Retail Egg Prices Continued to Rise in March, Data Show

Prices reached a record high of $6.23 per dozen in March, according to the government’s inflation data.

Eggs at a store in New York City on Feb. 17, 2025. Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times

Retail egg prices in the United States reached an average record high of $6.23 per dozen in March, according to inflation data published by the federal government on April 10.

The data show that the price represents an increase of more than 30 cents, as the price of a dozen eggs stood at $5.90 on average in February, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said in its most recent consumer price index update. In January, a dozen eggs cost $4.95 on average.

This could mean that consumers and businesses that rely on eggs might not get much immediate relief. Demand for eggs is typically high until after Easter, which falls on April 20 this year.

Bird flu outbreaks were cited as the major cause of price spikes in January and February, as more than 30 million egg-laying chickens were killed to prevent the spread of the disease. In March, 2.1 million birds were slaughtered, and none of them were on egg farms.

Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins on April 10 suggested that the rise in egg prices is temporary, stating that the overall consumer price index showed a dip in prices for goods and services across the U.S. economy in March. Egg prices will soon follow, she said.

“We’re also moving into the Super Bowl of eggs, which is Easter,” Rollins said. “So from the beginning, I’ve said this is sort of the high price for retail for eggs, but we feel very confident that will continue to come back down.”

Prices reported under the consumer price index declined month-over-month in March to 2.4 percent from 2.8 percent in February, the lowest figure in six months, according to the Labor Department. A contributor to the drop was the energy index declining by 2.4 percent, which was fueled by a 6.3 percent drop in gasoline prices.

In recent weeks, the Department of Agriculture reported lower wholesale egg prices, but warned in late February that prices are likely going to rise by 41 percent in 2025.

Rollins said at the time that her department will spend $1 billion to deal with the soaring egg prices and alleviate the avian influenza crisis.

“American farmers need relief, and American consumers need affordable food,” Rollins said in a Feb. 26 statement. “To every family struggling to buy eggs: We hear you, we’re fighting for you, and help is on the way.”

In March, President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance both hailed the overall decline in inflation before some of Trump’s tariffs took effect. On April 9, Trump announced that he would be placing a 90-day pause on all new tariffs higher than 10 percent, except for tariffs against China.

“The egg prices ... were going through the sky,“ Trump told Rollins as he announced the details of his tariffs at the White House last week. ”And you did a fantastic job. Now we have lots of eggs, and they are much cheaper now.”

Earlier this week, Trump told reporters that the annual White House Easter Egg Roll would use real eggs again this year despite the high prices. Egg farmers typically donate more than 30,000 eggs for the event.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.