America, Prepare To Drop $81 Million On Pie This Week

As our Pilgrim forefathers no doubt uttered at their first Thanksgiving: Good pie don't come cheap. According to Nielsen holiday sales data from 2015 (the most recent year for which it's available), Americans spent a completely reasonable $81,483,780 on pie during Thanksgiving week. Why all the pie? In a boon to bakers all across our fair land, Americans generally eat more than one Thanksgiving meal. Also according to Nielsen, the average American millennial, one of the world's most thoroughly studied species, will eat 2.7 total Thanksgiving meals between family gatherings and friendsgivings.If you haven't yet selected the pie for your party, the American Pie Council ("the leading authority on the nation's most popular All-American treat") has some suggestions. At this year's APC National Pie Championships held in May in Orlando, restaurant chain Baker's Square earned the most accolades with 36 winning pies out of a total 470 entries. Legendary Baking, Harlan Bakeries, Shari's Cafe and Pies, and Cyrus O'Leary's round out the top five.

All of Americans' pie buys eventually add up to that flaky, buttery $81 million figure—a serious pay day no matter how you slice it.