Most Americans who celebrate Thanksgiving—about 9 in 10, according to a 2021 poll—eat turkey with their holiday meal, perhaps alongside other favorite dishes such as mashed potatoes, green bean casserole and pumpkin pie. But if you’ve ever wondered why so many of us eat turkey on Thanksgiving, the answer is a bit more complicated than you may think.
Thanksgiving is one of the most beloved holidays in American culture. Families and friends gather together to feast on delicious food and give thanks for all that they have. The centerpiece of the traditional Thanksgiving meal is, of course, turkey. But just how many American homes actually serve turkey for their Thanksgiving dinner? In this article we’ll take a look at the statistics behind turkey consumption in the U.S. for this special holiday.
Turkey Remains the Most Popular Main Dish
While alternatives like ham, roast beef, and plant-based mains are growing in popularity, turkey still reigns supreme on most Thanksgiving tables According to the National Turkey Federation, an estimated 88% of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving. That percentage has held steady over the last decade, only fluctuating by a couple percentage points from year to year
So why has turkey remained so popular? There are a few likely reasons:
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Tradition – For many families, serving turkey is an ingrained part of their Thanksgiving tradition. Alternatives simply don’t feel right.
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Cost – Turkey is affordable, especially when buying a large bird to feed a crowd. The average cost per pound for a turkey is around $1.30.
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Availability – Turkeys are produced in abundance for Thanksgiving. Other main dish options may be harder to find or more expensive.
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Preparation – Many Americans have perfected their turkey recipe over the years. Other dishes require learning new cooking methods.
The Volume of Turkeys Eaten Is Staggering
Based on the National Turkey Federation’s survey stats, we can estimate that about 115 million Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving. With the U.S. population around 330 million, that’s more than a third of all Americans enjoying a turkey dinner.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture tracks the total number of turkeys raised for food each year. That number gives us an idea of how many turkeys are actually cooked for Thanksgiving feasts. Here are some of the stats:
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In 2021, 244 million turkeys were raised in the U.S.
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Of those, about 46 million were eaten for Thanksgiving meals.
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The total weight of turkeys produced in 2021 was 5.9 billion pounds.
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In 2022, there was a turkey shortage due to avian flu. Total production dropped to 233 million turkeys.
As you can see, the Thanksgiving holiday accounts for a huge portion of all turkey consumption in the U.S. In fact, Americans eat more turkey on Thanksgiving than the rest of the year combined!
The Popularity Varies By Region
Turkey consumption on Thanksgiving does vary by region across the United States. Usage tends to be highest on the East Coast and parts of the Midwest. This could be attributed to more established historical traditions stemming from the first Thanksgiving feast.
Based on Google Trends data, the states with the highest Thanksgiving turkey interest are:
- West Virginia
- District of Columbia
- Kentucky
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
The states with lowest interest tend to be concentrated on the West Coast and Southwest. Regional cuisine differences and more diverse populations likely play a role in these areas.
Household Sizes Impact Portion Needs
How much turkey individual homes cook for Thanksgiving depends largely on the number of guests they plan to serve. On average, whole turkeys range from 8 to 24 pounds.
Here are some general turkey cooking guidelines based on party size:
- 4 to 8 people – 12-15 pound turkey
- 10 to 15 people – 15-18 pound turkey
- 16 to 20 people – 20-24 pound turkey
Of course, precise portioning depends on the age and appetites of your guests too. It’s best to estimate 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of turkey per person if you have lots of hearty eaters at your dinner.
Leftovers Are Part of the Fun
One of the joys of Thanksgiving is the leftovers! Turkey sandwiches, turkey tettrazini, turkey soup, the possibilities are endless. More than half of Thanksgiving diners report looking forward to these tasty turkey leftover recipes.
With that in mind, many families intentionally buy a larger turkey than they need for the initial meal. The extras get incorporated into dishes throughout the following week. So don’t be afraid to go big on your Thanksgiving centerpiece bird!
Turkey Prices Fluctuate Annually
Since turkeys are in such high demand for Thanksgiving, prices often increase in the weeks leading up to the holiday. Some years, shortages or production issues cause greater price spikes. Here are the average per-pound costs over the last three years:
- 2022 – $1.63 per pound
- 2021 – $1.36 per pound
- 2020 – $1.04 per pound
In 2023, turkey prices are expected to be lower than 2022. But they’ll still be higher than pre-pandemic costs. Shoppers can expect to pay around $1.30 to $1.40 per pound this Thanksgiving.
Alternatives Are Gaining Traction
While turkey is still the clear favorite for Thanksgiving, alternative main dishes are growing more popular. As more Americans go vegan, vegetarian or flexitarian, plant-based mains are showing up on more holiday tables.
