Most Expensive July 4th Meal Ever? Cost of Family BBQ Hits Record High

The cost of a July 4th cookout this year is 30% higher than 2019. According to new data from the American Farm Bureau‘s market basket survey, the average cost of summer cookout essentials for a gathering of 10 people, including items like cheeseburgers, chicken breasts, pork chops, potato chips, pork and beans, fresh strawberries, homemade potato salad, fresh-squeezed lemonade, chocolate chip cookies, and ice cream, is estimated to be $71.22.

This represents a 5% increase from last year and a 30% increase from five years ago. The figure has topped $7 per person for the first time ever.

The Farm Bureau’s experts estimate that two pounds of ground beef will cost an average of $12.77, an increase of about a dollar, or 11 percent, from last year. That comes despite the number of fed cattle in the supply chain this spring being higher than last year.