{"surveyDate":"2026-09-24","runTimestamp":"2026-09-24T08:03:38.531Z","methodologyVersion":"3.1","instrument":{"model":"gpt-5.5-2026-04-23","promptHash":"a311d49dce2e3073","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 17, 2026","asOf":"2026-09-24","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned page city-wide McChicken average across 29 tracked locations; app-sourced and last verified September 2026; 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":"value_menu_listed","pageUpdated":"September 17, 2026","asOf":"2026-09-24","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned page city-wide McChicken average across 28 tracked locations; under $3 and consistent with current McValue under-$3 listing; 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":"value_menu_listed","pageUpdated":"September 17, 2026","asOf":"2026-09-24","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned page city-wide McChicken average across 18 tracked locations; under $3 and consistent with current McValue under-$3 listing; 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":"value_menu_listed","pageUpdated":"September 17, 2026","asOf":"2026-09-24","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned page city-wide McChicken average across 35 tracked locations; under $3 and consistent with current McValue under-$3 listing; 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":"value_menu_listed","pageUpdated":"September 17, 2026","asOf":"2026-09-24","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned page city-wide McChicken average across 34 tracked locations; under $3 and consistent with current McValue under-$3 listing; 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":"value_menu_listed","pageUpdated":"September 17, 2026","asOf":"2026-09-24","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned page city-wide McChicken average across 49 tracked locations; under $3 and consistent with current McValue under-$3 listing; 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":"value_menu_listed","pageUpdated":"September 17, 2026","asOf":"2026-09-24","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned page city-wide McChicken average across 19 tracked locations; under $3 and consistent with current McValue under-$3 listing; 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":"value_menu_listed","pageUpdated":"September 17, 2026","asOf":"2026-09-24","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned page city-wide McChicken average across 26 tracked locations; under $3 and consistent with current McValue under-$3 listing; 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":"September 17, 2026","asOf":"2026-09-24","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned page city-wide McChicken average across 40 tracked locations; above under-$3 value threshold so treated as standard a la carte local average; 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":"September 17, 2026","asOf":"2026-09-24","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned page city-wide McChicken average across 15 tracked locations; above under-$3 value threshold so treated as standard a la carte local average; 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 17, 2026","asOf":"2026-09-24","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned page city-wide McChicken average across 18 tracked locations; under $3 and consistent with current McValue under-$3 listing; 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":"September 17, 2026","asOf":"2026-09-24","carriedFromDate":null,"citationCheck":{"fetched":true,"priceFound":true,"httpStatus":200,"error":null},"notes":"Pinned page city-wide McChicken average across 38 tracked locations; slightly above under-$3 value threshold so treated as standard a la carte local average; within plausibility band."}],"spec":{"reading":null,"status":"carried","appliedGrams":139.46,"rawExcerpt":null},"wage":{"usdPerHour":32.53,"month":"2026-08","fetchedAt":"2026-09-24T08:00:55.882Z","source":"FRED AHETPI (api)"},"nationalEstimates":[{"estimate":2.86,"source_url":"https://menupricetracker.com/mcdonalds-menu/mcchicken","as_of":"2026-09-07","description":"MenuPriceTracker national average McChicken price from app-sourced store-level data; page reports 5,037 neighborhoods tracked and a $1.00-$5.79 range."},{"estimate":2.86,"source_url":"https://menupricetracker.com/mcdonalds-chicken-menu","as_of":"2026-09-16","description":"MenuPriceTracker Chicken & Fish category national average for McChicken; page reports McChicken average $2.86 with $1.00-$5.79 range."},{"estimate":2.86,"source_url":"https://menupricetracker.com/mcdonalds-menu","as_of":"2026-09-17","description":"MenuPriceTracker full-menu national item table lists McChicken at $1.00-$5.79 with a $2.86 average."}],"regimeEvents":[{"date":"2026-09-14","event":"FastFoodIndex same-store tracker reported a McDonald's price-change wave: McChicken was up on net at 5,861 restaurants over the week, with a typical move from $1.50 to $2.19. Flagged for review only; not used to alter metro observations.","source_url":"https://fastfoodindex.com/price-changes/mcdonalds/"},{"date":"2026-09-23","event":"McDonald's announced its NEXT strategy, including dedicated value leadership and a target to gain chicken-category share by 2030; the release did not state an immediate McChicken price, formulation, or portion-size change.","source_url":"https://mcdonalds.mediaroom.com/2026-09-23-McDONALDS-ADVANCES-NEXT-STRATEGY-TO-BECOME-FIRST-CHOICE-FOR-MORE-CUSTOMERS,-MORE-OFTEN"},{"date":"2026-09-24","event":"Status check: the official McValue page still listed McChicken under the Under $3 Lunch & Dinner menu and the McChicken Meal Deal under Lunch and Dinner Meal Deals, with prices and participation varying and McDelivery excluded; this is not a new launch.","source_url":"https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/full-menu/mcvalue-menu.html"}],"qualityNotes":"All 12 metro observations came from the pinned MenuPriceTracker city pages, fetched 2026-09-24; each page displays Last updated: September 17, 2026 and says prices are app-sourced/last verified September 2026. No delivery platforms or banned content farms were used. City pages report city-wide averages rather than a single kiosk quote; the hardest metros were Seattle, New York, Los Angeles, and Phoenix, where current McValue participation/under-$3 labeling appears to vary, and no credible McChicken reformulation or portion-size change was found in the past-14-day checks.","outcome":{"status":"published","mciMinutes":5.3,"panelPriceUsd":2.85},"usage":{"inputTokens":117318,"outputTokens":11412}}