52% of Egg Buyers Report Seeing Egg Surcharges at Restaurants; 27% Now Opting for Least Expensive Eggs
CHICAGO, May 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Numerator, a data and tech company serving the market research space, released new findings around egg prices and shortages, informed by verified purchase data and an April 24, 2025, survey of 1,000 egg buyers. Despite actual prices increasing significantly from January ($4.84 per dozen) to March ($6.54 per dozen), fewer U.S. consumers (69.5%) said that the current price of eggs in their area is somewhat or very expensive (vs. 71.1% in January), indicating that consumers are becoming desensitized to the higher prices.
- Almost three-quarters of egg buyers are noticing higher prices. 71.1% (-1.5 points vs. January) of egg buyers say they find the current price of eggs in their area somewhat or very expensive.
- There is a growing disconnect between what consumers say they will pay and what they actually pay. In January, consumer willingness to pay was higher than what they actually paid for a dozen eggs (willing to pay $4.90, actually paid $4.84). In April, consumer willingness to pay was below what they actually paid (willing to pay $5.56, actually paid $6.54).
- The price of a dozen eggs rose nearly $3 over last year. The average price per dozen reached $6.54 in March 2025, an increase of 82% compared to March 2024.
- Egg buyers are purchasing eggs less often than they did at the start of the year. 36.7% of egg buyers say they purchase eggs at least once a week, a drop of 4.8 points since January, while 19.6% say purchase about once a month (+2.7 points).
- Fewer egg buyers are also encountering shortages. 52.7% (-2.0 points) say they have noticed shortages or out-of-stocks at their local food retailers in the past month. Shortages were noted at higher rates among urban egg buyers, buyers in the Western U.S., and households who buy their eggs at BJ’s, Trader Joe’s, Costco, Wakefern and Albertson’s.
- Consumers are moving away from premium eggs. 46.1% of egg buyers say they typically purchase standard eggs (+1.2 points), while over a quarter (26.8%) say they purchase whatever is cheapest (+4.2 points). Cage-free, free-range, pasture-raised, and organic eggs all dropped four or more points from the January survey.
- Nearly half of egg buyers say they will skip the purchase if standard eggs are sold out. If only higher priced premium eggs are available, 46.1% (+6.5 points) of shoppers will skip the purchase. Fewer shoppers are willing to trade up to higher priced premium eggs (20.7%, -5.7 points) or check another nearby store (23%, -0.7 points).
- If all eggs are sold out, over half of shoppers will skip the purchase entirely. If all egg varieties are unavailable, the chance of skipping the purchase rises to 54.8% (+7.1 points). 35.2% of egg buyers say they will check another nearby store for eggs (-6.8 points) and 5.4% will purchase an egg substitute (-0.7 points).
- More than half of egg buyers have observed higher prices for egg-based dishes at restaurants. 51.5% of egg buyers have noticed that restaurants are charging higher prices or putting surcharges on egg-based dishes. Only 23% said they would pay the higher price, while 32.8% would order something without eggs in response, and 28.7% would eat at home instead.
- A quarter of consumers are worried about egg safety. While affordability and availability of eggs remain top consumer concerns (57.3% and 39.6% of egg buyers, respectively), 25.7% say they are concerned about the safety of egg products in light of recent government cuts (e.g., USDA, FDA, HHS).
Numerator’s latest egg survey was fielded 4/24/2025 to 1,050 verified egg buyers who made a purchase in the last three months. A prior version of this survey was fielded in January 2025. Egg purchase data was compiled using Numerator’s 150k household Total Commerce Panel.
About Numerator:
Numerator is a data and tech company bringing speed and scale to market research. Numerator blends first-party data from over 1 million US households with advanced technology to provide 360-degree consumer understanding for the market research industry that has been slow to change. Headquartered in Chicago, IL, Numerator has 5,800 employees worldwide; 80 of the top 100 CPG brands’ manufacturers are Numerator clients.
CONTACT: Bob Richter Numerator 212-802-8588 press@numerator.com
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