Eggs have become rich people's food, regardless of price.

People are eating fewer and fewer eggs, except the rich, who are consuming much more than others.

The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey shows declining egg consumption among most income groups, in spite of ups and downs in egg prices between 2013 and 2023.

The survey asks participants to report all the food they have consumed within the past 24 hours and documents the specific dishes and their nutritional values.

Families whose income is four times or more than the poverty threshold are eating more eggs than other income groups in recent years.

Egg prices peaked and dipped in the past 10 years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, but egg consumption levels did not echo that fluctuation.

Here are some shoppers from different age and income groups. They were shopping at City Acres in Long Island City, New York when asked about their egg-buying habits.

“We don't even look at eggs now,” said Selene Henry, 26, who earns $1,400 a month. She and her mom used to get eggs on every grocery trip. “I just don't like them anymore.”

Aggie Ganz, 69, said she and her husband never used that many eggs, just “the usual amount.” They live on social security and receive $36,000 a year.

On the other hand, Nikolas Panagios, 27, who earns $150,000 a year, said he persistently buys a good amount of eggs because he is on a work-out diet.

Panagios said a few dollars of fluctuation wouldn't change his diet, but “when the eggs are more expensive than the chicken, it doesn't make sense” to stick to eggs as his source of protein.

The poverty threshold changes every year. It’s around $20,000 for a two-person family. Income-to-poverty ratio five, for example, means the family’s annual income is around or above $100,000.

Income-to-poverty ratio five, for example, means the family’s annual income is around or above $100,000.