{"surveyDate":"2026-09-10","runTimestamp":"2026-09-10T08:03:24.767Z","methodologyVersion":"3.1","instrument":{"model":"gpt-5.5-2026-04-23","promptHash":"7f7f738773fe4b38","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":"September 2026","asOf":"2026-09-10","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned page city-wide McChicken average; header says 29 locations, app-sourced. Sandwich-alone price; within plausibility band but above $3."},{"metro":"Philadelphia, PA","status":"verified","price":2.98,"reportedPrice":2.98,"sourceUrl":"https://menupricetracker.com/mcdonalds/pennsylvania/philadelphia","sourceType":"pinned_aggregator","priceType":"value_menu_listed","pageUpdated":"September 2026","asOf":"2026-09-10","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned page city-wide McChicken average; header says 28 locations, app-sourced. Sandwich-alone price, not a meal/coupon; under-$3 value-menu-compatible."},{"metro":"Atlanta, GA","status":"verified","price":2.65,"reportedPrice":2.65,"sourceUrl":"https://menupricetracker.com/mcdonalds/georgia/atlanta","sourceType":"pinned_aggregator","priceType":"value_menu_listed","pageUpdated":"September 2026","asOf":"2026-09-10","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned page city-wide McChicken average; header says 18 locations, app-sourced. Sandwich-alone price, not a meal/coupon; under-$3 value-menu-compatible."},{"metro":"Miami, FL","status":"verified","price":2.83,"reportedPrice":2.83,"sourceUrl":"https://menupricetracker.com/mcdonalds/florida/miami","sourceType":"pinned_aggregator","priceType":"value_menu_listed","pageUpdated":"September 2026","asOf":"2026-09-10","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned page city-wide McChicken average; header says 35 locations, app-sourced. Sandwich-alone price, not a meal/coupon; under-$3 value-menu-compatible."},{"metro":"Dallas, TX","status":"verified","price":2.1,"reportedPrice":2.1,"sourceUrl":"https://menupricetracker.com/mcdonalds/texas/dallas","sourceType":"pinned_aggregator","priceType":"value_menu_listed","pageUpdated":"September 2026","asOf":"2026-09-10","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned page city-wide McChicken average; header says 34 locations, app-sourced. Sandwich-alone price, not a meal/coupon; under-$3 value-menu-compatible."},{"metro":"Chicago, IL","status":"verified","price":2.87,"reportedPrice":2.87,"sourceUrl":"https://menupricetracker.com/mcdonalds/illinois/chicago","sourceType":"pinned_aggregator","priceType":"value_menu_listed","pageUpdated":"September 2026","asOf":"2026-09-10","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned page city-wide McChicken average; header says 49 locations, app-sourced. Sandwich-alone price, not a meal/coupon; under-$3 value-menu-compatible."},{"metro":"Kansas City, MO","status":"verified","price":2.29,"reportedPrice":2.29,"sourceUrl":"https://menupricetracker.com/mcdonalds/missouri/kansas-city","sourceType":"pinned_aggregator","priceType":"value_menu_listed","pageUpdated":"September 2026","asOf":"2026-09-10","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned page city-wide McChicken average; header says 19 locations, app-sourced. Sandwich-alone price, not a meal/coupon; under-$3 value-menu-compatible."},{"metro":"Columbus, OH","status":"verified","price":2.48,"reportedPrice":2.48,"sourceUrl":"https://menupricetracker.com/mcdonalds/ohio/columbus","sourceType":"pinned_aggregator","priceType":"value_menu_listed","pageUpdated":"September 2026","asOf":"2026-09-10","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned page city-wide McChicken average; header says 26 locations, app-sourced. Sandwich-alone price, not a meal/coupon; under-$3 value-menu-compatible."},{"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":"September 2026","asOf":"2026-09-10","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned page city-wide McChicken average; header says 40 locations, app-sourced. Sandwich-alone price; within plausibility band but above $3."},{"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":"September 2026","asOf":"2026-09-10","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned page city-wide McChicken average; header says 15 locations, app-sourced. Sandwich-alone price; high but 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":"value_menu_listed","pageUpdated":"September 2026","asOf":"2026-09-10","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned page city-wide McChicken average; header says 18 locations, app-sourced. Sandwich-alone price, not a meal/coupon; under-$3 value-menu-compatible."},{"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":"September 2026","asOf":"2026-09-10","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned page city-wide McChicken average; header says 38 locations, app-sourced. Sandwich-alone price; within plausibility band, just above $3."}],"spec":{"reading":null,"status":"carried","appliedGrams":139.46,"rawExcerpt":null},"wage":{"usdPerHour":32.53,"month":"2026-08","fetchedAt":"2026-09-10T08:01:01.963Z","source":"FRED AHETPI (api)"},"nationalEstimates":[{"estimate":2.86,"source_url":"https://menupricetracker.com/mcdonalds-menu/mcchicken","as_of":"2026-09-03","description":"MenuPriceTracker national average a-la-carte McChicken price, based on store-level app data across 13,575 U.S. locations; reported range $1.00-$5.79."},{"estimate":5.91,"source_url":"https://menupricetracker.com/mcdonalds-menu","as_of":"2026-09-01","description":"MenuPriceTracker national average Big Mac benchmark shown on pinned metro pages; not used as a McChicken substitute."}],"regimeEvents":[{"date":"2026-09-10","event":"Current official McDonald's McValue page lists McChicken under the Under $3 Menu for Lunch & Dinner and The McChicken Meal Deal under Meal Deals; prices and participation may vary, excludes McDelivery. Status/context only, not used to override pinned metro prices.","source_url":"https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/full-menu/mcvalue-menu.html"},{"date":"2026-09-09","event":"FastFoodIndex reported a same-store McDonald's price-change wave covering 1,139 restaurants on 2026-09-09; examples included McChicken moves from $2.00 to $2.49 at named stores. Third-party price-change signal only, not a corporate announcement.","source_url":"https://www.fastfoodindex.com/price-changes/mcdonalds/"},{"date":"2026-09-07","event":"High-engagement r/McDonalds thread reported local McChicken price increases after a low-price/deal period, with commenters citing wide app variation such as $1.50, $2.49, and $2.89. Anecdotal signal only; no confirmed national reformulation or portion-size change.","source_url":"https://www.reddit.com/r/McDonalds/comments/1w9czw6/good_bye_mcchicken_45_price_increase/"}],"qualityNotes":"All 12 panel observations used the pinned MenuPriceTracker primary city pages, which display app-sourced city-wide averages and page freshness of September 2026; fetch date is 2026-09-10. These are aggregator averages rather than same-day register receipts, so store-level dispersion remains the main limitation. Hardest metros were Seattle, New York, Los Angeles, and Phoenix because their McChicken averages exceed the national Under-$3 McValue framing while still falling inside the mid-2026 plausibility band.","outcome":{"status":"published","mciMinutes":5.3,"panelPriceUsd":2.85},"usage":{"inputTokens":123076,"outputTokens":10547}}