Boxes of eggs rose 80 cents last month, and now near the $5 mark

You’re seriously still going out to brunch? In this economy?

2/13/25 9:15AM

It seems that the old adage could do with an update: in 2025, you can’t make an omelette without breaking the bank.

Sunny side’s up

Eggs are expensive now. You know it, we know it, and anyone who’s been to a grocery store in America, shelled out for the egg surcharge at Waffle House, or tried to buy more boxes than they’re allowed at Costco knows it, too. But, with the latest inflation data out this week, the news that the average price for a dozen eggs now veers dangerously close to the $5 mark — an all-time high — still makes for a striking chart.

Per the latest FRED figures, the average cost for a box of 12 large Grade A eggs (the most commonly stocked category in America — less firm whites than the AA class, but still superior to the Bs) soared from $4.15 in December to $4.95 last month.

That $0.80 spike is attributed to America’s ongoing bird flu outbreak, and accounted for about two-thirds of overall grocery inflation last month, per government figures.

Hyunsoo Rim

hardly working

5/27/26

Teens aren’t getting summer jobs like they used to — this year could be worse than ever

Teen summer hiring in the US might hit its lowest level since federal tracking began, new report finds.

Saleah Blancaflor

5/15/26

From Desi Arnaz to SpaceX: Understanding the rules of the modern economy

We talked with “Planet Money” author Alex Mayyasi about how AI might help or replace you, the superstar effect, and how the compounding effect extends beyond money.

Globes covered with various currencies suspended in space

Millie Giles5/8/26

Ahead of Mother’s Day, Google searches for “same day flower delivery” have ticked up a little earlier this year

If you’ve already made plans for a Mother’s Day gift in advance of this Sunday, congratulations. But if alarm bells are suddenly ringing, consider this a gentle reminder that, like a sizable share of the US population this time of year often does, you can still scrape together some last-minute flowers for the woman who carried you for nine months.

Data from Google Trends reveals that searches for “same day flower delivery” spike in the US in May every year, when Mother’s Day takes place. As we noted last February, the same query also gains traction around Valentine’s Day.

This year, however, it appears that searches for last-minute flowers have remained elevated in the last two months after the usual peak in February — with the search interest this April actually exceeding that seen around Cupid’s Day.

Honestly, we’re not sure why searches are spiking a little early. One explanation might be that Passover and Easter have overlapped at the start of April, and Americans wanted to celebrate with some flowers. Maybe it’s a host of Claude bots that are now running errands for AI-obsessed execs — or perhaps Americans are just impulse-buying some seasonal spring blooms after an unusually warm March, without a particular occasion.