The Shadow
WASHINGTON, DC (VR) —Families preparing for a Fourth of July cookout will continue to find high prices at the grocery store, based on the 2025 American Farm Bureau Federation annual Marketbasket Survey.
An Independence Day cookout for 10 will cost an average of $70.92, down just 30 cents from last year’s record-high total of $71.22. The average cost for the cookout ingredients in the South was $68.93, almost $2 less than the national average but slightly higher than last year’s average of $68.33.
At $7.09 per person, 2025 will be the second-highest cost since AFBF began the survey in 2013. Cookout ingredients include cheeseburgers, chicken breasts, pork chops, homemade potato salad, strawberries and ice cream and other products. While the survey does not include an exhaustive list of Fourth of July options, it serves as a snapshot of prices families are facing this summer.
“Inflation and lower availability of some food items continue to keep prices stubbornly high for America’s families,” said AFBF associate economist Samantha Ayoub. “High prices don’t mean more money for farmers, however. Their share of the food retail dollar is just 15%. The cost of running their farms is up, from labor and transportation to taxes.”
The Marketbasket Survey shows an increase in the cost of beef, potato salad and canned pork and beans, while there are drops in the cost of pork chops, chips and hamburger buns.
The retail price for 2 pounds of ground beef increased 4.4% to $13.33. Pork and beans will cost $2.69, up 20 cents from 2024. Potato salad is up 6.6% to $3.54.
Several factors are influencing these increases. Fewer cattle are available for processing, which is affecting supplies. Steel and aluminum tariffs have affected the cost of the cans for pork and beans. The cost of eggs for making potato salad is still elevated, although costs are much lower than record highs earlier this year as egg-laying chicken populations recover from avian influenza.
The federal government’s broader Consumer Price Index report for food at home shows an overall increase of 2.2% compared to a year ago.
“While the survey suggests a slight increase for the Independence Day meal cost this year here in the South, the increase is significantly less than the current CPI for food purchased for home consumption,” noted Tony Banks, senior assistant director of agriculture, development and innovation for Virgina Farm Bureau.
The AFBF survey found a reduction in cost for six cookout staples. Among them is a 3-pound package of pork chops, which is down 8.8% from last year, at $14.13. Chips average $4.80 a bag, a dime less than 2024. Hamburger buns are 2.6% less expensive, at $2.35. The amount of pork available is up, which is pushing prices down. The demand for potatoes has eased, helping bring down the cost of chips. Wheat prices are still much lower than record highs of three years ago, contributing to the slight decrease in the cost of buns.
Farm Bureau’s informal Marketbasket Survey examines only those foods commonly associated with summer cookouts. Volunteer shoppers across the country, including Farm Bureau members and others, collected data from stores in every state and Puerto Rico.
Read the full list of 2025 Fourth of July cookout items and prices.
