Eggs in Washington state cost more than the national average for three reinforcing reasons: a cage-free housing mandate that took effect in January 2024, repeated bird flu outbreaks that have wiped out commercial flocks, and the broader nationwide egg shortage that has driven prices up everywhere. Washington is one of seven states enforcing cage-free laws, and that regulatory layer adds production costs that get passed directly to consumers.
Washington’s Cage-Free Law Changed the Market
Starting January 1, 2024, every egg sold in Washington, whether produced in-state or shipped from elsewhere, must come from hens raised in cage-free housing. The law applies to any commercial operation with more than 3,000 laying hens and requires compliance with the United Egg Producers’ cage-free housing guidelines. This isn’t just a label change. Producers must prove their operations meet the standard before they can sell eggs in the state.
That requirement has a direct effect on price. Research comparing housing systems found that cage-free aviaries have operating costs roughly 23% higher than conventional caged housing, with total costs (including the capital investment to build or retrofit barns) running about 36% higher. Labor is the biggest driver: cage-free systems require more than triple the labor of conventional houses because workers need to manage birds across open floor space rather than in stacked cages. Feed costs also run somewhat higher in aviary systems since hens that move freely burn more calories.
The mandate also shrinks Washington’s pool of eligible suppliers. Out-of-state producers who haven’t converted to cage-free operations simply can’t sell here, which reduces competition and keeps prices elevated. Six other states have similar laws (California, Oregon, Massachusetts, Colorado, Michigan, and Nevada), but Nevada actually suspended enforcement in early 2025 because of soaring prices. Washington has shown no sign of doing the same.
Bird Flu Has Repeatedly Hit Washington Flocks
Highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, has been cycling through Washington’s poultry operations. The state confirmed outbreaks at large commercial chicken facilities in Franklin County in October 2024 and again in January 2025, followed by another in Grant County in October 2025. When a flock tests positive, the entire flock is euthanized to prevent further spread. There is no treatment, no partial cull, no waiting it out.
Each of these outbreaks removes thousands of laying hens from production at once. Replacing a commercial flock isn’t quick. New chicks take roughly five months to mature to laying age, and rebuilding a facility after a disease event adds more time. That gap between losing birds and getting new ones into production creates a supply hole that pushes local prices up, even when national supply is recovering.
Washington isn’t alone in dealing with bird flu. The 2024-2025 wave hit poultry operations across the country, destroying tens of millions of birds nationally. But because Washington already has a smaller eligible supply pool due to its cage-free requirement, each local outbreak has an outsized effect on availability and price within the state.
National Egg Prices Are Also Elevated
Even without state-specific factors, eggs across the U.S. have been expensive. The national average price for a dozen large Grade A eggs hit $7 or more in some markets during peak shortages in early 2025, driven primarily by bird flu losses nationwide. As of early 2026, the national average settled closer to $2.50 per dozen, a significant drop but still above historical norms.
Washington residents, however, consistently pay above whatever the national average happens to be. The cage-free mandate acts as a price floor: even when national supply rebounds and conventional eggs get cheaper elsewhere, Washington buyers are locked into the higher-cost cage-free market. This gap tends to widen during shortage periods because cage-free eggs are already in tighter supply nationally, and demand from mandatory states like Washington and California competes for the same limited stock.
Why the Premium Won’t Disappear Soon
The cage-free law is permanent. Unlike Nevada’s temporary suspension, Washington has given no indication it will pause or roll back the requirement. That means the structural cost difference, roughly 23% to 36% above conventional production depending on the operation, is baked into the market for the foreseeable future.
Over time, as more producers nationwide convert to cage-free systems (partly driven by demand from the seven mandatory states and partly by corporate pledges from major retailers), supply should expand and moderate the premium somewhat. But the conversion is expensive and slow. Energy costs are a negligible factor in the price difference between housing systems. The real costs are labor, infrastructure, and feed, none of which are trending downward.
Bird flu also isn’t going away. The virus circulates in wild bird populations and has proven difficult to contain once it reaches commercial operations. Washington’s position along the Pacific Flyway, a major migratory bird route, means ongoing exposure risk for poultry farms in the state. Each new outbreak temporarily tightens an already constrained supply, and the price spikes ripple through grocery stores within weeks.