Farm Bureau: July 4 cookout costs remain flat

This year’s estimated costs for a hypothetical July 4 cookout remained virtually unchanged from last year, according to a study released by the American Farm Bureau Federation. The AFBF found the costs of a 10-person menu of $70.92 for 10 guests—down slightly from last year’s record high of $71.22‑but still ahead of 2023’s cost of $67.73.

At $7.09 per person, 2025’s costs will be the second-highest since the Farm Bureau began the survey in 2013. The cookout menu 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,” the AFBF said in a press release.

“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%. The cost of running their farm is up, from labor and transportation, to taxes.”

The estimated costs were lower than those of a study by RaboBank for a hypothetical Memorial Day barbecue featuring a different menu, which clocked in at $103. The Rabobank BBQ Index menu (which included beer, unlike the AFBF menu) assumed a 10-person barbecue, each consuming one cheeseburger with lettuce and tomato, one chicken sandwich with lettuce, tomato and a slice of cheese, two handfuls of chips, two beers, a soda and a few scoops of ice cream.

Both RaboBank and AFBF found price increases to be related to domestic supply and demand and supply chain issues. The retail price for 2 pounds of ground beef increased 4.4% to $13.33. Pork and beans will cost $2.69, up 20 cents from 2024. Potato salad is up 6.6% to $3.54. Several factors influence these increases, AFBF said, reflecting the 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 avian influenza.

The July Fourth cookout survey is part of the Farm Bureau market basket 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 Farm Bureau members and others, collected data from stores in every state and Puerto Rico.

Individual Prices, AFBF 2025 Summer Cookout

2 pounds of ground beef, $13.33 (+4.4%)

2 pounds of chicken breasts, $7.79 (-0.5%)

3 pounds of pork chops, $14.13 (-8.8%)

1 pound of cheese, $3.54 (-0.9%)

1 package of hamburger buns, $2.35 (-2.6%)

2 ½ pounds of homemade potato salad, $3.54 (+6.6%)

32 ounces of pork and beans, $2.69 (+8.2%)

16-ounce bag of potato chips, $4.80 (-2.1%)

13-ounce package of chocolate chip cookies, $4.00 (+0.3%)

½ gallon of ice cream, $5.69 (+0.7%)

2 pints of strawberries, $4.69 (+1.7%)

2 ½ quarts of lemonade, $4.37 (+4.2%)

David Murray can be reached at [email protected].