WASHINGTON, D.C. (RFD NEWS) — The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) released its 2026 Fourth of July Cookout Cost Survey, finding that a cookout for 10 people will cost an average of $73.82, or about $7.38 per person. That’s up $2.90 (4%) from last year and marks the highest total since the survey began in 2016.
The report notes that while cookout costs are at a record high, they have increased at roughly the same pace as overall inflation. The Farm Bureau found that the cookout basket rose about 4 percent, compared with a 4.2 percent increase in overall U.S. inflation over the past year.
Some key takeaways from the report:
- Ground beef saw one of the largest increases, rising to $14.06 for two pounds, up 5.5 percent from last year. Farm Bureau attributes higher beef prices to a smaller cattle herd and ongoing drought impacts.
- Chicken breasts increased 3.5 percent to $8.06 for two pounds, while pork chops rose 4.7 percent to $14.79 for three pounds.
- Strawberries posted one of the biggest jumps, climbing 12.4 percent to $5.27 for two pints.
- Pork and beans recorded the largest percentage increase in the basket, up 13.8 percent to $3.06.
- Two items declined in price: potato salad ingredients fell 17.8 percent, helped by lower egg prices, and potato chips dipped slightly.
Regionally, the West was the most expensive place to host a Fourth of July cookout at $80 for 10 people, while the Northeast had the lowest average cost at $71.35. The Midwest and South were also below the national average.
Farm Bureau also emphasized that farmers receive less than six cents of every food dollar after expenses, with most grocery costs tied to processing, packaging, transportation, marketing, and retail.
AFBF Economist and report co-author, Dr. Faith Parum, joined us on Wednesday’s Market Day Report to discuss the Farm Bureau’s annual Fourth of July survey and what it reveals about food costs facing consumers this summer.
In her interview with RFD News, Parum discussed the findings of this year’s survey, which examines the cost of a traditional Independence Day cookout for 10 guests and compares those expenses with previous years, and addressed the key factors contributing to higher food costs and the categories that experienced the largest price increases.
“Overall, the United States saw about 4.2% inflation, so some of that is tracking with general inflationary measures in the country, but we also saw some specific items go up,” Parum told RFD News. “For example, strawberries had a pretty big price increase this year, mainly due to a devastating freeze in Florida affecting a lot of young strawberry plants. But also, labor and transportation costs are going up across the country. Food is really sensitive to any change in fuel prices, so increased diesel prices will really make those prices go up.”
Dr. Parum also highlighted areas of the survey that offered some positive news for consumers, noting that not all food categories experienced the same level of price pressure.
“We had two bright spots. Both potato chips and potato salad were down this year,” she said. “Potato chips were down about 1%, and potato salad had a very large decrease as the price of eggs has gone down drastically over the last three years. Obviously, with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, we had record-high egg prices in the last couple of years. So, we are seeing some relief on that aisle.”
She further explained that higher grocery store prices do not necessarily translate into higher earnings for farmers, pointing to the many costs and supply chain factors that influence food prices between the farm and the consumer.
“The farmer’s share of the retail food dollar is only about 6%, or six cents -- that means every dollar you spend in the grocery store, on average, only six cents is getting back to those farmers and ranchers growing that food -- the rest of that dollar is going to things like food retail services, food marketing, labor in the grocery store, or the restaurant,” Parum explained.
“So, just because you’re paying more for food at the grocery store or a restaurant, that doesn’t mean it’s coming back to that farmer. On top of that, farmers are seeing record-high production expenses. They’re paying more for labor and interest expenses, so they’re continuing to see those high inflationary pressures—both when they purchase food for their families and when they’re growing crops.”
Parum also shared her key takeaway from this year’s survey and what it says about the current state of food prices and consumer spending.
“I think the biggest takeaway is that while we did see an increase, when we adjust that for inflation, it’s holding relatively consistent with the last couple of years,” Parum said. “Really, this is just broader inflationary impacts on the entire country and not necessarily food prices driving that inflation.”
New data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) shows Americans continued to spend heavily on food in 2025, with more consumers choosing to dine out than to purchase food for home preparation.
According to the USDA, total U.S. food spending reached approximately $2.5 trillion last year, with food-away-from-home expenditures accounting for 56 percent of total spending and growing faster than grocery purchases.
