What Influences Crawfish Price Per Pound?

When crawfish season starts up, Louisianans keep a close eye on the going rates for the quintessential Cajun staple. There’s even a crawfish price tracker which gives weekly updates for the current price for crawfish. As with other seafood, crawfish has a season and a popular market, making its price per pound subject to fluctuation. We’re going to cover crawfish pricing and the various factors at play. Having insights into the behind the scenes of the pricing will give you a better idea of a good price for crawfish as well as the best times to buy.  

Prices for Crawfish Delivery

Prices for Live Crawfish Delivery

As noted above, live crawfish delivery is only available in certain states and at certain times of year. While we think frozen crawfish is just as delicious, we won’t fault you for wanting the live stuff. Check any of the below companies to see if you can get a live shipment sent to your home.

Please note: LA Crawfish only ships to LA, AR, MI, and east Texas. Cajun Crawfish ships all over US. Cajun Grocer ships all over US. KL Crawfish Farms claims to be the only company that ships live crawfish year round.  

Crawfish Pricing Factors

Crawfish price per pound depends on many factors, but there are three main influences on the crawfish market.

• Weather- Crawfish season generally runs from November to July, but the prime season is February to May. During these months, the weather conditions in Louisiana are best suited for catching crawfish. Crawfish catchers are looking for warm and wet conditions, which are a good sign that crawfish are growing and healthy. Colder conditions make the crawfish more sluggish and therefore available in lesser quantities. When the weather cooperates, crawfish suppliers have a larger stock and prices are lower due to their substantial supply.
• Holidays- You might see a slight increase in crawfish prices around certain holidays. The big holiday which kicks off the crawfish season is Good Friday and the following Easter festivities. These holidays typically fall within the prime crawfish season, meaning there will be a good amount of crawfish available but also a lot of people wanting to buy. Suppliers want to keep their supply moving while also capitalizing on the holiday sales.
• Supply and Demand- Supply and demand will impact any market, so the same goes for crawfish. The crawfish price per pound dips and surges throughout the season if a bad stretch of weather reduces the supply or if an upcoming holiday kicks up the demand. Suppliers keep in mind the quality of the crawfish and their competitor’s prices to determine the price per pound.

Crawfish Price Per Pound Trends

The 2021 crawfish seasons started out with high crawfish prices. The pandemic meant that many annual crawfish boil events were cancelled, making crawfish sellers set the price high. The price is expected to go down as more people feel comfortable socializing around a seafood boil again. Plus, the weather conditions are making for a good catch which will bring the price down after the Easter holiday. While this year’s prices were higher than normal, crawfish prices do tend to change over time.  

How Much Is Crawfish Per Pound?

A good crawfish price per pound during peak seasons falls somewhere between $2.99 and $3.50. You can almost always count on live crawfish by the pound to be less expensive than pre-cooked crawfish. Boiled crawfish runs a few dollars higher, averaging at around $5 to $6 per pound. Crawfish prices are very fluid, so it is best to look at a few sellers to get a sense of the going rate before buying.

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