After nearly six months of increases, the price of eggs declined in March. But that doesn’t make them cheap.
The average nationwide price of a dozen eggs decreased by about a quarter in March, according to data from consumer research firm NIQ. But at $6.27 for a dozen, the cost of eggs is still up 75% in the last 12 months, an increase that is greater than those of any other of the six staple grocery items tracked by NBC News.
NIQ’s data is collected from real checkout prices paid nationwide at grocery stores, drugstores, mass merchandisers, selected dollar stores, selected warehouse clubs and military commissaries.
Prices soared in early 2025 as the bird flu outbreak spread through the U.S. chicken industry, leading farms to cull birds to slow the spread. Data from the Agriculture Department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that half as many flocks were culled in March than were in February, easing the strain.
While eggs are up the most in the last 12 months, the average price of a pound of ground beef is up 51 cents — nearly 9% — and orange juice is up nearly 7%. The price of a pound of chicken breast meat is down 13 cents, 2% lower, and pork bacon is down 1.8%. Sandwich bread is even with its price in March 2024.
