{"surveyDate":"2026-09-14","runTimestamp":"2026-09-14T08:04:45.617Z","methodologyVersion":"3.1","instrument":{"model":"gpt-5.5-2026-04-23","promptHash":"34f54745e9d84daf","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 7, 2026","asOf":"2026-09-14","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned city page lists McChicken city-wide average from app-sourced store-level prices; à la carte item, not meal/combo/coupon."},{"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 7, 2026","asOf":"2026-09-14","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned city page lists McChicken city-wide average from app-sourced store-level prices; sub-$3 everyday price treated as value-menu listed, not a promo."},{"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 7, 2026","asOf":"2026-09-14","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned city page lists McChicken city-wide average from app-sourced store-level prices; sub-$3 everyday price treated as value-menu listed, not a promo."},{"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 7, 2026","asOf":"2026-09-14","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned city page lists McChicken city-wide average from app-sourced store-level prices; sub-$3 everyday price treated as value-menu listed, not a promo."},{"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 7, 2026","asOf":"2026-09-14","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned city page lists McChicken city-wide average from app-sourced store-level prices; sub-$3 everyday price treated as value-menu listed, not a promo."},{"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 7, 2026","asOf":"2026-09-14","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned city page lists McChicken city-wide average from app-sourced store-level prices; sub-$3 everyday price treated as value-menu listed, not a promo."},{"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 7, 2026","asOf":"2026-09-14","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned city page lists McChicken city-wide average from app-sourced store-level prices; sub-$3 everyday price treated as value-menu listed, not a promo."},{"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 7, 2026","asOf":"2026-09-14","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned city page lists McChicken city-wide average from app-sourced store-level prices; sub-$3 everyday price treated as value-menu listed, not a promo."},{"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 7, 2026","asOf":"2026-09-14","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned city page lists McChicken city-wide average from app-sourced store-level prices; à la carte item, not meal/combo/coupon."},{"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 7, 2026","asOf":"2026-09-14","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned city page lists McChicken city-wide average from app-sourced store-level prices; high but within plausibility band and not a promo."},{"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 7, 2026","asOf":"2026-09-14","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned city page lists McChicken city-wide average from app-sourced store-level prices; sub-$3 everyday price treated as value-menu listed, not a promo."},{"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 7, 2026","asOf":"2026-09-14","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned city page lists McChicken city-wide average from app-sourced store-level prices; just above $3 and treated as standard menu, not a promo."}],"spec":{"reading":null,"status":"carried","appliedGrams":139.46,"rawExcerpt":null},"wage":{"usdPerHour":32.53,"month":"2026-08","fetchedAt":"2026-09-14T08:00:49.865Z","source":"FRED AHETPI (api)"},"nationalEstimates":[{"estimate":2.86,"source_url":"https://menupricetracker.com/mcdonalds-menu/mcchicken","as_of":"2026-09-06","description":"MenuPriceTracker U.S. McChicken national average; app-sourced store-level data across 5,037 neighborhoods and 13,575 locations, range $1.00-$5.79."},{"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 analysis of McDonald's Under $3 Menu cited an average McChicken price; older third-party national estimate, not used for metro observations."}],"regimeEvents":[{"date":"2026-09-01","event":"Spicy Chicken McNuggets and Mighty Hot Sauce returned nationwide for a limited time; no direct McChicken price, formulation, or portion-size change stated.","source_url":"https://www.aol.com/articles/mcdonalds-spicy-chicken-mcnuggets-coming-195434000.html"},{"date":"2026-09-07","event":"FastFoodIndex recorded a McChicken price-change wave: on Sep 7, McChicken moved from a typical $1.50 to $2.19 at 1,234 restaurants; flagged as possible value-menu/price reset signal, not used to alter observations.","source_url":"https://www.fastfoodindex.com/price-changes/2026-09-07/mcdonalds/"},{"date":"2026-09-13","event":"FastFoodIndex still showed McChicken changes near survey date: 235 restaurants with typical move $1.50 to $2.29; continuing price-reset signal, not an official corporate announcement.","source_url":"https://www.fastfoodindex.com/price-changes/2026-09-13/mcdonalds/"},{"date":"2026-09-07","event":"High-engagement r/McDonalds anecdotal thread reported McChicken rising from $2.00 to about $3, with comments showing mixed local prices from $1.50 to $3.39; anecdotal price-wave signal only.","source_url":"https://www.reddit.com/r/McDonalds/comments/1w9czw6/good_bye_mcchicken_45_price_increase/"}],"qualityNotes":"All 12 metro observations came from the pinned MenuPriceTracker city pages, whose footer shows last updated September 7, 2026; fetched on 2026-09-14. Prices are app-sourced city-wide averages for the à la carte McChicken, not delivery-platform menus, meals, bundles, or coupons; no banned menu sites were used for observations. The hardest classifications were high-cost New York and Seattle versus the Under-$3 value framing, but all reported panel prices remain inside the $2.00-$4.50 plausibility band and no metro was set to null.","outcome":{"status":"published","mciMinutes":5.3,"panelPriceUsd":2.85},"usage":{"inputTokens":133616,"outputTokens":13947}}