The American Farm Bureau Federation puts the tab for a classic cookout for 10 at $73.82, up 4% from last year
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A classic Fourth of July cookout for 10 people will run $73.82 this year, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation's annual survey. That's a $2.90 increase over last year, or roughly 4%, and the steepest tab recorded since the survey launched in 2016.
If you divide the total by guest, the cost is $7.38 per person, which is the highest ever in dollar terms. This increase is similar to what people are seeing across the economy. From May last year to this May, the Consumer Price Index rose 4.2% and the food index went up 3.1%, so cookout costs are rising about as much as other prices.
Strip out inflation and the numbers tell a different story. Expressed in constant 1982–84 dollars, the basket's real cost comes to $22.03 — a hair under last year's $22.06, and substantially below the $23.84 inflation-adjusted peak the survey recorded in 2022.
Ground beef drove some of the steepest increases on the grill. At $14.06 for two pounds — a 5.5% jump — ground beef has never been more expensive in the survey's history. Prolonged drought has pushed the national cattle herd to historic lows, and the Farm Bureau cautioned that rebuilding those numbers to pre-drought levels is a multi-year process. Two pounds of chicken breasts now fetch $8.06, a 3.5% increase, while a three-pound package of pork chops reached $14.79, up 4.7%.
Some side dishes and summer favorites also got more expensive. Two pints of strawberries now cost $5.27, up 12.4%. The Farm Bureau says a Florida frost hurt young plants this spring, and higher costs for labor, fuel, refrigeration, and shipping made things worse. Pork and beans had the biggest percentage jump: a 32-ounce can now costs $3.06, up 13.8%, partly because of higher aluminum prices. Hamburger buns went up 7.7% to $2.53.
Not everything cost more. Homemade potato salad saw the sharpest price drop in the basket, falling 17.8% to $2.91; egg prices have retreated sharply as poultry flocks bounce back from avian influenza — four eggs now run just 71 cents compared with $1.34 last year — and strong potato yields have further eased costs. Those same potato harvest gains helped push a 16-ounce bag of chips down 0.8% to $4.76.
Where you shop makes a difference. Prices vary by region. In the West, feeding 10 people costs $80, which is over $6 more than the national average. The South, Midwest, and Northeast are all below average, at $72.08, $71.45, and $71.35, respectively.
Ground beef prices have been climbing steadily, with the national average for a pound hitting a record high heading into Memorial Day. The Department of Agriculture has projected beef prices will rise 6.3% in 2026, a pace above its 20-year historical growth rate.
Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall used the survey's release to push back on the assumption that consumers paying more means growers are prospering. "Higher prices at the grocery store don't always translate to more money for farmers," he said in a statement. "The farmer's share of the food dollar is around 6% after expenses."
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