Here’s how much more you’ll spend on your Fourth of July BBQ this year
By Matt Egan, CNN
New York (CNN) — Not even Fourth of July barbecues are immune to inflation.
Americans feeding a group of 10 this holiday weekend will spend an average of $71.22, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.
It’s a record high: 5% more than last year and 30% higher than in 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic.
The biggest driver of the pricier supermarket bills will be the cost of meat, which accounts for about half the total cost.
The American Farm Bureau found the price of two pounds of ground beef will cost an average of $12.77 this year, up 11% from a year ago.
Pork is also more expensive, increasing 8% to an average of $15.49.
Some cookout items are cheaper
The good news is that some items are cheaper than last summer.
For instance, two pounds of chicken breasts now cost an average of $7.83 nationally, down 4% from a year ago. Likewise, the cost of homemade potato salad dipped 4%. The price of other staples including cheese (+1%) and strawberries (+1%) barely budged.
Zooming out, it’s clear that food prices are no longer skyrocketing like they were two years ago.
As inflation skyrocketed across the economy in 2022, the American Farm Bureau estimated a 17% year-over-year spike in the cost of a Fourth of July cookout. In that survey, the cost of ground beef had surged 36% over the year. And the cost of chicken breast climbed 33% amid outbreaks of bird flu, which also sent egg prices skyrocketing.
After that sticker shock, Fourth of July grillers got a break on the bill last summer. The cost of a 10-person cookout dipped 3% to $67.73.
The American Farm Bureau notes that, on an inflation-adjusted basis, this summer’s BBQ bill is 5% lower than the record set in 2022.
Government data shows food inflation has eased substantially. Grocery prices increased just 1% in May from the year earlier, compared with a peak of nearly 6% in June 2023, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Of course, grocery prices differ significantly across the country.
The cheapest Fourth of July barbecue bill is in the Northeast at $63.54, according to the American Farm Bureau. Consumers will spend a bit more in the South and the Midwest, at $68.33 and $68.26, respectively.
The most expensive barbecue bills are in the West, where Americans will spend $80.88, or more than $1 higher per person than the national average.
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