Consumers Willing to Pay Up to $4.90 per Dozen; 40% Skip the Purchase Altogether and 26% Trade up to Premium Brands When Standard Eggs are Sold Out
CHICAGO, January 30, 2025 (GlobeNewswire) – Numerator, a data and tech company serving the market research space, has published a new article–Cracking The Code On The Rising Price of Eggs–sourced from verified purchase data and a sentiment survey of over 1,000 verified egg buyers on their sentiment around prices, shortages, and possible replacements. 71% of U.S. egg shoppers say the current price of eggs in their area is somewhat or very expensive, and the average price they are willing to pay for a dozen eggs is just under $5.
- Nearly three-quarters of egg buyers are taking note of higher prices. 71% of egg buyers say they find the current price of eggs in their area somewhat or very expensive. Rural buyers are half as likely to say eggs are very affordable (3% vs. 6% for all consumers), and consumers in the Midwest are the most likely to find eggs to be very expensive (39% vs. 33%).
- Buyers say a dozen eggs should cost less than $5. Egg prices climbed 47% year-over-year in 2024, and the average price egg buyers say they are willing to pay for a dozen eggs is $4.90. 68% of shoppers say their max price is between $3 and $5, while fewer than 5% of egg shoppers are willing to pay more than $10 per dozen.
- Demographics play a part in the willingness to pay more for eggs. Younger shoppers are more willing to pay higher prices, as are Hispanic shoppers and individuals in the Western U.S. and urban areas. Willingness to pay also differs based on where shoppers buy their eggs—Aldi egg buyers are only willing to pay $3.83 per dozen, while Albertson’s egg buyers are willing to pay up to $5.21.
- Private label accounted for the majority of egg sales in 2024. 69% of category dollars were spent on private label brands in 2024, with the top five egg brands being Walmart’s Great Value (20.6% share), Costco’s Kirkland Signature (12.7%), Eggland’s Best (7.1%), Kroger brand (5.5%) and Aldi brand (4.2%). The top egg retailers were Walmart, Costco, Kroger, Albertson’s and Aldi.
- Nearly a quarter of egg buyers choose the least expensive option. While standard eggs are the most popular (45% of buyers say they purchase), many also opt for cage free (27%) or free range (23%) varieties. 23% of egg buyers say they choose whatever eggs are cheapest.
- Over half of egg buyers are also noticing shortages. 55% say they’ve noticed shortages or out-of-stocks at their local food retailers in the past month. Western consumers were more likely to have noticed shortages (70%), as well as households who buy their eggs at BJ’s, Costco, Target, Trader Joe’s, and Publix.
- 2 in 5 shoppers will skip the purchase if standard eggs are sold out. If only higher priced premium eggs are available, 24% of shoppers will check another nearby store, 26% of shoppers will trade up to higher priced premium eggs, and 40% will skip the purchase and check back another time. 7% will purchase an egg substitute, and Gen Z is 2.5 times more likely to do so (17%).
- If all eggs are sold out, many will skip the purchase entirely. If all egg varieties are unavailable, the chance of skipping the purchase rises to 48% and checking nearby stores jumps to 42%. When faced with unavailability or only expensive options, shoppers would be likely to substitute with dairy products (33%), breakfast grains (24%), breakfast meats (24%), and liquid egg alternatives (21%), but 25% will not make any substitutions.
- Most buyers purchase eggs on a regular basis. 8% of egg buyers purchase multiple times per week, 34% purchase once per week, and 34% purchase every couple of weeks.
- Younger generations purchase eggs more frequently. Gen Z & Millennials are more likely to purchase eggs multiple times a week (10% and 11% vs. 8% for all consumers), while Boomers+ are more likely to purchase every couple of weeks (41% vs. 34%). Compared to all consumers, Hispanic consumers are twice as likely to purchase eggs multiple times a week (18% vs. 8%), while Black consumers are more likely to purchase eggs about once a month (24% vs. 17%).
- Nearly 9 in 10 egg buyers use eggs for breakfast dishes. The most common way for egg buyers to use the eggs they purchase is for breakfast dishes (86%), as an ingredient in baked goods (68%), eaten alone as a snack or meal (45%), as a protein addition to other meals (43%), and for savory cooking (33%).
- Affordability and availability of eggs are top concerns for buyers. Considering recent events, egg buyers are concerned about affordability of eggs (59%), availability of eggs (44%), and the spread of avian flu impacting egg safety (31%). Boomers+ are more likely to be concerned about all possible impacts, while Gen Z is more likely to worry about contracting salmonella from contaminated eggs (27% vs. 19% for all consumers) and feel uncertainty about proper handling or cooking to reduce risks (29% vs. 13%).
- Few consumers are highly concerned about potential health risks, but this differs by ethnicity and income level. Only 15% of egg buyers report high concern about potential health risks such as avian flu or salmonella, but concern is 1.5–2 times higher among Black (27%) and Asian (24%) consumers, and low-income consumers (20%) are more concerned than their middle income (16%) and high income (11%) counterparts.
Numerator’s egg survey was fielded in January 2025 to 1,006 verified egg buyers who made a purchase in the last three months. Egg purchase data for 2024 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.
