violent spikes in the 2020s that tower over everything before them. At the early-2025 peak, the U.S. average dozen reached well over $6, a price that would have been unthinkable just a few years earlier.
Why egg prices spiked: bird flu
The spikes were driven by highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), a bird flu outbreak that swept through U.S. poultry flocks starting in 2022. When the virus is detected on an egg farm, the entire flock must be culled to stop its spread — and a single large operation can house millions of hens. With tens of millions of egg-layers lost, the supply of eggs dropped sharply while demand held steady, sending prices soaring. The 2025 spike came when a fresh wave of outbreaks hit just before the high-demand holiday season.
Why eggs and not other groceries?
Eggs were uniquely exposed. Egg production is concentrated in large flocks, so a single outbreak removes a big chunk of supply at once, and hens take months to raise as replacements — supply can't bounce back quickly. Eggs also have few substitutes for many uses and are bought frequently, so shoppers notice every price change. That combination of concentrated supply, slow recovery, and high visibility turned a poultry-disease story into a national cost-of-living headline.
Have egg prices come back down?
Yes — and dramatically. Once outbreaks subsided and flocks were rebuilt, egg supply recovered and prices fell sharply from their peak, as the chart's plunge shows. This is the key difference between an egg spike and broad inflation: a supply shock to a single product reverses when supply returns, whereas general inflation tends to leave prices permanently higher. Egg prices remain prone to sudden spikes whenever a new bird-flu wave appears.
Frequently asked questions
Why did egg prices get so high?
A highly pathogenic avian influenza (bird flu) outbreak starting in 2022 forced the culling of tens of millions of egg-laying hens, sharply cutting egg supply and driving prices to record highs above $6 a dozen in early 2025.
How much did eggs cost at the peak?
The U.S. average reached over $6 per dozen in early 2025 — more than triple the long-running norm of around $1.50–2.
Why were eggs hit harder than other groceries?
Egg production is concentrated in large flocks, so one outbreak removes a lot of supply at once, hens take months to replace, and eggs are bought often — so price changes are highly visible.
Have egg prices come back down?
Yes. As outbreaks subsided and flocks were rebuilt, supply recovered and prices fell sharply from their peak, though they remain prone to spikes during new bird-flu waves.
Is bird flu the same as general inflation?
No. Bird flu is a supply shock to one product that reverses when supply returns, unlike broad inflation, which tends to leave prices permanently higher.