For everyday Americans, some consumer prices are skyrocketing.
Now more than $6 a dozen, the average price of eggs has cracked all-time highs for a third consecutive month, jumping 30 cents in March despite bullish predictions by the Trump administration. The costs of ground beef and electricity also broke previous records that were set this year, according to the latest data from the Consumer Price Index.
But while some prices are soaring, the cost of many goods and services has stayed much the same with the change of administrations. Milk, bananas, tomatoes, chicken, gasoline and natural gas saw only small increases or decreases month-over-month, and the average price of things like bread and oranges dropped a more measurable amount.
Though many of these changes are not directly linked to the White House, they may soon be, with a burgeoning global trade war sure to affect average prices everywhere from the grocery store to the pump.
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The Tribune is tracking 11 everyday costs for Americans — eggs, milk, bread, bananas, oranges, tomatoes, chicken, ground beef, gasoline, electricity and natural gas — and how they are changing, or not, under the second Trump administration. This tracker is updated monthly using CPI data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
To see the average U.S. price of a specific good, click on the dropdown arrow below and select the item you wish to view.
Eggs
In March, the average cost of eggs went up by nearly 6%, due to an ongoing outbreak of avian influenza. With entire flocks culled to prevent the spread of the virus, the egg supply has been strained, leading to shortages in stores and inflated costs for consumers.
The average price for a dozen large Grade A eggs is now $6.23 nationwide — a new record according to CPI data. But in many Chicago-area grocery stores, egg prices far exceed that national average, leading some Chicagoans to consider backyard chickens as an alternative amid sticker shock.
Milk
It’s not just poultry flocks and wild birds that have been affected by bird flu. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the virus has been reported in dairy cows since March 2024, and two months ago a new type of bird flu was detected in a herd in Nevada.
But unlike egg prices, the cost of milk has remained relatively unchanged. A gallon of fresh, fortified whole milk will set you back about $4.05, according to the March average. With the price per gallon just a few cents more than it was in February and less than a 5% increase in cost since the first reported cases in dairy cows, it appears that — at least for now — bird flu has not seriously disrupted milk production.
Bread
One pantry staple that saw a decrease in price month-over-month was bread. According to the national average, white bread was about $1.88 per pound in March. Though the cost has shifted minimally in the last 12 months, bread is priced higher than it was just a few years ago — and about 37% higher than it was in 2020.
Bananas
One item that hasn’t seen much fluctuation in recent years: bananas. The cost of bananas has remained reliably low — hovering at $0.63 per pound as of March. While a small increase from February, prices haven’t changed by more than 5 cents in either direction going back to October 2020.
Oranges
U.S. consumers will be happy to know the price of oranges is falling again, dropping almost 18% from October’s record high. Though prices remain higher than normal, this trend matches the typical seasonality of the fruit market, with oranges cheaper in the winter months, then increasing in price throughout the spring and summer and eventually peaking in September or October each year.
The average cost per pound for navel oranges is $1.48 nationwide.
Tomatoes
Though perhaps not the first thing you think of when you hear the term “staple food,” tomatoes are an essential ingredient in all kinds of dishes, from pasta and pizza, to soups, salads and BLT sandwiches.
In the U.S., the average price of field-grown tomatoes was $1.82 per pound as of March. That cost is slightly lower than the previous month, but down 11% year-over-year.
Like oranges, tomato prices vary depending on the time of year, rising throughout the harvesting season, peaking in the early winter months and then plummeting around January or February each year.
Chicken
Chicken prices have also been hard hit by bird flu — though not as significantly as egg prices.
The national average crested above $2 per pound for fresh, whole chicken for the first time last year and hit a record high of $2.08 in November. Since then, the average price has been roughly the same. According to the latest CPI figures, chicken is $2.06 per pound.
Ground Beef
Your next backyard burger or ballpark dog might be more expensive, with the cost of ground beef exploding.
Prices spiked again from February to March, jumping nearly 2% to an all-time high, according to BLS data. The average price of 100% beef ground chuck is now $5.85 per pound — 11 cents more than the previous record set just last month.
This is likely due to a number of factors. In addition to several major ground beef recalls reported in recent months, the U.S. cattle inventory is at a 25-year low, and severe drought in parts of the country has further reduced the feed supply, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
More recently, China and the European Union announced new tariffs on beef, among other U.S. farm exports, hinting that this may not be the last time we see record prices this year.
Maybe 2025 is the year to give vegetarianism a try?
Electricity
In March, the average price of electricity nationwide was 18 cents per kilowatt-hour. While that average has remained more or less the same since May of last year, like the cost of many other goods and services, there’s been a gradual increase in the price since 2020.
Though only a fraction of a cent more, the average price logged this past month was the highest on record — going back more than 45 years.
Gasoline
One place Americans may see some slight relief? At the pump.
The cost of gas fell just 3 cents month-over-month to $3.23 per gallon of regular unleaded. Still, that’s almost a 10% decrease from this time last year and markedly less than the jaw-dropping prices many Americans saw three summers ago.
Prices in Chicago, meanwhile, are about 15 cents higher than the nationwide average, sitting at $3.38 per gallon, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Natural Gas
Piped utility gas, or natural gas, is another expense that’s climbing.
Average prices nationwide sit at $1.60 per therm. That’s the highest it’s been in two years and more than 40 cents higher than the 20-year average.
