Fourth of July cookout costs are 19% higher than in 2019 but less than last year

Volunteers grill pork chops and ribs at the Iowa State Fairgrounds during the World Pork Expo June 4, 2025. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

The average cost for a 10-person Fourth of July cookout will cost $70.92, which is 30 cents less than last summer, but the second-highest cookout cost since 2013, when the American Farm Bureau Federation began its annual survey on the topic.

Beef, canned goods and hand-picked crops have the highest price increases from last year, due likely to low domestic cattle inventory, aluminum tariffs and the cost of labor.

The American Farm Bureau survey assumes a gathering of 10 people who will consume: cheeseburgers, chicken breasts, pork chops, potato chips, canned pork and beans, fresh strawberries, homemade potato salad, fresh-squeezed lemonade, chocolate chip cookies and ice cream.

Canned pork and beans had the steepest increase, 8.2% or 20 cents, from last year. The bureau said labor costs along the supply chain and steep tariffs on aluminum are likely to blame.

Homemade lemonade will also cost 20 cents more per pitcher this year, and strawberries 8 cents more per pound, due to a continued trend of high labor costs in the specialty crop sector.

The cost of ground beef also increased to $13.33 for two pounds, which is nearly 60 cents more than the $12.77 cost in 2024. While normally a crowd favorite, it will cost families nearly $20 to make 10 cheeseburgers this weekend, according to the survey prices.

U.S. cattle herd size has been declining since 2019, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported the 2025 herd size was 8% lower than 2019 herd. The amount of beef imported to the U.S. has also gone up in the time frame.

Pork chops, on the other hand, had the largest decrease in price from last year. Three pounds of pork chops this weekend should run consumers about $14.13, which is nearly 9% less than the cut cost last year. The survey concludes this is due to high domestic pork supplies.

The cost of chicken breasts declined slightly from last year’s cookout prices but the cost of eggs increased, which made potato salad about 20 cents more expensive this year. Poultry have been affected by the ongoing highly pathogenic avian influenza, which has caused fluctuating prices as the supply chains are impacted.

Since January, U.S. has imported about 10 times the amount of shell eggs it imported in the same period in 2024 as part of the administration’s plan to combat the bird flu. Wholesale egg prices have declined…