Survey: Fourth of July Cookouts Cost Consumers Under $6 Per Person

A cookout of Americans' favorite foods for the Fourth of July will cost slightly more this year but still comes in at less than $6 per person, says the American Farm Bureau Federation.

Farm Bureau's informal survey reveals the average cost of a summer cookout for 10 people is $56.06, or $5.61 per person.

"Prices in the meat case are starting to look better from the consumers' perspective," although the cost for the cookout is up, says Veronica Nigh, an AFBF economist. "Retail ground round prices are trending lower," she notes, pointing to the nation's cattle inventory and commercial beef production, which continue to rebound from dramatically low levels in 2014 and 2015.

"On the pork side, commercial production also continues to grow and is at the highest level in 25 years," Nigh adds. Spare rib prices are about the same as a year ago, while the amount of product in cold storage is up 121 percent. "This is helping mediate the normal seasonal upswing in spare rib prices we typically see around the July 4th festivities," she says.

AFBF's summer cookout menu for 10 people consists of hot dogs and cheeseburgers with buns, pork spare ribs, deli potato salad, baked beans, corn chips, lemonade, chocolate milk, ketchup, mustard and watermelon.

"Shipments of watermelons are down nearly eight percent compared to the same time period last year," Nigh says, noting the slight increase in watermelon prices. 

U.S. milk production is up one percent compared to the same period last year. During the first quarter of 2016 (January-March), U.S. milk production reached historic levels, putting significant downward pressure on the price farmers receive for their milk.

A total of 79 Farm Bureau members (volunteer shoppers) in 26 states checked retail prices for summer cookout foods at their local grocery stores for this informal survey.

The summer cookout survey is part of the Farm Bureau marketbasket series, which also includes the popular annual Thanksgiving Dinner Cost Survey and two additional surveys of common food staples Americans use to prepare meals at home.