Very Little Change In 4th Of July Meal Costs

As Americans nationwide gear up to celebrate Independence Day, families planning a cookout celebration should plan to spend about the same as they did last year.

"This year's summer cookout (survey) finds that a July 4th meal, it'll run you about $70.92 or $7.09 a person," noted Samantha Ayoub, associate economist for the American Farm Bureau Federation. "This is the second-highest price we've seen since we started the survey, but it is down about 30 cents from last year, which has really slowed down from those huge spikes of inflation we were seeing the last few years.”

What Changed From 2024 To 2025?

Ayoub said some of the biggest price swings this year come from protein.

“So, for two pounds of ground beef, this year, it’ll run you about $13, which is up 4.5% rom last year. But our largest decrease was actually in pork chops, with an 8.8% decrease to $14.13," she said. "So, pork chops are really looking like a substitute for ground beef, whether they're on sale or also just increased supplies of hogs in the market.”