Cost of 4th Of July Cookout Down Slightly From 10-Year High, Farm Bureau Says

July 4, 2023

Celebrating the Fourth of July with a cookout will cost significantly more than two years ago, although prices have fallen slightly from record highs in 2022. Families will pay $67.73 to host an Independence Day cookout with 10 family members or friends, based on the 2023 American Farm Bureau Federation marketbasket survey.

The $67.73 grocery bill is down 3% from 2022, but still approximately 14% higher than prices were just two years ago. Last year set a record high since AFBF began the survey in 2013, and 2023 comes in as the second-highest cost. The cookout favorites include cheeseburgers, chicken breasts, pork chops, homemade potato salad, strawberries and ice cream, among other products.

The marketbasket survey shows a year-to-year increase in the cost of hamburger buns, beef and potato salad, while there are drops in the cost of chicken breasts, lemonade and cookies.

The retail price for a package of eight hamburger buns increased 17% to $2.26. Homemade potato salad will cost $3.44, up 5% from 2022. The cost of 2 pounds of ground beef rose 4% to $11.54.

Our survey found one exception to the increased price of processed foods. A package of cookies will cost 10% less than 2022. The price of chicken breasts and eggs, which had reached record-high prices in 2022, are both lower. This is good news as the number of avian influenza cases has fallen, which has allowed chicken populations to recover. Lemonade is 16% less expensive, at $3.73, due to a drop in the cost of lemons.

Although historically high, the cost of the cookout breaks down to less than $7 per person. When put in a global context, Americans spend a smaller percentage of their income on food than any other country.

Volunteer shoppers across the country, including Farm Bureau members and others, collected data from different stores in every state and Puerto Rico. The purchased were made prior to any Fourth of July week grocery sales.

Individual Prices, AFBF 2023 Summer Cookout

  • 2 pounds of ground beef, $11.54 (+4%)
  • 2 pounds of chicken breasts, $8.14 (-9%)
  • 3 pounds of pork chops, $14.37 (-6%)
  • 1 pound of cheese, $3.53 (no change)
  • 1 package of hamburger buns, $2.26 (+17%)
  • 2 ½ pounds of homemade potato salad, $3.44 (+5%)
  • 32 ounces of pork and beans, $2.44 (-3%)
  • 16-ounce bag of potato chips, $4.53 (-4%)
  • 13-ounce package of chocolate chip cookies, $3.90 (-10%)
  • ½ gallon of ice cream, $5.29 (+3%)
  • 2 pints of strawberries, $4.56 (+3%)
  • 2 ½ quarts of lemonade, $3.73 (-16%)

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News