Iowa Is One Of The Most Expensive States To Get A Thanksgiving Turkey In 2025

Ah the holidays, when we're all spending money.

If you have the unfortunate duty of hosting Thanksgiving this year, you're going to pay quite a bit for the turkey.

Data compiled by FinanceBuzz shows how much it's going to be (in scale of a 15-pound turkey across multiple grocery stores) and it's just as pricey as you would expect from grocery prices this year.

For a 15-pound turkey, the national average this year is $34.65, which is up 11% from last year's average cost of $31.16. But in Iowa, the price is even higher.

Iowa is paying $41.35 for a turkey this year.

Iowa is the 3rd most expensive state to get a Thanksgiving turkey. Meanwhile, Illinois is lower than the national average: coming in at $28.40 on average for a 15-pound turkey. They actually rank as one of the nation's most affordable places to get a turkey this year.

Besides Iowa, Montana is the only other mainland state paying over $40 for turkey. Hawaii and Alaska are the only 2 states that outrank Iowa on turkey cost. Hawaii's average is $55.70 and Alaska's is $42.35 (just $1 higher than Iowa).

The cheapest state to get a Thanksgiving turkey, if you're feeling like a road trip, is Oklahoma, where the average bird price is $24.85.

However, there's some good news compared to years past. Even though the $34 national average sounds high, it's still cheaper than it was in 2022 and 2023. A 15-pound turkey can feed about 10 people, for scale. If Iowa's going to have turkeys over $40, it better be pretty darn good turkey!