According to the USDA’s February 2025 Food Price Outlook, published on Feb. 25, retail egg prices surged by 13.8 percent in January 2025 after rising by 8.4 percent in December 2024.
Prices are expected to remain volatile on a month-by-month basis, in part because 18.8 million commercial egg layers were impacted by avian influenza outbreaks in January, the highest monthly total since the outbreak began in 2022, the USDA said.
Egg prices are now projected to rise by about 41 percent in 2025, but the increase could range from 15 percent to 75 percent, the USDA said. Last month, the USDA predicted a 20 percent increase in 2025.
Prices have more than doubled since before the outbreak began, costing consumers at least $1.4 billion in 2024, according to an estimate by agricultural economists at the University of Arkansas. Restaurants such as Denny’s and Waffle House have started adding surcharges to egg dishes.
Egg prices also normally increase every spring heading into Easter when demand is high.