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Fourth of July cookout costs are down slightly from last year's record high

Zac Cain
/
Unsplash

Celebrating the Fourth of July with an outdoor barbecue is cheaper than last year, but not by much, according to a new survey by the American Farm Bureau Federation. 

The average cost of a summer cookout is slightly down, but Oklahomans will continue to feel the pinch of inflation at the grocery store as they prepare to celebrate the Fourth of July.

According to the American Farm Bureau’s latest survey, shoppers can expect to spend $67.73 to feed 10 people at this year’s summer cookouts, which is down 3% from last year’s record high.

Despite the slight drop in costs, the 2023 summer cookout grocery bill is still 14% higher than just two years ago. It’s the second-highest record cost since the American Farm Bureau began the survey a decade ago.

The survey found an increase in the cost of beef, hamburger buns and potato salad, while the cost of chicken breasts, lemonade and cookies dropped.

“Some of the factors that impacted some of the increases included drought across much of the West and Midwest, which increased the cost of feed for cattle, and it drove up the price of ground beef, said Roger Cryan, the American Farm Bureau’s Chief Economist. “Poor weather also led to a smaller potato crop this year and overall inflation is driving up the cost of processed foods like hamburger buns.”

American Farm Bureau Federation

The survey noted the lower costs of chicken breasts and eggs are due to the drop in avian flu cases which has allowed chicken populations to recover.

The average price of individual cookout food items from the survey is listed below:

  • 2 pounds of ground beef, $11.54 (+4%)
  • 2 pounds of chicken breasts, $8.14 (-9%)
  • 3 pounds of pork chops, $14.37 (-6%)
  • 1 pound of cheese, $3.53 (no change)
  • 1 package of hamburger buns, $2.26 (+17%)
  • 2 ½ pounds of homemade potato salad, $3.44 (+5%)
  • 32 ounces of pork and beans, $2.44 (-3%)
  • 16-ounce bag of potato chips, $4.53 (-4%)
  • 13-ounce package of chocolate chip cookies, $3.90 (-10%)
  • ½ gallon of ice cream, $5.29 (+3%)
  • 2 pints of strawberries, $4.56 (+3%)
  • 2 ½ quarts of lemonade, $3.73 (-16%)

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Xcaret Nuñez covered agriculture and rural communities for KOSU as a corps member with Report for America from June 2022 to September 2023.
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