Cost of July 4th Cookout 17% Higher Compared to Year Ago

June 2022

U.S. consumers will pay $69.68 for their favorite Independence Day cookout foods, including cheeseburgers, pork chops, chicken breasts, homemade potato salad, strawberries and ice cream, based on a new American Farm Bureau Federation marketbasket survey.

The average cost of a summer cookout for 10 people is $69.68, which breaks down to less than $7 per person. The overall cost for the cookout is up 17% or about $10 from last year, a result of ongoing supply chain disruptions, inflation and the war in Ukraine.

While several foods on the survey increased, strawberries, sliced cheese and potato chips  showed a drop in price from the previous year, with strawberries declining 86 cents.
The year-to-year direction of the marketbasket survey tracks with the federal government’s Consumer Price Index report for food at home and general inflation across the economy. Both the index and the marketbasket show increases of more than 10% compared to year-ago levels.

Individual Prices, AFBF 2022 Summer Cookout

2 pounds of ground beef, $11.12 (+36%)

2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, $8.99 (+33%)

32 ounces of pork & beans, $2.53 (+33%)

3 pounds of center cut pork chops, $15.26 (+31%)

2.5 quarts of fresh-squeezed lemonade, $4.43 (+22%)

2.5 pounds of homemade potato salad, $3.27 (+19%)

8 hamburger buns, $1.93 (+16%)

Half-gallon of vanilla ice cream, $5.16 (+10%)

13-ounce bag of chocolate chip cookies, $4.31 (+7%)

2 pints of strawberries, $4.44 (-16%)

1 pound of sliced cheese, $3.53 (-13%)

16-ounce bag of potato chips, $4.71 (-4%)

The July 4th cookout survey is part of the American Farm Bureau marketbasket series, which also includes the popular annual Thanksgiving Dinner Cost Survey of common food staples Americans use to prepare meals at home.