https://crsreports.congress.gov
Updated April 14, 2025
U.S. Egg Production and Retail Prices
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S.
national average retail price of eggs per dozen hit an all-
time high of $5.90 in February 2025 (Figure 1). Experts
attribute this in part to an outbreak of a highly contagious
and deadly viral disease in domestic poultry flocks that has
resulted in the loss of millions of birds since 2022. Fewer
birds means fewer eggs, a staple food in the American diet
with an estimated per capita consumption of 274 eggs in
2024. In response to these record high prices, some
consumers have illegally attempted to bring eggs across the
southern U.S. border or “rented” their own backyard
chicken flocks. Reports such as these, and those of some
retailers placing limits on egg purchases or certain
restaurants adding per-egg surcharges to cover rising food
prices, have led to congressional interest in the egg supply
chain. Further, the Secretary of Agriculture announced a
“five-pronged approach to address avian flu” in February
2025 “to deliver affordable eggs.” This In Focus
summarizes the state of the U.S. egg-laying flock,
production and price data from federal agencies, and policy
issues of potential interest to Congress.
State of the U.S. Poultry Sector
The H5N1 strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza
(HPAI) has been affecting U.S. poultry flocks since
February 2022. H5N1 is a virulent strain of avian influenza
with a mortality rate in chickens that can reach as high as
100%. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s)
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) tracks
flock infections; as of March 25, 2025, 1,667 flocks had
been confirmed as HPAI positive, affecting 168 million
birds since February 2022. Cases have occurred in all 50
states and Puerto Rico. The United States’ primary control
and eradication strategy for HPAI in domestic poultry is
“stamping-out,” a strategy defined by the World
Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) that requires
euthanasia or “depopulation” of the entire flock upon
confirmation of HPAI infection in a single bird, followed
by appropriate disposal of carcasses and decontamination of
the areas that sick animals had come in contact with
thorough cleaning and disinfection. APHIS provides
indemnity payments to producers who must depopulate
their flock because of HPAI infection. In March 2025,
USDA increased the indemnity rate for layer hens from
about $7 to nearly $17 per lost bird.
Among all U.S. poultry flocks, table-egg-laying hens are
currently the most affected, accounting for 75% of domestic
poultry loss. One factor is that laying hens have longer
lifespans than other birds. Fewer such hens results in a
decrease in egg supply, which may increase retail prices.
Figure 1. Table Egg Production (Billions of Eggs) and U.S. Retail Egg Prices (Nominal and Constant Dollars),
January 2012-February 2025
Figure is interactive in HTML version of product.
Source: CRS. Data from USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Quick Stats database, “Eggs, Table–Production,” and U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Consumer Price Index Average Data for dozen large eggs; adjusted for inflation (2024 dollars) using BLS
Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers.
