{"surveyDate":"2026-08-24","runTimestamp":"2026-08-24T08:05:34.381Z","methodologyVersion":"3.1","instrument":{"model":"gpt-5.5-2026-04-23","promptHash":"e892dbc4c1a7fade","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":"August 17, 2026","asOf":"2026-08-24","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned page reports a city-wide McChicken average from app-sourced store-level data; verified August 2026 and within plausibility band."},{"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":"August 17, 2026","asOf":"2026-08-24","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned page reports a city-wide McChicken average from app-sourced store-level data; verified August 2026 and within plausibility band."},{"metro":"Atlanta, GA","status":"verified","price":2.65,"reportedPrice":2.65,"sourceUrl":"https://menupricetracker.com/mcdonalds/georgia/atlanta","sourceType":"pinned_aggregator","priceType":"standard_menu","pageUpdated":"August 17, 2026","asOf":"2026-08-24","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned page reports a city-wide McChicken average from app-sourced store-level data; verified August 2026 and within plausibility band."},{"metro":"Miami, FL","status":"verified","price":2.83,"reportedPrice":2.83,"sourceUrl":"https://menupricetracker.com/mcdonalds/florida/miami","sourceType":"pinned_aggregator","priceType":"standard_menu","pageUpdated":"August 17, 2026","asOf":"2026-08-24","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned page reports a city-wide McChicken average from app-sourced store-level data; verified August 2026 and within plausibility band."},{"metro":"Dallas, TX","status":"verified","price":2.1,"reportedPrice":2.1,"sourceUrl":"https://menupricetracker.com/mcdonalds/texas/dallas","sourceType":"pinned_aggregator","priceType":"standard_menu","pageUpdated":"August 17, 2026","asOf":"2026-08-24","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned page reports a city-wide McChicken average from app-sourced store-level data; verified August 2026 and within plausibility band."},{"metro":"Chicago, IL","status":"verified","price":2.87,"reportedPrice":2.87,"sourceUrl":"https://menupricetracker.com/mcdonalds/illinois/chicago","sourceType":"pinned_aggregator","priceType":"standard_menu","pageUpdated":"August 17, 2026","asOf":"2026-08-24","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned page reports a city-wide McChicken average from app-sourced store-level data; verified August 2026 and within plausibility band."},{"metro":"Kansas City, MO","status":"verified","price":2.29,"reportedPrice":2.29,"sourceUrl":"https://menupricetracker.com/mcdonalds/missouri/kansas-city","sourceType":"pinned_aggregator","priceType":"standard_menu","pageUpdated":"August 17, 2026","asOf":"2026-08-24","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned page reports a city-wide McChicken average from app-sourced store-level data; verified August 2026 and within plausibility band."},{"metro":"Columbus, OH","status":"verified","price":2.48,"reportedPrice":2.48,"sourceUrl":"https://menupricetracker.com/mcdonalds/ohio/columbus","sourceType":"pinned_aggregator","priceType":"standard_menu","pageUpdated":"August 17, 2026","asOf":"2026-08-24","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned page reports a city-wide McChicken average from app-sourced store-level data; verified August 2026 and within plausibility band."},{"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":"August 17, 2026","asOf":"2026-08-24","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned page reports a city-wide McChicken average from app-sourced store-level data; verified August 2026 and within plausibility band."},{"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":"August 17, 2026","asOf":"2026-08-24","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned page reports a city-wide McChicken average from app-sourced store-level data; verified August 2026 and within plausibility band."},{"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":"August 17, 2026","asOf":"2026-08-24","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned page reports a city-wide McChicken average from app-sourced store-level data; verified August 2026 and within plausibility band."},{"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":"August 17, 2026","asOf":"2026-08-24","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned page reports a city-wide McChicken average from app-sourced store-level data; verified August 2026 and within plausibility band."}],"spec":{"reading":null,"status":"carried","appliedGrams":139.46,"rawExcerpt":null},"wage":{"usdPerHour":32.4,"month":"2026-07","fetchedAt":"2026-08-24T08:03:30.663Z","source":"FRED AHETPI (api)"},"nationalEstimates":[{"estimate":2.86,"source_url":"https://menupricetracker.com/mcdonalds-menu","as_of":"2026-08-17","description":"MenuPriceTracker national McChicken average across 9,259+ neighborhoods; item range shown as $1.00-$5.79 and page updated August 2026."},{"estimate":2.81,"source_url":"https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/financing/just-how-much-cheaper-mcdonalds-under-3-menu","as_of":"2026-04-03","description":"Restaurant Business/Technomic Price Pulse national McChicken average cited in analysis of McDonald's Under $3 Menu before its April 21 rollout."}],"regimeEvents":[{"date":"2026-08-12","event":"Anecdotal r/McDonalds thread reported multiple locations offering a $1.50 McChicken and related app deals; treated as promo-suspected and not used for panel pricing.","source_url":"https://www.reddit.com/r/McDonalds/comments/1vlzixs/not_bad_for_150/"},{"date":"2026-08-19","event":"Anecdotal multi-market r/McDonalds thread reported McChicken prices around $1.50-$2.00 in several U.S. markets, with users/worker comments characterizing the low price as temporary/promo and some unverified shrinkflation allegations.","source_url":"https://www.reddit.com/r/McDonalds/comments/1vs8dyq/mcchicken_down_to_150_is_the_world_healing/"}],"qualityNotes":"All 12 observations use the pinned MenuPriceTracker city pages, which list August 17, 2026 as last updated and state prices are app-sourced from store-level data refreshed monthly; results are current monthly city averages, not same-day single-store kiosk quotes. No delivery platforms or banned content farms were used, and every reported metro price falls inside the $2.00-$4.50 plausibility band. The hardest metros for quality are New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Phoenix because local dispersion and value-menu/promo execution appear material; no official corporate pricing announcement in the last 14 days was found, only anecdotal $1.50 McChicken promo reports.","outcome":{"status":"published","mciMinutes":5.3,"panelPriceUsd":2.85},"usage":{"inputTokens":118024,"outputTokens":8528}}