The average Fourth of July cookout for 10 guests will cost Americans $70.92 this year, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual survey. That’s down just 30 cents from the 2024 figure of $71.22, which was an all-time high. Despite prices beginning to level out, a 2025 cookout still costs 19% more than it did five years ago.
American Farm Bureau volunteers visited their local grocery stores across the country in early June to give us a taste of prices for common Fourth of July cookout staples. Each year, they shop for a 10-person feast of cheeseburgers, chicken breasts, pork chops, potato chips, pork and beans, fresh strawberries, homemade potato salad ingredients, fresh-squeezed lemonade ingredients, chocolate chip cookies and ice cream.
This year, 2 pounds of ground beef for hamburger patties have increased over 50 cents from last year, reaching $13.33. This represents the highest price for beef ever recorded in this survey. Persistent drought conditions have shrunk the nation’s cattle herd to historic lows and tightened beef supplies in cold storage. At the same time, steady consumer demand and concerns about potential cattle import disruptions, such as from the emerging New World screwworm threat, are adding further pressure to prices. As a result, beef prices continue to climb, breaking records month after month.
Chicken prices have remained stable as the broiler industry was not as heavily impacted by Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) compared to previous years. Two pounds of chicken breast rose only 4 cents to $7.79. Reductions in broiler HPAI infections have paved the way for chicken production to regain its footing for the summer and prices to remain steady.
Pork chops had the largest drop in price in the survey this year, with an average price of $14.13 for 3 pounds– almost 9% lower than 2024. The price drop can be attributed to elevated production and higher market hog weights. According to USDA’s June Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Outlook, federally inspected hog production in May 2025 was 10.3 million head, up 3% from May 2024. As pork prices drop, consumers often turn to pork as a substitute for beef and poultry as those proteins continue to increase in price.
To read the full survey, please click here.
