How Much Does the Average American Spend on Thanksgiving? 15+ A-Maize-Ing Statistics

Kicking off the holiday season with some turkey, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, corn pudding, and pumpkin pie on the table, accompanied with a little bit of wine, while surrounded by family and friends, sounds like a typical Thanksgiving Day to many.

Some may splurge a bit more on this yearly feast, while others prefer to keep it simple.

Key Thanksgiving Statistics for 2025 - Editor’s Choice

• Americans spent over $983.3 million on Thanksgiving turkeys in 2024.
• In 2024, Americans spent a whopping average of $431 on the Thanksgiving party.
• 36% of Thanksgiving hosts were projected to take on debt to finance the dinner in 2024.
• In 2024, Gen Zers were expected to be the generation to splurge the most on the Thanksgiving party.
• Americans purchase approximately 80 million pounds of cranberries during Thanksgiving week.

A 16-pound turkey will cost an average of $25.67 in 2024.

(American Farm Bureau Information)

The price has gone down 6% compared to the year before, but is still much higher than it was before the economic issues that started in the 2020s. For example, in 2018, the cost of a 16-lb turkey was just $13.46. 

Americans spent more than $983.3 million on Thanksgiving turkeys in 2024.

(Finder)

This represents a significant decrease compared to previous few years. For example, in 2023, Americans spent more than $1.2 billion on turkeys for this holiday alone.

During Thanksgiving Day 2024, people spent a record-breaking $6.1 billion on online shopping.

(Forbes)

This comes as no surprise, given that statistics indicate that more than 60% of Americans prefer to shop for holiday gifts online. What’s more, Thanksgiving week overlaps with Black Friday and Cyber Monday, when online shopping typically reaches its peak. The overall spending increased by 8.8% compared to 2023.

In 2024, Americans spent a whopping average of $431 on the Thanksgiving party.

(Lending Tree)

This is up by 19% compared to the year before. Six-figure earners spent the most, with $579 on average, followed by men with $496 and parents with young children, who spent an average of $493.

11% of Americans planned to skip Thanksgiving completely in 2024.

(Lending Tree)

The same survey found that 33% planned to celebrate it elsewhere, while 29% said that they were the ones hosting a Thanksgiving party.

In 2024, 36% of Thanksgiving hosts were projected to take on debt to finance the dinner.

(Lending Tree)

Some 14% of hosts claimed they regretted hosting Thanksgiving, and 34% said they used credit cards to pay for the costs.

In 2024, Gen Zers were expected to be the generation to splurge the most on the Thanksgiving party.

(Yahoo!)

Gen Z Americans are now the biggest spenders when it comes to hosting Thanksgiving parties. They were projected to spend $491 on average per party, compared to baby boomers, who were to cash out $292.4.

Americans purchase approximately 80 million pounds of cranberries during Thanksgiving week.

(Agricultural Marketing Resource Center)

Americans buy around 400 million pounds of cranberries over the course of a year, 20% of which during Thanksgiving week.

Around 40% of sales of Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup go toward making the green bean casserole.

(Smithsonian Mag) 

The green bean casserole is another signature Thanksgiving dish. That’s why it comes as no surprise that the sale of its ingredients, including Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup, increase during that time of the year.

The recipe, which includes a can of Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup, green beans, milk,  fried onions, black pepper, and soy sauce, dates back to 1955. That’s when a woman by the name of Dorcas Reilly, a supervisor for Campbell’s test kitchen, was asked to create a recipe for an Associated Press feature, and she came up with this now-famous dish.

47% of Americans planned to spend over $500 on Thanksgiving travel in 2024.

(Silive)

The cost of Thanksgiving doesn’t come down solely to food and drinks. A survey showed that 51% or over 132 million Americans planned to travel on Thanksgiving in 2024.

The most expensive Thanksgiving dinner ever cost $181,000.

(CNBC)

In 2019, Old Homestead Steakhouse, a Manhattan restaurant, was offering what was termed the “world’s most expensive Thanksgiving dinner.” But what did this offer include? As is to be expected, this was a turkey dinner. It included two 20-pound free-range turkeys covered in edible gold flakes. 

The turkeys were served along with seafood bread stuffing, candied sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and cranberry sauce. For dessert, there was a range of pies, namely, pumpkin, coconut custard, pecan, and apple pies. When it comes to drinks, this package included Cristal champagne.

Those who decided to cash out for this luxurious dinner also received four tickets to the Super Bowl LIV in Miami, two tickets to “The Voice,” two iPhone 11 Pro Maxes, a SeaDream Yacht Club Cruise for two, and more.

Turkey is the most disliked Thanksgiving food in 2024.

(The Vacationer)

While this fact may seem strange, it is still true, according to the latest survey, which found that 34.84% respondents point to turkey as their least favorite part of the dinner, while apple pie is the most liked food on the menu.

63% of guests brought homemade side-dishes to their Thanksgiving host's gathering in 2024.

(Lending Tree)

This is followed by deserts, with 32% of respondents bringing them to the gatherings, while 26% of guests brought alcohol.