What parts of your Fourth of July barbecue will cost more, less? We explain.
Your Fourth of July barbecue essentials are going to be slightly more expensive this year – that is, if you even plan to celebrate.
The Wells Fargo Agri-Food Institute analyzed costs for hosting a classic Fourth of July gathering for 10 people and found that consumers can expect to pay $130 for the food and beverages. That's up 2.2% from the cost for the same gathering a year ago. Paste BN got an exclusive look at the report.
But in another survey by CouponFollow, only 1 out of 3 people plan to celebrate Independence Day at all.
How much will the typical Fourth of July cookout cost?
Wells Fargo took a look at the costs for hosting the classic Fourth of July gathering using data from NielsenIQ, which tracks food scanned at retailers across the United States.
Though the $130 cost for is higher than last year, the devil is in the details, Wells Fargo said: In particular, the costs of beef and eggs are higher this year.
The menu includes barbecued chicken breasts, beef sliders, hotdogs, fresh fruit, vegetable platter, potato salad, corn bread, cake, apple pie, ice cream, beer, wine, soda and flavored sparking waters.
Here's how those main menu items fare:
- Grilled hamburgers are always a crowd pleaser, but the cost of ground beef is up 7.4% over last year, said Wells Fargo. Supply and demand is the problem: The U.S. cattle herd is at one of its lowest levels since the 1950s, which is driving up prices.
- Chicken is a good food alternative this year, with boneless barbecued chicken breasts up 1% thanks to ample supply and lower feed costs. "We're seeing record affordability on chicken," said Michael Swanson, chief agricultural economist at Wells Fargo Agri-Food Institute. Swanson said that while poultry prices are higher than they were in 2020 and 2021, they are lower than the high of 2022, when inflationary pressures sharply increased prices. Consumers' wages are also higher, "so we're saying, 'If you want to put more on the grill, chicken is the way to go,' " he said.
- Barbecue sauce is up 2.3%, while hamburger and hotdog buns are down almost 1.5% as retailers cut prices to stay competitive, Wells Fargo said.
How do prices look for Fourth of July side dishes?
Here's how side dishes will fare:
- Many U.S.-grown fresh fruits and vegetables are in peak season in the summer. Watermelon and strawberries are grown in abundance in the United States, and prices are down 0.6% from last year, according to the survey. But your veggie plate may cost more if you stock up on cauliflower and broccoli, both up 1.2%, and baby carrots, which are up 1.9%. Cherry tomatoes cost more this year, too, up 3.7% from last year.
- Eggs play a key role on many menus, whether they are hard-boiled, deviled or in potato salad. Egg prices have begun to ease from the highs earlier this year, caused by the national avian bird flu outbreak, but their overall prices are still 40% higher than last year, according to Wells Fargo and the May Consumer Price Index. Meanwhile, potatoes are up 1% year-over year.
- If cornbread is on the menu, shoppers should expect to pay 2.4% more this year.
- Apple pie costs roughly the same as last year: Prices are up 1.5%, and the price of a 1.5-quart container of ice cream is up less than 1%.
- If alcohol is on your menu, the classic offerings of beer and red, white and sparkling wine are up less than 2%, Wells Fargo said. Root beer and other sodas cost a little more than last year, with the liter bottle up 2%, but that is still cheaper than buying the soda by the can. Flavored sparkling waters are up 4.7% from last year. If guests are looking for specific imported beers and wines, which could be more expensive because of import tariffs, it might be a good idea for the host to suggest they BYOB to keep costs down, Swanson said.
Why 1 in 3 don't plan to celebrate
Americans’ plans for the holiday depend on their age, location and how they’re feeling about the country in 2025.
Close to half of CouponFollow survey respondents say they won’t celebrate Independence Day this year because they aren’t “feeling patriotic,” and 44% said they feel “disconnected from American culture right now.”
National pride has dropped for some respondents: 22% say they feel less patriotic now than they did in recent years. However, 11% said they feel more patriotic, and 40% said their feelings about the holiday have not changed.
A quarter said the holiday “doesn’t feel inclusive” to them. Price is a factor for 10% of respondents, who say they can’t afford to celebrate this year.
The top reasons Americans gave for celebrating July Fourth are that it brings people together, they enjoy fireworks or summer events, and it's tradition.
Younger generations are more likely to join in this year’s festivities. Only 31% of Gen Zers and millennials say they are opting out, while 38% of Gen Xers and 38% of baby boomers say they plan to sit out celebrations, the survey found.
The holiday is most popular in the Midwest, where only 26% of Americans plan to skip it. At 40%, Southerners are most likely to opt out. In between is the West and Northeast, where 31% say they don’t have plans to celebrate.
How much Americans plan to spend celebrating
About 1 in 6 Americans say they will spend significantly less on the holiday this year due to inflation and rising costs.
Clay Cary, senior trends analyst at CouponFollow, told Paste BN inflation is a large reason why 2025 appears to be a less busy year for July Fourth travel. Only 9% of survey respondents plan to head out of town.
For those who are celebrating, CouponFollow estimates Americans will spend an average of $200 on travel, $100 on fireworks, $80 on food, $50 on drinks and $40 on decorations.
The survey found American’s most popular cost-savings measures this year include bulk shopping and using coupons, skipping decorations, and hosting a smaller event than usual.
This story has been updated to fix a typo.