Thanksgiving by the numbers: Thousands of flight delays, millions of turkeys sold — and just how much will dinner cost?
Thanksgiving is tomorrow and millions of Americans are traveling around the country to spend the holiday with their loved ones as the festive season kicks off.
Around 25% of Americans are planning to spend between $100 and $200 this turkey day, according to Statista, a global data platform — making it clear that people are planning a celebration.
Below is a quick breakdown of Thanksgiving 2023 by the numbers.
How many people are traveling this Thanksgiving? 👨👩👧👦
More than 55 million Americans are expected to travel for Thanksgiving year, according to AAA, an increase of 2.3% from last year. This makes it the third-busiest travel season since AAA began tracking travel data in 2000 (behind 2005 and 2019).
How many people will drive? 🚗
It is estimated that at least 49 million Americans will travel by car over the Thanksgiving holiday, especially on Wednesday, when the roads will be the busiest from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. “For many Americans, Thanksgiving and travel go hand in hand, and this holiday, we expect more people on the roads, skies, and seas compared to 2022,” Paula Twidale, senior vice president of AAA Travel, said.
Read more from Yahoo Finance: Thanksgiving travelers will see lowest gas prices since 2020
What about by plane? ✈️
The Transportation Security Administration said it expects to screen at least 30 million passengers from Nov. 17 through Nov. 28. It also anticipates that at least 2.9 million people will get screened on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, which would be the most-ever screened on a single day.
Flight cancellations and delays
Thousands of flights have been delayed or canceled just as the holiday season gets underway. More than 2,000 flights were delayed across the U.S. on Tuesday and 30 were canceled due to severe weather.
How many turkeys do Americans eat each year? 🦃
More than 46 million turkeys are eaten each Thanksgiving, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. And the National Turkey Federation says around 88% of Americans eat the bird on turkey day.
Read more from Yahoo News: Biden pardons turkeys Liberty and Bell. What happens next for the birds?
What about cranberry sauce?
Americans consume about 80 million pounds of cranberries during Thanksgiving week — said to be 20% of the yearly consumption, according to the agricultural cooperative Ocean Spray.
Is Thanksgiving more expensive this year than in previous years? 💰
According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, turkey day dinners may be cheaper than last year, however, the average price has increased since 2019.
The average cost of a dinner is $6.12 per person compared to last year’s $6.40.
How many floats will be included in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade?
According to Macy’s, there will be 25 balloons, 31 floats, 11 marching bands, and 16 notable names, including Cher and Jon Batiste.
