Egg prices at the grocery store shocked many consumers over the recent holiday season, and those prices are expected to continue to climb after an unanticipated spike in the number of bird flu cases in late 2024 led to a significant drop in the number of egg-laying hens in the United States.

With the prices of everything from gas to feed on the upswing, so too is the price of getting eggs on shelves. Average U.S. gas prices sit around $3.069 per gallon, according to AAA, which is roughly in line with average prices from a year ago, but prices are still higher than pre-pandemic levels.

Concerns surrounding avian influenza, better known as Bird Flu, are at the center of a sharp spike in egg prices in California.