Overview

• American Farm Bureau Federation data show the average 2025 cookout bill for ten guests dipped 0.4% to $70.92, or $7.09 per person, slightly below 2024’s record $71.22.
• Beef, potato salad and canned pork and beans registered year-over-year price increases while pork chops, chips and hamburger buns became cheaper.
• The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported May’s CPI up 2.4% overall and food-at-home prices up 2.2%, signaling cooling inflation.
• Ongoing disease threats in livestock and elevated labor and transportation expenses continue to stir volatility in protein costs.
• Despite the slight easing, this year’s cookout cost still ranks as the second-highest on record since 2013.