In 2023, the share of Americans who spend Thanksgiving only with their immediate family dropped to 31 percent. During the pandemic in 2020, almost half of Americans celebrated Thanksgiving in the company of their immediate family.

The number of Thanksgiving holiday travelers in the United States amounted to approximately 78.18 million in 2023. This shows an increase of around 2.6 percent compared to the number of travelers in 2019. In 2024, the number of Thanksgiving holiday travelers in the U.S. was forecast to reach 79.86 million.

In 2023, 70 percent of surveyed U.S. respondents stated that they expected to eat turkey during Thanksgiving. By contrast, 17 percent of respondents stated that they do not celebrate the holiday at all.

For Thanksgiving dinner in 2024, surveyed American consumers were most looking forward to stuffing as a side dish. Mashed potatoes with gravy was the second most favorite side dish for consumers.

In 2023, over 70 million Thanksgiving holiday travelers in the United States reached their destination by driving. Meanwhile, only 5.37 million travelers made it to their destination by flying. Both of these figures were forecast to increase over the following year.

This statistic shows the results of the exclusive GCS Special Holiday Season & New Year conducted in the United States in 2024. Americans were asked about the meaning of Thanksgiving. During the survey, 65 percent of the respondents answered that to them, Thanksgiving meant spending time with family.

Thanksgiving is celebrated in the United States, Canada, Liberia, Saint Lucia, and Grenada. In the United States, the celebration is held on the fourth Thursday in November. Thanksgiving dinner is an important tradition for Americans and this day is among the most popular holidays in the country. According to a survey conducted in 2020, the most popular Thanksgiving dishes in the United States were turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing or dressing. However, there were some slight regional differences. For instance, stuffing or dressing were more popular in the South and in the West. Bread and rolls, instead, were more common in the West and Midwest.

For Thanksgiving dinner in 2023, consumers over 55 were most looking forward to stuffing as a side dish. The youngest adults answering the survey stated that their favorite side dish was also stuffing. Compared with older respondents, mac and cheese and mashed potatoes were more popular among younger respondents.

2024 saw the average price for a Thanksgiving dinner decline to 58.08 U.S. dollars. In 2022, the average price for a complete Thanksgiving feast in the United States (U.S.) amounted to 64.05 U.S. dollars. The survey dinner includes turkey, bread stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls with butter, peas, cranberries, a relish tray of carrots and celery, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, and beverages of coffee and milk, all in quantities sufficient to serve a family of ten. Despite the recent decrease, there has been a general increase in the average cost for a Thanksgiving family dinner for over three decades. The most rapid increase happened between 2019 and 2022 when the average price grew by almost 40 percent. Turkey prices during Thanksgiving in the U.S. The price of a whole 16-pound turkey in the U.S. was 30.15 U.S. dollars in 2024. This is the highest retail price for a whole turkey since 2018. The price of a whole turkey has increased by close to nine U.S. dollars in comparison to 2021, which is a price increase of over 40.8 percent. Moreover, the average cost of a whole turkey varies among the different U.S. states. In California, for example, a whole 15-pound turkey costs on average 39.85 U.S. dollars, which is the most expensive among all selected states. The turkey is by far the most expensive ingredient for a ten-person Thanksgiving dinner. Several other typically purchased dinner ingredients, such as pumpkin pie mix, sweet potatoes, cubed stuffing mix, dinner rolls, and whole milk cost on average between 2.93 and 4.16 U.S. dollars. Traveling during Thanksgiving in the U.S. The national holiday of Thanksgiving is traditionally celebrated on November 26 in the United States. Close to one-third of Americans prefer to celebrate Thanksgiving at their relatives. Therefore, many Americans travel during Thanksgiving. The number of Thanksgiving holiday travelers in the United States is around 79.86 million. Since 2019, the amount of Thanksgiving travelers has fluctuated but increased by approximately two million. Cars are the preferred mode of transportation during Thanksgiving. Over 92 percent of the people who travel during Thanksgiving do so by car, while about 7.5 percent travel by airplane.

This statistic shows the results of the exclusive Consumer Insights Special "Christmas and Holiday Season", conducted in the United States in 2024. During the survey, some 20 percent of respondents stated that they will celebrate Thanksgiving 2024 with friends.

In 2024, 32 percent of consumers in the United States were planning to spend between 100 to 199 U.S. dollars for Thanksgiving. According to the survey, only about five percent of consumers were expecting to spend more than 300 U.S. dollars.

In a November 2023 survey, four percent of responding U.S. citizens stated that they will be at a Thanksgiving celebration with 20 or more people.

A survey conducted in October 2024 looking into how much could be expected to be spent by hosts on Thanksgiving dinner revealed that Gen Z and millennial hosts are potentially going to spend the highest amount on Thanksgiving dinner components such as food, drink and decor. For Gen X and baby boomers, Thanksgiving dinner expenses were expected to be below 400 U.S. dollars.

This statistic shows the popular Thanksgiving meal times among U.S. consumers in 2018, by age group. During the survey, 32 percent of the respondents aged 18 to 29 years answered that their Thanksgiving meal takes place in the early afternoon, around 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

This statistic shows the results of a survey conducted in the United States in October 2017. U.S. consumers were asked how much money they plan to spend on their Thanksgiving meal. During the survey, 14 percent of the respondents said that they planned to spend up to 20 U.S. dollars per person.

According to a survey conducted in 2024, 81 percent of Americans said that they plan to celebrate Thanksgiving this year. In comparison, 19 percent of Americans said that they would not be celebrating Thanksgiving in 2024.

On Thanksgiving, the favorite pie of American consumers is pumpkin pie. In a 2024 survey, approximately 29 percent of U.S. consumers stated that pumpkin pie was the favorite pie they would like to see on the table for Thanksgiving. Other popular choices were pecan and apple pie, which 14 and 20 percent of respondents preferred to see on Thanksgiving, respectively.

In the United States, the price of uncooked poultry such as turkeys increased by 7.2 percent in October 2023. The price of this Thanksgiving dinner staple had increased by 16.9 percent the year before. The price of potatoes, on the other hand, shrunk by 3.3 percent compared to the same period in 2022.

As of September 2024, approximately 47 percent of surveyed respondents in the United States planned to do their holiday shopping on Black Friday. About 43 percent of respondents planned to shop on Cyber Monday, an e-commerce term that refers to the Monday after the Thanksgiving weekend. These two occasions, also known to American consumers as a popular retail event by its joined acronym BFCM, fall on November 28 and December 2, respectively, in 2024.

This statistic shows the popular Thanksgiving meal times among U.S. consumers in 2017, by community type. During the survey, 44 percent of the respondents living in suburban communities answered that their Thanksgiving meal takes place in the early afternoon, around 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.