Likewise, other types of meat and poultry are providing options for those tired of turkey. Here are some of the most popular Thanksgiving main dish alternatives right now:
- Ham
- Roast beef
- Pork roast
- Salmon
- Tofurkys and other plant-based roasts
Despite these options, turkey is still expected to dominate Thanksgiving feasts for years to come. The vast majority of Americans will continue their tradition of gathering around a turkey dinner this November.
So how many American homes will eat turkey this Thanksgiving? The numbers make it clear that turkey remains an iconic centerpiece for this beloved holiday.
‘Mother of Thanksgiving’ Popularizes Turkey
But like most of the Thanksgiving traditions we know today, turkey didn’t become widely synonymous with that November holiday until the mid-19th century. This was largely thanks to the efforts of the writer and editor Sarah Josepha Hale, who became known as the “mother of Thanksgiving.”
In her 1827 novel Northwood, Hale included an entire chapter on Thanksgiving celebrations in her native New England and other regions. She also used her platform as editor of the magazine Godey’s Lady’s Book to sway both politicians and the public toward the idea of a national Thanksgiving holiday.
By 1854, thanks in large part to Hale’s work, more than 30 states and U.S. territories had an annual commemoration of Thanksgiving. President Abraham Lincoln made it official in 1863, declaring the last Thursday in November as a national Thanksgiving holiday.
Turkey was a key part of Hale’s Thanksgiving vision. She drew on Bradford’s text—which was stolen by the British during the Revolutionary War but resurfaced in 1854—in order to build up the mythology surrounding the 1621 meal.
Though Bradford’s text didn’t specifically link turkey with the feast shared by the Pilgrims and Wampanoag, Hale made turkey into the center of her ideal Thanksgiving meal, along with a lot of other stuff. “Her descriptions of Thanksgiving sound like massive buffets, with every kind of animal you could imagine,” Abrell says.
First Thanksgiving: No Turkey on the Table?
There’s no solid evidence that turkey was on the menu in late 1621, when the Pilgrim settlers of Plymouth Colony sat down with indigenous Wampanoag people for what we now recognize as the first Thanksgiving celebration. First Thanksgiving Meal
According to a contemporary account of that event by colonist Edward Winslow, the settlers and Native Americans dined on venison, fish and shellfish as well as corn and other vegetables. While “fowl” may have been served, that may well have referred to seasonal waterfowl like duck or geese, rather than turkey.
Turkeys were plentiful in the region when the Pilgrims arrived, however. Estimates put the total number of wild turkeys in North America at more than 10 million before European settlement began. In his history of Plymouth Plantation, written more than 20 years later, the colony’s longtime governor William Bradford referred to a “great store of Wild Turkies” around the time of that famous meal in 1621.
Elan Abrell, a cultural anthropologist and assistant professor in animal studies at Wesleyan University, points out that Spanish explorers brought wild turkeys from Mexico and Central America to Europe in the 1500s.
“They were probably more often being eaten by wealthier people [than the Pilgrims], but its quite possible the Pilgrims knew what turkeys were already,” Abrell says. “I cant imagine a reason why they wouldnt have hunted them, because turkeys are relatively easy to hunt and feed more people than smaller birds.”
By 1789, when George Washington declared a day of national thanksgiving—a one-off, not a recurring holiday—Americans were eating quite a bit of turkey. “I dont know that I would say it was a staple, but it was certainly being hunted and eaten by the 19th century,” Abrell says. “It was almost extinct in the wild by that time.”
How many turkeys do Americans eat at Thanksgiving?
FAQ
What percent of American homes eat turkey on Thanksgiving?
What percent of Americans don’t eat turkey on Thanksgiving?
Which country consumes the most turkey on Thanksgiving?
Why do American people eat turkey in Thanksgiving?
How many turkeys do Americans eat on Thanksgiving?
Here’s your Thanksgiving by the numbers. In 2017, Americans ate 45 million turkeys over Thanksgiving, according to an estimate by the National Turkey Federation, an advocacy organization for turkey farmers. And Thanksgiving birds are sizable: The average turkey bought for Thanksgiving is 16 pounds, according to the federation.
Should Americans stay home for Thanksgiving?
Public health officials have been pleading with Americans to stay home this year for Thanksgiving. And, despite busy airports this past weekend, most people plan to follow their advice, according to a huge survey asking Americans about their holiday plans. The map shows the geographic variation in those plans, and there are partisan splits, too.
What is a typical Thanksgiving meal?
A traditional Thanksgiving meal in the United States commonly features turkey roast, mashed potatoes with gravy, sweet (mashed) potatoes, bread stuffing, cranberry sauce, sweet corn, vegetables of the season, bread rolls with butter and pumpkin pie with whipped cream as dessert.
Why was Turkey a key part of Hale’s Thanksgiving vision?
Turkey was a key part of Hale’s Thanksgiving vision. She drew on Bradford’s text—which was stolen by the British during the Revolutionary War but resurfaced in 1854—in order to build up the mythology surrounding the 1621 meal.