{"surveyDate":"2026-07-16","runTimestamp":"2026-07-16T08:04:19.918Z","methodologyVersion":"3.1","instrument":{"model":"gpt-5.5-2026-04-23","promptHash":"1ce25c14c067c95b","reasoningEffort":"xhigh"},"metros":[{"metro":"New York, NY","status":"verified","price":4.05,"reportedPrice":4.05,"sourceUrl":"https://menupricetracker.com/mcdonalds/new-york/new-york","sourceType":"pinned_aggregator","priceType":"standard_menu","pageUpdated":"July 2026","asOf":"2026-07-16","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned page line item: McChicken city-wide average; app-sourced prices, month-only update shown."},{"metro":"Philadelphia, PA","status":"verified","price":2.98,"reportedPrice":2.98,"sourceUrl":"https://menupricetracker.com/mcdonalds/pennsylvania/philadelphia","sourceType":"pinned_aggregator","priceType":"standard_menu","pageUpdated":"July 2026","asOf":"2026-07-16","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned page line item: McChicken city-wide average; 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app-sourced prices, month-only update shown."},{"metro":"Los Angeles, CA","status":"verified","price":3.56,"reportedPrice":3.56,"sourceUrl":"https://menupricetracker.com/mcdonalds/california/los-angeles","sourceType":"pinned_aggregator","priceType":"standard_menu","pageUpdated":"July 2026","asOf":"2026-07-16","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned page line item: McChicken city-wide average; app-sourced prices, month-only update shown."},{"metro":"Seattle, WA","status":"verified","price":4.28,"reportedPrice":4.28,"sourceUrl":"https://menupricetracker.com/mcdonalds/washington/seattle","sourceType":"pinned_aggregator","priceType":"standard_menu","pageUpdated":"July 2026","asOf":"2026-07-16","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned page line item: McChicken city-wide average; app-sourced prices, month-only update shown."},{"metro":"Denver, CO","status":"verified","price":2.6,"reportedPrice":2.6,"sourceUrl":"https://menupricetracker.com/mcdonalds/colorado/denver","sourceType":"pinned_aggregator","priceType":"standard_menu","pageUpdated":"July 2026","asOf":"2026-07-16","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned page line item: McChicken city-wide average; app-sourced prices, month-only update shown."},{"metro":"Phoenix, AZ","status":"verified","price":3.04,"reportedPrice":3.04,"sourceUrl":"https://menupricetracker.com/mcdonalds/arizona/phoenix","sourceType":"pinned_aggregator","priceType":"standard_menu","pageUpdated":"July 2026","asOf":"2026-07-16","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned page line item: McChicken city-wide average; app-sourced prices, month-only update shown."}],"spec":{"reading":{"grams":139.46,"nutrientMedianGrams":139.48,"crossCheckDeltaGrams":0.02,"components":[{"name":"McChicken Patty","grams":61.06},{"name":"Regular Bun","grams":50.71},{"name":"Shredded Lettuce","grams":14.2},{"name":"Mayonnaise","grams":13.49}],"calories":390,"protein":14,"fetchedAt":"2026-07-16T08:01:46.226Z"},"status":"verified","appliedGrams":139.46,"rawExcerpt":{"item_name":"McChicken","components":[{"product_name":"McChicken Patty","quantity":"0.6106"},{"product_name":"Regular Bun","quantity":"0.5071"},{"product_name":"Shredded Lettuce","quantity":"0.142"},{"product_name":"Mayonnaise","quantity":"0.13488703"}],"nutrient_facts":[{"name":"Calories","value":"390","hundred_g_per_product":"279.7","uom":" Cal."