Average price per pound and tips on how to get the cheapest bird in 2024
Thanksgiving’s coming and bird is the word. We’ve got the dish on turkey prices across all 50 states, thanks to the savvy research from our plucky friends at FinanceBuzz. For every state, they ran the numbers so you don’t have to.
Nationwide, the cost of turkey is soaring with an average price per pound of $2.36. Across all 50 states, find out how much a 50-pound bird will set you back. Also, we’ve got the scoop on how to get a free turkey for this year’s Thanksgiving dinner.
Turkey Cost in All 50 States
From highest to lowest, here’s the price of a turkey in all 50 states.
| State | Cost for a 15-pound Turkey |
| Hawaii | $52.85 |
| Alaska | $42.35 |
| Minnesota | $41.85 |
| California | $41.85 |
| Rhode Island | $39.35 |
| Georgia | $38.85 |
| Kentucky | $38.85 |
| South Carolina | $38.85 |
| Wisconsin | $38.85 |
| Connecticut | $38.85 |
| Vermont | $38.35 |
| New Hampshire | $38.35 |
| Nevada | $38.35 |
| Massachusetts | $37.85 |
| Delaware | $37.35 |
| Illinois | $37.35 |
| Maryland | $37.35 |
| Pennsylvania | $37.35 |
| Utah | $37.35 |
| New Jersey | $34.35 |
| New York | $34.35 |
| Wyoming | $34.35 |
| Idaho | $33.80 |
| Oregon | $33.85 |
| Washington | $33.85 |
| New Mexico | $33.85 |
| Arizona | $32.35 |
| Alabama | $32.80 |
| Tennessee | $32.85 |
| South Dakota | $32.85 |
| Nebraska | $32.85 |
| Michigan | $35.85 |
| Florida | $35.30 |
| North Carolina | $35.85 |
| Colorado | $31.35 |
| Maine | $31.35 |
| Missouri | $29.35 |
| Mississippi | $29.25 |
| North Dakota | $30.85 |
| Texas | $30.80 |
| Oklahoma | $27.85 |
| Kansas | $27.85 |
| Louisiana | $27.30 |
Which state has the most expensive turkey price per pound?
Unsurprisingly, Hawaii tops our list as the spendiest state to have a traditional Thanksgiving feast. There, a 15-pound bird will set you back $52.85 — that’s $3.52 per pound.
At $42.35, Alaska has the second most expensive turkey prices. Minnesota and California tie for third place at $41.85.
What state has the cheapest turkey prices?
Louisiana leads the nation for cheapest turkey prices, with Kansas and Oklahoma nipping at its heels.
In Louisiana, a 15-pound turkey costs just $27.30 — or $1.82 per pound. That’s about half the cost in Hawaii.
Oklahoma and Kansas come in a close second, where a supermarket turkey costs $27.85.
Where to buy the cheapest turkey
According to researchers at ‘Eat This, Not That!’, five major grocery chains consistently sell the cheapest turkey.
Those retailers are:
- H-E-B
- Aldi
- Kroger
- Target
- Walmart
How do this year’s turkey prices compare to last year’s?
| Store | 2023 Price for 15-Pound Turkey | 2024 Price for a 15-Pound Turkey | Price Change |
| H-E-B | $23.76 | $13.20 | -44% |
| Aldi | $15.24 | Not published online | N.A. |
| Kroger | $11.88 | $14.85 | 25% |
| Target | $11.88 | $11.85 | 0% |
| Walmart | $11.76 | $15.60 | 25% |
The median turkey price is up by 12% when you compare this year’s prices to last year’s at H-E-B, Aldi, Kroger, Target, and Walmart.
Notably, H-E-B has dropped prices by 44% while Kroger and Walmart have raised prices by 25%.
Aldi was not the cheapest retailer for turkey prices last year and is unlikely to have soared to this year’s leaderboard — especially when their prices are not published online.
I did contemplate driving to my local Aldi’s to review prices, but ultimately decided not to because prices vary across different locations nationwide.
Cheapest turkey price in 2024: Target
The price for a Target store-brand turkey is $0.79 per pound for frozen birds up to 16 pounds.
For 2024, the cheapest place to get a turkey is Target. Yes, “Tar-Jay,” the high-style discount retailer has the lowest poultry prices for a whole bird.
Target’s Good & Gather Premium Basted Young Turkey is priced at $0.79 per pound for a frozen bird weighing 10 to 16 pounds.
Turkeys are effective loss leaders
Turkeys are marked down heavily at discount retailers and supermarkets like Target, Walmart, and H-E-B because they are effective loss leaders.
A loss leader is a product sold at a low price to attract customers, who are then likely to buy additional items at regular prices.
Some loss leaders are more effective than others. Expensive, one-time buys are often not effective as they rarely encourage add-on purchases or return visits.
But turkeys are often a very effective loss leader for stores because of the buyer profile. Customers who purchase turkey before Thanksgiving are more profitable to retailers than customers who do not — largely because those purchasing a bird are likely to be holiday hosts who will also purchase many other goods with higher profit margins.
Bottom line
And there you have it: a state-by-state breakdown of turkey prices to help you get the most bird for your buck! With blazing costs, finding a cheap bird can feel like winning the holiday lottery. And if Target’s leading low prices are still out of budget, you can still look for grocery promotions and community giveaways for an even cheaper holiday bird.
As you map out your holiday shopping this year, stay tuned to FreshBuck for more tips on how to stretch your budget further — including ways to score lululemon leggings for up to 70% off.
