After months of surging prices and sticker shock at grocery store egg displays, U.S. retail egg prices finally dropped in April, offering a modest reprieve to consumers—but not yet a return to normalcy. According to newly released Consumer Price Index data, the average price for a dozen Grade A eggs fell 12.7%, dropping to $5.12—a significant improvement from March’s record-setting $6.23 per dozen.
Where are all the egg inflation experts who kept talking about skyrocketing prices?
FOX Business: “Egg prices have definitely turned a corner…with large egg prices, on average, down 59% since February 28th.” pic.twitter.com/6wfTBzpkvS
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) March 26, 2025
While the April dip is the first month-to-month decline since October 2024, it’s important to keep the broader picture in view. Egg prices are still up 79% year-over-year, and $5.12 per dozen remains historically high by any measure. By comparison, the average in April 2024 was just $2.86.
Why the steep prices? One word: bird flu.
Since early 2022, an unrelenting avian influenza outbreak has ravaged poultry farms across the U.S., leading to the deaths of more than 169 million birds. The standard containment response—culling entire flocks when even one bird is infected—has slashed egg production capacity across the country.
In April alone, outbreaks at major farms in Ohio and South Dakota resulted in the loss of over 927,000 egg-laying hens. These mass losses have a ripple effect: reduced supply, increased production costs, and ultimately, higher prices at the retail level.
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) May 13, 2025
Egg prices typically fluctuate in response to seasonal consumer demand, especially around Easter and Passover, when egg purchases surge. Despite that added pressure this April, prices still managed to drop—likely thanks to temporary supply stability and efforts by producers to ramp up output in unaffected regions.
But experts warn that without a sustained resolution to the bird flu crisis, these price declines may not last. Farms are still under biosecurity strain, and the U.S. egg market remains highly vulnerable to future outbreaks.