},{"name":"Protein","value":"14","hundred_g_per_product":"10","uom":"g"},{"name":"Carbohydrates","value":"38","hundred_g_per_product":"27.2","uom":"g"},{"name":"Total Fat","value":"21","hundred_g_per_product":"15.1","uom":"g"},{"name":"Sodium","value":"560","hundred_g_per_product":"401.6","uom":"mg"},{"name":"Saturated Fat","value":"3.5","hundred_g_per_product":"2.5","uom":"g"},{"name":"Trans Fat","value":"0","hundred_g_per_product":"0","uom":"g"},{"name":"Cholesterol","value":"40","hundred_g_per_product":"28.7","uom":"mg"},{"name":"Dietary Fiber","value":"1","hundred_g_per_product":"0.7","uom":"g"},{"name":"Total Sugars","value":"4","hundred_g_per_product":"2.9","uom":"g"},{"name":"Added Sugars","value":"4","hundred_g_per_product":"2.9","uom":"g"},{"name":"Vitamin D","value":"0","hundred_g_per_product":"0","uom":"mcg"},{"name":"Calcium","value":"20","hundred_g_per_product":"14.3","uom":"mg"},{"name":"Iron","value":"2","hundred_g_per_product":"1.4","uom":"mg"},{"name":"Potassium","value":"310","hundred_g_per_product":"222.3","uom":"mg"},{"name":"Vitamin B6","value":"0","hundred_g_per_product":"0","uom":"mg"},{"name":"Phosphorus","value":"0","hundred_g_per_product":"0","uom":"mg"},{"name":"Caffeine","value":"0","hundred_g_per_product":"0","uom":"mg"},{"name":"Calories From Fat","value":"190","hundred_g_per_product":"136.2","uom":" Cal."},{"name":"Energy kJ","value":"1640","hundred_g_per_product":"1176","uom":"kJ"},{"name":"Dietary Fiber 2015","value":"1","hundred_g_per_product":"0.7","uom":"g"}]}},"wage":{"usdPerHour":32.38,"month":"2026-06","fetchedAt":"2026-07-16T08:01:46.466Z","source":"FRED AHETPI (api)"},"nationalEstimates":[{"estimate":2.86,"source_url":"https://menupricetracker.com/mcdonalds-menu/mcchicken","as_of":"2026-07-09","description":"MenuPriceTracker U.S. national average McChicken price; page says 13,575 locations and updated July 9, 2026."},{"estimate":5.91,"source_url":"https://menupricetracker.com/mcdonalds-menu","as_of":"2026-07-16","description":"MenuPriceTracker U.S. national average Big Mac benchmark shown on pinned city pages; page says updated July 2026."}],"regimeEvents":[{"date":"2026-07-09","event":"Anecdotal U.S. Reddit wave reported standalone McChicken prices dropping to about $1.50-$2.00 at multiple locations, with commenters speculating it was a limited-time or national promo; unverified and not used to alter panel prices.","source_url":"https://www.reddit.com/r/McDonalds/comments/1urtk1j/mcchicken_sandwiches_lowered_to_2_at_several_of/"},{"date":"2026-07-10","event":"A separate McDonaldsEmployees Reddit post reported a store-level 50% McChicken price cut, corroborating possible broad McChicken discounting; anecdotal only and flagged for review.","source_url":"https://www.reddit.com/r/McDonaldsEmployees/comments/1us3gne/usa_mcchicken_situation_is_crazy/"},{"date":"2026-07-14","event":"McDonald's USA Menu Spotter announced Caesar Sauce chicken LTOs available July 21, including a Caesar Snack Wrap nationally at $2.99, and said McCrispy Strips now have panko-coating breading; no McChicken recipe or size change stated.","source_url":"https://corporate.mcdonalds.com/corpmcd/our-stories/article/USmenuspotter.html?os=TMB"}],"qualityNotes":"All 12 metro observations came from the pinned MenuPriceTracker city pages, which are app-sourced and marked updated or verified in July 2026; fetch date was 2026-07-16. I treated the standalone McChicken city averages as standard menu prices because the pinned pages list the item in the regular price breakdown, not as a coupon, bundle, or delivery listing. Hardest interpretation points were high-price metros such as Seattle, New York, and Los Angeles, plus city pages whose store-list counts appear imperfect, but each McChicken average line was explicit and all prices fall within the expected plausibility band.","outcome":{"status":"published","mciMinutes":5.3,"panelPriceUsd":2.85},"usage":{"inputTokens":116061,"outputTokens":8282}}