Egg prices increased more than 500 percent between 1900 and 2014, and rose as much as 150 percent more in 2015 alone, depending on the region. Eggs cost 23 cents per dozen in 1900 and 91 cents per dozen in 1980, and hit an all-time high of $1.45 per carton in 2014. In August 2015, a dozen large eggs cost about $2.75 in the Midwest and $3.61 in California.Continue Reading
Factoring in inflation, the value of eggs decreased significantly over the course of the 20th century. Consumers in 2000 paid up to 75 percent less for eggs than shoppers in 1900, in comparison to wages and other living costs.
In 2003, egg prices spiked to an average cost of $1.56 per dozen, but dropped back down to $1.20 the following year. In 2007, prices peaked again at $2.10 per dozen. Consumers paid an average of $2.21 per carton in 2014.
The U.S. economy experienced the most dramatic increase in the price of eggs in history in 2015, when prices jumped to over $3 per carton in some areas. Several factors contributed to this significant change in price, including increases in feed costs, regulations requiring farmers to upgrade facilities, and an avian flu outbreak that resulted in the loss of more than 48 million turkeys and chickens.Learn more about Food Facts