Thanksgiving by the Numbers

Curious how your fellow Americans spend their Thanksgiving? We compiled facts and figures from TripAdvisor, Orbitz and the U.S. Department of Transportation to give this Turkey Day snapshot:

Who travels?

43,400,000 Americans travel for Thanksgiving

Why do they travel?

40% travel to have dinner with family 4% travel to have dinner with friends

How far do they go?

50 miles or more on average

Where do they go?

The 5 most popular cities to travel to for the holiday are:

• New York City
• Orlando
• Chicago
• Los Angeles
• San Francisco

How do they get there?

38,900,000 travel by car 3,140,000 travel by plane

1,400,000 travel by bus, train or ship

When do they leave?

27% of drivers leave on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving – the busiest travel day

64% plan to travel during off-peak hours to avoid heavy traffic

Where do they stay?

44% of travelers stay at the home of family or friends

42% stay at a hotel or vacation rental

How do they book their tickets and accommodations?

57% of travelers use a mobile device in the booking process

How much do they spend on traveling?

$384 is the average domestic airfare

$162 is the average hotel rate

What about the food?

235,000,000 turkeys are raised in the U.S. each year

46,000,000 turkeys served for Thanksgiving dinner

736,000,000 pounds of turkey served for Thanksgiving dinner

16% of people eat at a restaurant on Thanksgiving

How much is spent on the feast?

$49.04 is the average cost of Thanksgiving dinner for 10 people

$21.76 is the average cost of a 16 lb. turkey

$75 or more is the average for a ready-to-eat meal from a grocery store