Average cost of July 4 cookout for 10 is $7.38 a person, increase consistent with annual inflation

The cost of a traditional July 4 cookout has increased by about 4%, compared to one last year, according to a new report.

The report by the American Farm Bureau Federation found a cookout for 10 people this Fourth of July will cost about $73.82, roughly $7.38 a person. The 4% increase, compared to 2025, is largely driven by higher costs for ground beef and hamburger buns, the foundation also found. 

The cost is based on what the group considers a traditional cookout meal of burgers, sides, lemonade and dessert. 

Within that menu or "basket, the federation included cheeseburgers; fresh-squeezed lemonade ingredients; sides of potato chips, pork and beans and homemade potato salad ingredients; and such dessert items as ice cream, fresh strawberries and chocolate chip cookies. 

The federation represents about 2 million U.S. farms, putting it among the agriculture industry's largest lobby groups.

This year's total cookout price was the highest since the federation began tracking them in 2016. However, the 4% increase compared to last year is slightly lower than the country's annualized inflation rate of 4.2%. 

Furthermore, inflation-adjusted figures provide perspective, the foundation says. When deflating the value using the Consumer Price Index (CPI), the cost of the basket is $22.03 in 1982-84 dollars, slightly lower than $22.06 in 2025.

"In other words, while families are paying more dollars at checkout, the purchasing-power cost of the basket is nearly flat from last year. Inflation-adjusted cookout costs have also remained relatively stable over the last several years and remain below the peak of $23.84 reached in 2022," the group also says.