Prices continue to soar for household favorites and everyday essentials, and the cost of pizza is no different. In fact, according to a survey conducted by Clever, pizza prices are up 4.02% since 2023 and are increasing faster than the overall pace of inflation at 3.5%. New York City has been the most heavily impacted by this, with the average price for a large cheese pizza currently sitting at $28.60 along with $33.65 for a large pepperoni pizza. For comparison, the average price for a large pizza across the surveyed cities was $19.34. As a result, the Big Apple has been named the most expensive pizza city in the United States.
The rising costs of labor, rent, ingredients, and the high fees given to third-party delivery companies are all key contributors to the sky-high prices, making it increasingly more difficult to find an affordable pizza in the city that never sleeps (or eats). While New York City favorites like Joe’s Pizza and Paulie Gee’s Slice Shop offer pies for $29 before taxes, this price point is hardly where New Yorkers would like it to be as they struggle to find a good deal for one of America’s favorite foods.
Although the poll found that New York has the best reputation for pizza with 41% of Americans considering it a top-five pizza city, it was ranked 15th on the list of best pizza cities by Clever based on the following criteria:
- Pizza reputation, based on a survey of 1,000 Americans
- Rate of pizza restaurants per 100,000 residents
- Pizza passion, based on local internet search activity for 34 pizza-related terms (e.g., “pizza near me,” “pizza delivery,” “pan pizza,” etc.)
- Average Yelp rating for pizza restaurants
- Average price of a large cheese pizza
- Average price of a large pepperoni pizza
- Share of median annual income required to purchase one cheese pizza each week for a year
- Share of median annual income required to purchase one pepperoni pizza each week for a year
Denver sported the top spot on the list with an average 4.05 Yelp rating for pizza restaurants and a cost per pie of $16.79 compared to a 3.93 rating and the $28.60 price tag for New York. Meanwhile, Denver also boasted a higher “pizza passion score” of 82.1 vs. New York’s 63.5, a metric calculated based on the volume of local Google search activity for 34 pizza terms.
While New York failed to secure a spot in the top ten, the city was able to claim victory for its style of pizza after respondents of the survey indicated their preference for New York-style thin crust over Chicago-style deep dish pizza by a margin of 52% to 38%. Other impressive data points observable in the poll include New York’s 9.7 pizza restaurants per 100,000 residents and 1.77% of income spent on cheese pizza compared to the national averages of 8.4 and 1.47%, respectively.
Affordability is just one of many pizza problems plaguing New York City. With city officials starting to place more of an emphasis on electric alternatives to appliances, these efforts have trickled down to local businesses with proposals to force coal and wood-fired pizzerias to purchase expensive emission-control devices. According to DEP spokesman Ted Timbers, these ovens are “among the largest contributors of harmful pollutants in neighborhoods with poor air quality,” meaning these types of pizza establishments will continue to be targeted with regulations that will ultimately make it harder for them to keep their doors open.
With some pizza owners already spending north of $20,000 on an air filter system ahead of the new potential mandate, these types of rules will only act to further exacerbate the issue impacting every New Yorker’s ability to enjoy a city staple: New York-style pizza.
Resources:
- The Best Pizza Cities in America: 2024 Data [Clever]
- D’ough! NYC named priciest pizza city — as average pie cost rises to $33.65 [New York Post]
- Mama Mia! NYC rules crack down on coal-, wood-fired pizzerias — must cut carbon emissions up to 75% [New York Post]
