About a third of Americans stop buying eggs due to rising costs, study shows
As egg prices have reached record highs, about a third of American consumers have stopped buying them in response to the rising costs, a new study suggests.
According to research from Clarify Capital, 34% of Americans have stopped purchasing eggs as prices for the breakfast staple are becoming less affordable. On average, these consumers say they won’t begin buying eggs again until costs come down to $5 or less for a carton.
The report compared the average price of eggs across all US states, observing a significant jump in 2018, when the average was $1.49. In 2025, that figure is sitting at about $5.18.
The study found that nearly 95% of Americans have noticed the significant rise in egg prices, with shoppers reporting their perceived average as $7 a dozen. The average American said they would stop buying eggs when prices hit $8 a dozen.
Illinois, a state which is about three-quarters farmland, is seeing the most dramatic jump in egg prices, increasing 1,048% from $0.42 to $4.82.
The research also found that the majority of Americans (61%) are eating fewer eggs due to rising costs, and 44% are seeing themselves using fewer eggs in their cooking and baking habits. It also found that more than two in five Americans (42%) have observed other shoppers “panic-buying” eggs.
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The rising costs of eggs are largely due to the current spread of bird flu in the US. According to the study, 67% of Americans blame the higher egg prices on the bird flu, while 31% believe government regulations and policies are behind the expensive eggs.
The price of eggs had quickly become a political talking point despite being driven mostly by a viral outbreak beginning last year. Donald Trump campaigned heavily on soaring egg prices being a Democratic creation, before acknowledging that bird flu was to blame after being elected. Still, it seems that a large portion of Americans believe that the government, Democratic or Republican, is culpable for egg prices.
The US has turned to other countries even amid the looming threat of tariffs in hopes of collecting more eggs, but has seen little success so far.
