Cost of summer cookout nearly unchanged from 2024
Families celebrating the Fourth of July holiday continue to find high prices at the grocery store, based on the 2025 American Farm Bureau Federationʼs (AFBF) annual marketbasket survey.
An Independence Day cookout will cost $70.92 for 10 guests this year.
This is down only 30 cents from last year’s record-high cost.
At $7.09 per person, 2025 will be the second-highest cost since AFBF began the survey in 2013.
The cookout favorites include cheeseburgers, chicken breasts, pork chops, homemade potato salad, strawberries and ice cream, among other products.
While the survey does not include an exhaustive list of Fourth of July options, it serves as a snapshot of prices families are facing this summer.
“Inflation and lower availability of some food items continue to keep prices stubbornly high for America’s families,” said AFBF Associate Economist Samantha Ayoub. “High prices don’t mean more money for farmers, however. Farmers are price takers, not price makers. Their share of the food retail dollar is just 15 percent. The cost of running their farm is up, from labor and transportation to taxes.”
Survey highlights
The marketbasket survey shows an increase in the cost of beef, potato salad and canned pork and beans, while there are drops in the cost of pork chops, chips and hamburger buns.
The retail price for two pounds of ground beef increased 4.4 percent to $13.33. Pork and beans will cost $2.69, up 20 cents from 2024. Potato salad is up 6.6 percent to $3.54.
Several factors influence these increases, reflecting the sort of challenges farmers regularly face.
Fewer cattle are available for processing, which is affecting supplies. Steel and aluminum tariffs mean increased prices on canned goods. The cost of eggs – used in potato salad – is still elevated, although they are much lower than record highs earlier this year as egg-laying chicken populations are recovering from highly pathogenic avian influenza.
The AFBF survey found a reduction in cost for six cookout staples.
Among them is a three-pound package of pork chops, which is down 8.8 percent from last year at $14.13. Chips average $4.80 a bag, a dime less than 2024. Hamburger buns are 2.6 percent less expensive at $2.35.
The amount of pork available to stores is up, which is pushing prices down. The demand for potatoes has eased, helping bring down the cost of chips. Wheat prices are still much lower than record highs of three years ago, contributing to the slight decrease in the cost of buns.
Global context
Although the $7.09 per-person cost is near a historic high, when put in a global context, people in the U.S. spend a smaller percentage of their expenditures on food than in any other country.
AFBF President Zippy Duvall said, “We can celebrate America’s independence every year, in part, because of the hard work of the farmers and ranchers who contribute to the nation’s food independence. Farmers are dedicated to doing the right thing, and their commitment to sustainable and innovative farming practices ensures a safe and abundant food supply for every family in America.
“Farmers and ranchers achieve this, in part, through research, conservation and farm safety net programs which are made possible through a strong farm bill. We urge members of Congress to return from their holiday break and pass a new, modernized five-year farm bill. We appreciate efforts during the reconciliation process to address some issues facing agriculture, but only a new farm bill will bring the certainty farmers need to continue leading the world in agriculture.”
The federal government’s broader Consumer Price Index report for food at home shows an overall increase of 2.2 percent compared to a year ago.
AFBF’s informal marketbasket survey examines only those foods commonly associated with summer cookouts.
The Fourth of July cookout survey is part of the AFBF marketbasket series, which also includes the popular annual Thanksgiving dinner cost survey of common food staples Americans use to prepare a holiday meal at home.
Volunteer shoppers across the country, including AFBF members and others, collected data from stores in every state and in Puerto Rico.
AFBF is the nation’s largest general farm organization with member families in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. For more information, visit fb.org.
