If you noticed your egg carton costing less at the grocery store this month, you're not imagining things. After a tumultuous 2025 that saw retail egg prices soar as high as $9 per dozen in some markets, the grocery staple is entering 2026 at its lowest price since June 2024. For families who've felt the pinch of persistent food inflation, it's a welcome respite.

The Numbers Behind the Drop

The decline has been dramatic. Wholesale egg prices have now dropped 64% from their peak earlier in 2025, with retail prices falling 27% from their highs. By November 2025, national egg prices had fallen to $2.86 per dozen for large grade A eggs—a level that, while still elevated by pre-pandemic standards, represents meaningful relief from the crisis pricing of earlier in the year.

This recovery comes after one of the most challenging years in the history of the American egg industry. The spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) forced U.S. poultry farmers to cull more than 150 million chickens to contain the contagious H5N1 virus, decimating the nation's egg-laying flock.

"41.4 million egg-laying hens have been lost to the disease so far in 2025."

— USDA Avian Influenza Data

How We Got Here

The 2025 egg crisis unfolded in predictable but painful stages. Bird flu outbreaks, first detected in late 2024, accelerated through the winter months. By March 2025, prices had peaked at $6.22 per dozen nationally, with some markets seeing prices approach $9.

The outbreak also created shortages that led grocers to restrict purchases. Many major retailers implemented limits of two or three dozen eggs per customer, reminiscent of pandemic-era shortages of toilet paper and hand sanitizer.

For the poultry industry, the crisis was existential. Entire flocks were culled when a single bird tested positive, wiping out months or years of breeding and development. The economic losses extended beyond the value of the birds themselves to include idle facilities, broken supply contracts, and damaged customer relationships.

The Recovery Path

The normalization of egg prices reflects several factors:

  • Flock rebuilding: Poultry producers have been aggressively rebuilding their laying flocks, with production capacity now approaching pre-outbreak levels
  • Improved biosecurity: Lessons learned from the outbreak have led to enhanced biosecurity measures that have reduced new infections
  • Import assistance: USDA efforts to supplement domestic supplies resulted in imports of more than 26 million dozen shell eggs from Brazil, Honduras, Mexico, Turkey, and South Korea since January 2025
  • Seasonal factors: Demand typically softens after the holiday baking season, providing additional price relief

The Broader Grocery Picture

While eggs are normalizing, the broader grocery inflation picture remains mixed. Food prices continued rising faster than the overall Consumer Price Index through the second half of 2025, though the rate of increase has moderated.

For 2026, the USDA expects food prices to increase more slowly than historical averages—a forecast that should provide some relief for household budgets if it materializes.

However, other grocery staples continue to see elevated prices:

  • Coffee: Up 18.8% year-over-year
  • Beef and veal: Up 15.8% year-over-year
  • Frozen fish and seafood: Up 11.6% year-over-year
  • Bananas: Up 6.7% year-over-year

The egg recovery, while welcome, doesn't erase the cumulative impact of food inflation over the past several years. Grocery prices remain substantially higher than pre-pandemic levels, and wage growth for many workers has failed to keep pace.

Corporate Pricing Questions

The egg crisis also reignited debates about corporate pricing practices. Consumer advocates argued that some producers used the bird flu outbreak as cover for excessive price increases, pointing to profit margins that expanded even as production costs rose.

Major egg producers rejected these characterizations, noting that the costs of biosecurity, flock rebuilding, and supply chain disruption justified the price increases. The Federal Trade Commission launched an inquiry into egg pricing practices but has not announced enforcement actions.

Whether the rapid price decline reflects genuine supply recovery or competitive pressure after public scrutiny remains debated. What's clear is that consumers are now seeing relief at the checkout counter.

What to Expect in 2026

Industry analysts expect egg prices to remain relatively stable through 2026, absent another major disease outbreak. The rebuilt laying flock should provide adequate supply for domestic demand, and improved biosecurity should reduce the risk of widespread culling.

However, bird flu hasn't disappeared. The H5N1 virus continues to circulate in wild bird populations, and the risk of new outbreaks remains. A severe winter or migratory pattern that brings infected birds into contact with commercial flocks could trigger another price spike.

Climate change adds another layer of uncertainty. Extreme heat can reduce laying rates and increase mortality, while changing precipitation patterns affect feed costs. The stability of 2026 egg prices isn't guaranteed.

Tips for Shoppers

For consumers looking to take advantage of lower egg prices:

  • Shop sales: With supplies normalized, retailers are once again running egg promotions that can push prices well below $2 per dozen
  • Consider store brands: The price gap between name-brand and store-brand eggs has widened, with comparable quality
  • Check dates: With supply constraints eased, fresher eggs are available—check sell-by dates before purchasing
  • Buy in volume cautiously: Eggs have limited shelf life, so bulk purchases only make sense if you'll use them within 3-5 weeks

The egg price crisis of 2025 tested American consumers and the poultry industry alike. The normalization underway offers a reminder that supply shocks, while painful, are typically temporary. For now, the humble egg is once again an affordable staple—exactly as it should be.