Egg price calculator

How the price is built

1. Dozens per month: hens × eggs per hen per week × 4.33 weeks, divided by 12. Count what you collect, not what the breed page promises.
2. Flock cost per dozen: feed plus everything else for the month, spread over those dozens. Feed is usually two-thirds of it.
3. Carton: added per dozen if you buy them.
4. Price: cost ÷ (1 − margin). A 25% margin on a $3.00 dozen is $4.00, not $3.75; margins are a share of the price, not a markup on the cost.

Selling for the first time? Read how to sell backyard eggs first: the rules on licences, cartons and labels are set by your state.

Common questions

How much should I charge for a dozen eggs?

Start from what a dozen costs you: feed and other monthly costs divided by the dozens your hens actually lay, plus the carton. That is your break-even price. Then add the profit you want as a share of the price. Most keepers who lose money on eggs never did the division; the calculator does it for you.

What do store eggs cost right now?

$2.27 a dozen for Grade A large eggs in U.S. cities in Aug 2026, the latest month the Bureau of Labor Statistics has published. That is the national average for supermarket eggs; local prices and premium eggs run higher.

Do I have to refrigerate eggs I sell?

Federal rule 21 CFR 115.50 says shell eggs held for retail distribution must be stored and displayed under refrigeration at an ambient temperature of 45°F (7.2°C) or lower while held at a retail establishment. Whether a porch cooler or market table counts as a retail establishment is a question for your state, and most states have their own refrigeration rules for small sellers, so check your state department of agriculture.

Does the FDA safe handling statement apply to my cartons?

21 CFR 101.17(h)(1) requires the label of all shell eggs, whether in intrastate or interstate commerce, to carry the statement "SAFE HANDLING INSTRUCTIONS: To prevent illness from bacteria: keep eggs refrigerated, cook eggs until yolks are firm, and cook foods containing eggs thoroughly." The text has no flock-size exemption. It must be prominent, with those three words in bold, set off in a box by hairlines, on the principal display panel, the information panel or the inside of the lid.

Is there a federal exemption for small flocks?

Two, and they are often confused. USDA's egg-products rules (7 CFR 57.100) exempt sales by a producer with an annual production from 3,000 hens or fewer, and direct sales to a household consumer from the producer's own flock limited to 30 dozen per sale, with the proviso that the exemptions do not apply where state or local law prohibits. The FDA Egg Safety Rule (21 CFR 118.1) covers producers with 3,000 or more laying hens who don't sell all their eggs directly to consumers. Neither one overrides your state's egg law, which is where small sellers' licensing, labeling and carton rules actually live.

1. Average Price: Eggs, Grade A, Large, per Dozen in U.S. City Average (series APU0000708111). U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
2. 21 CFR § 115.50, Refrigeration of shell eggs held for retail distribution. Code of Federal Regulations, via eCFR.
3. 21 CFR § 101.17, Food labeling warning, notice, and safe handling statements (paragraph (h), shell eggs). Code of Federal Regulations, via eCFR.
4. 7 CFR § 57.100, Specific exemptions (Egg Products Inspection Act regulations). Code of Federal Regulations, via eCFR.
5. 21 CFR § 118.1, Persons covered by the requirements in this part (the FDA Egg Safety Rule). Code of Federal Regulations, via eCFR.

We read each document ourselves and last checked this page against them on October 6, 2026. Where they disagree, we show you the disagreement instead of picking a winner quietly.