The White House recently claimed that the prices of Thanksgiving meals are down. However, this isn’t the whole picture. While it’s true that the average cost of a turkey, side dishes, and desserts have slightly decreased from 2022’s record high, they remain significantly above pre-pandemic levels.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre presented a list of Thanksgiving staples, from turkey and cranberries to car rentals and airfare, and highlighted the percentages by which prices had reduced. However, it’s important to note that despite some costs coming down considerably since last year, they are still higher than in previous years, particularly before the pandemic.

KJP opens today's briefing by whipping out a literal food menu and claiming that this Thanksgiving is actually one of the cheapest ever pic.twitter.com/j4vUYp2Fk7

— Dylan Housman (@Dylan_Housman) November 20, 2023

A report from the American Farm Bureau Federation reveals that the average cost for a Thanksgiving meal for ten people in 2023 is $61.17. This is a 4.5% decrease from 2022’s average cost of $64.05, but it’s still up 14.7% from 2021 ($53.31) and up a whopping 25% from 2019 ($48.91). The reduction in cost was mainly driven by a decrease in turkey prices due to fewer cases of avian influenza, resulting in a recovery in the turkey flock.

However, prices varied across the United States, with the average cost being higher on the west coast ($63.89) and the northeast ($64.38) compared to the south ($59.10) and the midwest ($58.66).

According to the AFBF’s national Thanksgiving survey, 2023 will be the second most expensive Thanksgiving meal in the survey’s 38-year history. This reduction of 4.5% in the Thanksgiving meal cost was predominantly driven by a lower cost of turkey, but also by reductions in seven of eleven surveyed dinner items. Despite these prices beginning to come down, food price inflation remains a real issue and continues to strain the budgets of U.S. consumers.

In conclusion, while the White House may claim that Thanksgiving meal costs are down, this isn’t the full story. Prices are still significantly higher than they were before the pandemic, and this continues to place a financial burden on American families.