If you've been to the grocery store lately shopping for stuff for Thanksgiving dinner, then you know food costs are rising.
In its 37th annual survey, the American Farm Bureau Federation found that the average cost of a classic Thanksgiving feast this year for 10 people is $64.05 -- slightly less than $6.50 a person.
That’s $10.74 more -- a 20% increase -- from last year’s average of $53.31 per meal.
“They’re up about 20% over the last year based on surveys that were done by shoppers in all 50 states,” said Ernie Birchmeier, a specialist with the Michigan Farm Bureau.
Turkey costs an average of $28.96 for a 16-pound bird. That’s $1.81 per pound, an increase of 21% from last year.
Farm Bureau's analysis revealed regional differences, with the cost for a classic Thanksgiving meal for 10 costing an average of $64.26 in the Midwest.
In other parts of America, prices were slightly higher, except for the South, where the average meal cost is $58.42. In the Northeast, the average is $64.02. And out West, it’s $71.37.
Photo courtesy of Detroit Free Press