Opinion: Fourth of July cookouts are less expensive than last year

Date: Monday, July 3, 2023

Pam Lewison says it is good to see the overall cost of this year’s Independence Day meal drop back down to a more affordable price per person

Pam Lewison
Washington Policy Center

This year’s Fourth of July cookout will cost the average consumer less than a year ago but is still up about 14 percent on the 2021 cost.

The American Farm Bureau Federation reported a family cookout will cost approximately $6.77 per person this year, or $67.73 for a 10-person get together. The federation began keeping track of cookout costs in 2013. Last year’s estimated cookout cost set a record for the 10-year-old survey, breaking the piggy bank at $81.12 total or $8.11 per person.

Cookouts look different to everyone, but the American Farm Bureau Federation lays out a pretty solid menu for their pricing estimates including cheeseburgers, cookies, ice cream, strawberries, potato chips, chicken breast, pork chops, pork and beans, lemonade, and potato salad. Cherry pie must be a George, Wash. thing.

According to farm bureau estimates, a cheeseburger – meat, cheese, and bun – will run $1.73 each. If you want to get fancy with fixings – lettuce, tomato, pickles, caramelized onions, and sauce – that’s extra. Other proteins – chicken breast and pork chops – will add an additional $0.81 and $1.44 respectively to the per person tally.

The survey notes there are several factors that influence the cost of food including drought, supply, and inflation. Beef and spuds are scarce courtesy of increased feed and drought. Most processed foods, like packaged hamburger buns, have increased in price from last year, with one notable exception: pre-packaged cookies.

Less than $7 per person put into a global perspective should remind everyone how lucky we are to live in the United States. American households spend about 7 percent of their total income on food whereas in parts of the developing world food can take up to 60 percent of a household’s budget.

Whether you let freedom ring with a cheeseburger, ribs, or apple pie, it is good to see the overall cost of this year’s Independence Day meal drop back down to a more affordable price per person. Happy 247th Birthday America!

Pam Lewison is the director of the Center for Agriculture at the Washington Policy Center.