{"surveyDate":"2026-09-03","runTimestamp":"2026-09-03T08:07:29.772Z","methodologyVersion":"3.1","instrument":{"model":"gpt-5.5-2026-04-23","promptHash":"86056fc17a5cbfb6","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 27, 2026","asOf":"2026-09-03","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Primary pinned city page; app-sourced city-wide McChicken average across 29 tracked locations. Above $3 despite national McValue context; 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 27, 2026","asOf":"2026-09-03","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Primary pinned city page; app-sourced city-wide McChicken average across 28 tracked locations. Not a bundle, combo, delivery menu, or coupon."},{"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 27, 2026","asOf":"2026-09-03","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Primary pinned city page; app-sourced city-wide McChicken average across 18 tracked locations. Not a bundle, combo, delivery menu, or coupon."},{"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 27, 2026","asOf":"2026-09-03","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Primary pinned city page; app-sourced city-wide McChicken average across 35 tracked locations. Not a bundle, combo, delivery menu, or coupon."},{"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 27, 2026","asOf":"2026-09-03","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Primary pinned city page; app-sourced city-wide McChicken average across 34 tracked locations. Not a bundle, combo, delivery menu, or coupon."},{"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 27, 2026","asOf":"2026-09-03","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Primary pinned city page; app-sourced city-wide McChicken average across 49 tracked locations. Not a bundle, combo, delivery menu, or coupon."},{"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 27, 2026","asOf":"2026-09-03","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Primary pinned city page; app-sourced city-wide McChicken average across 19 tracked locations. Not a bundle, combo, delivery menu, or coupon."},{"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 27, 2026","asOf":"2026-09-03","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Primary pinned city page; app-sourced city-wide McChicken average across 26 tracked locations. Not a bundle, combo, delivery menu, or coupon."},{"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 27, 2026","asOf":"2026-09-03","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Primary pinned city page; app-sourced city-wide McChicken average across 40 tracked locations. Above $3 despite national McValue context; 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 27, 2026","asOf":"2026-09-03","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Primary pinned city page; app-sourced city-wide McChicken average across 15 tracked locations. Above $3 despite national McValue context; 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 27, 2026","asOf":"2026-09-03","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Primary pinned city page; app-sourced city-wide McChicken average across 18 tracked locations. Not a bundle, combo, delivery menu, or coupon."},{"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 27, 2026","asOf":"2026-09-03","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Primary pinned city page; app-sourced city-wide McChicken average across 38 tracked locations. Slightly above $3 despite national McValue context; within plausibility band."}],"spec":{"reading":null,"status":"carried","appliedGrams":139.46,"rawExcerpt":null},"wage":{"usdPerHour":32.4,"month":"2026-07","fetchedAt":"2026-09-03T08:03:35.760Z","source":"FRED AHETPI (api)"},"nationalEstimates":[{"estimate":2.86,"source_url":"https://menupricetracker.com/mcdonalds-menu/mcchicken","as_of":"2026-08-20","description":"MenuPriceTracker national average McChicken price, listed as based on app-sourced prices across 13,575 U.S. McDonald's locations; not used to substitute for metro observations."},{"estimate":5.91,"source_url":"https://menupricetracker.com/mcdonalds-menu","as_of":"2026-08-26","description":"MenuPriceTracker national average Big Mac benchmark displayed on the pinned metro pages; not a McChicken input."}],"regimeEvents":[{"date":"2026-09-03","event":"Official McDonald's McValue page, as fetched for this survey, continued to list McChicken under the Under $3 Menu for Lunch & Dinner and The McChicken Meal Deal under Meal Deals; prices and participation may vary and McDelivery is excluded. Context only; not used to override pinned metro prices.","source_url":"https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/full-menu/mcvalue-menu.html"},{"date":"2026-08-31","event":"McDonald's official U.S. Menu Spotter announced Spicy Chicken McNuggets returning nationwide on September 1, 2026 for a limited time; no McChicken price, formulation, or portion-size change was stated.","source_url":"https://corporate.mcdonalds.com/corpmcd/our-stories/article/USmenuspotter.html?os=f"}],"qualityNotes":"All 12 metro prices came from the pinned MenuPriceTracker city pages, which describe app-sourced store-level data and show exact footer last-updated dates of August 27, 2026; prices were fetched on 2026-09-03. The hardest interpretation issue is that McDonald's official McValue page still lists McChicken under an Under $3 menu while several high-cost metro averages exceed $3, so the pinned metro averages were retained as standard menu prices rather than replaced with a national value claim. No observation relied on delivery platforms or disallowed content farms.","outcome":{"status":"published","mciMinutes":5.3,"panelPriceUsd":2.85},"usage":{"inputTokens":123546,"outputTokens":12453}}