Meat Prices This Week: Grocery Prices by Region

What meat costs at the grocery store this week, region by region, straight from USDA data. Each price is the average advertised feature price, weighted by how many stores ran the ad, for 43 beef, pork, poultry and lamb cuts in USDA’s 8 regions. Pick your region to see its prices, how they compare with the national average and where the best price is; your pick carries over to every guide’s price block. Looking for what stores, butchers and restaurants pay? See wholesale meat prices.

How to read these numbers

These are advertised sale prices, not everyday shelf prices: what stores put in their weekly ads, which is where the deals are. The store count shows how many stores ran the ad; under 10, a price is grayed because a few ads can swing it, and it never counts as the best price. Each cut follows one USDA item, named under it, so its price and its 12-month line describe the same thing, and “vs last week” and “vs last year” compare that item in the same region. Pick any of the last 52 ad weeks, or download what you are looking at as a CSV. Feeding a crowd? Each guide’s serving calculator tells you how much to buy. Cooking for money? The catering calculator prices the whole job.

Questions about grocery meat prices

Why are these prices from last week’s ads?

USDA’s weekly retail report covers ads running Saturday through Friday and is published the Friday after that week ends, so the newest data is always about a week old. Every price is labeled with the run of ads it covers, and the page says when the next week is due.

Are these the prices at my store?

They are averages of advertised feature prices, the sale prices stores put in their weekly ads, not everyday shelf prices. Your store can be higher or lower; the store count shows how many stores ran the ad and the low-high range shows the spread.

Where is meat cheapest this week?

The Best price column names the region with the lowest advertised price for each cut, counting only regions where at least 10 stores ran the ad, so one store’s sale cannot win. The line above the table lists the best prices for the cuts people smoke most.

What is a good price per pound for brisket?

Check the brisket row: the national average, your region’s price and the 12-month line show what a normal week looks like. A price at or under the low points of the last year is a good buy; whole packer brisket is usually the cheapest way to buy it per pound.

How are grocery prices different from wholesale prices?

Grocery prices are what you pay at the store. Wholesale is what stores, butchers and restaurants pay for the boxed cut at the packing plant, and the shelf price also covers cutting, packaging, labor, shrink and the store’s margin. See wholesale meat prices for the same cuts.