Fourth of July Cookout Costs Hit Record High as Americans Plan to Spend More in 2026

Quick Facts

A Fourth of July cookout for 10 guests will cost $73.82 in 2026, up 4% from last year and a record high per the American Farm Bureau Federation.
Americans spent an estimated $14.8 billion on Fourth of July celebrations in 2025, including $8.9 billion on food and $3.7 billion on alcohol.
86% of consumers planned to celebrate Independence Day in 2025, with 95% of those celebrants shopping in preparation for the holiday.

The cost of celebrating the Fourth of July keeps climbing. According to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual marketbasket survey, a cookout for 10 guests will run $73.82 this year. That is up $2.90, or 4%, from 2025 and the highest total since the AFBF began tracking in 2016.

The increase tracks closely with broader inflation. The cookout basket rose 4% compared to a 4.2% rise in overall U.S. inflation over the past year.

What Is Driving Costs Up

Ground beef is the biggest pressure point. Two pounds of ground beef now costs $14.06, up 73 cents or 5.5% from last year. That is the highest beef price ever recorded in the AFBF survey.

Chicken breasts rose 3.5% to $8.06 for two pounds. Pork chops increased 4.7% to $14.79 for three pounds. Hamburger buns jumped 7.7% to $2.53, a reflection of higher production, labor, and transportation costs.

Not every item got more expensive. Potato salad fell 17.8% to $2.91 as egg prices dropped following avian influenza flock recovery and healthy potato harvests lowered input costs.

Total Holiday Spending

Americans spent an estimated $14.8 billion on Fourth of July in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation. Food accounted for $8.9 billion of that total, including roughly 150 million hot dogs. Alcohol, primarily beer, added another $3.7 billion.

The average adult spent $92.44 on food and snacks for Independence Day 2025. That figure was up $2.02, or 2.23%, year over year. Compared to 2015, per-person food spending has risen $21.21, a 29.8% increase over the decade.

Fireworks added to the tab. The average celebrating American spent $44.22 on fireworks. Nationwide fireworks spending totaled $2.2 billion, with approximately 49.8 million consumers making purchases.

Where You Live Affects the Price

Geography plays a role in what shoppers pay. The West was the most expensive region for a Fourth of July cookout at $80 for 10 people. The Northeast had the lowest average at $71.35. The Midwest and South both came in below the national average of $73.82.

What Economists Are Saying

AFBF Economist Dr. Faith Parum put the numbers in context. “While we did see an increase, when we adjust that for inflation, it’s holding relatively consistent with the last couple of years. Really, this is just broader inflationary impacts on the entire country and not necessarily food prices driving that inflation,” Parum said.

AFBF Associate Economist Samantha Ayoub pointed to the supply side in 2025. “Inflation and lower availability of some food items continue to keep prices stubbornly high for America’s families,” Ayoub said. “Farmers are price takers, not price makers. Their share of the food retail dollar is just 15%.”

What This Means for Retailers

Consumer participation remains high. In 2025, 86% of Americans planned to celebrate the Fourth of July, and 95% of those celebrants shopped ahead of the holiday. With 2026 marking the nation’s 250th anniversary, retailers and food brands should expect elevated demand across grilling staples, snacks, beverages, and seasonal merchandise.

Record cookout costs have not dampened appetite for the holiday. Brands and retailers that position around value, bundle deals, or premium grilling experiences stand to capture a larger share of what is now one of the year’s biggest consumer spending events.