USDA cuts egg price outlook as output rebounds strongly
Annual average forecast to hit lowest level since 2019
1 June 2026
1 minute read
By: Table egg production is set to rise sharply in 2026, according to the USDA's April Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Outlook, with a recovering layer flock driving output higher even as prices are revised down across the year.
Table-egg production in February 2026 totalled 597.3 million dozen, up 5.1% year over year. This is primarily the result of a 5.9% larger average table-egg layer inventory (312.9 million hens), as the average lay rate in February was 81.8 eggs per 100 layers per day, down 0.7 eggs from the same month last year. In the month of February, 9.47 million commercial table-egg layers were lost to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), but the layer inventory on March 1 increased by 5.8 million birds month over month to 315.8 million.
Reflecting expectations for a quickly recovering table-egg laying flock, first-quarter estimated production was adjusted upwards to 1,915 million dozen, and second-quarter projected production was adjusted upward to 1,960 million dozen. The third- and fourth-quarter projections are unchanged at 2,000 and 2,025 million dozen respectively, resulting in a new 2026 total table-egg production projection of 7,900 million dozen, an increase of 5.4% from 2025.
Projected average wholesale table-egg prices for 2026 were adjusted lower, reflecting increased production expectations. The second-quarter price is adjusted down to 80 cents per dozen, the third quarter to 85 cents, and the fourth quarter to 120 cents per dozen. This results in a new annual average price projection of 102.6 cents per dozen, which would be the lowest annual average price since 2019.
The February average retail price for a dozen eggs reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics was $2.50, down 58%, or $3.40, from February 2025.
