Egg prices up 70% year-over-year: Labor Department

Egg prices jumped a staggering 70% over the past year, federal data show, a pointed and painful reminder of continuing high prices throughout the inflated consumer economy.

Overall inflation was up 6.4% last month, Bureau of Labor Statistics data showed this week, the first jump of the Consumer Price Index since October and a sign that the U.S. economy will likely still be pinched in the months ahead. 

Among the most striking price spikes were those of eggs, which were up roughly 70% compared to the same time last year. 

Egg prices have become a popular barometer for the state of the U.S. economy. Consumers for months have bemoaned the massive increases in price tags on eggs at the supermarket. 

Inflation woes, supply chain issues and a devastating outbreak of avian flu have all contributed to a tightly constricted egg market, driving prices higher and supplies lower. 

Analysts have lately said that consumers can expect a break on egg prices in the near future, as wholesale prices have been declining in recent weeks and will eventually start to bring down prices at the consumer level.