Rising Production Costs Drive Up Fourth of July Cookout Prices

Celebrating the Fourth of July will be more expensive this year, with the prices of products ranging from beef to strawberries to fuel being higher than they were in 2025.

The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday (June 30) that beef prices will remain at a record high this year. The prices of ground beef and cuts of steak are up 14% compared to this time last year, helping to drive up the cost of a barbecue for 10 people by 2.4%, the report said, citing data from Wells Fargo’s Agri-Food Institute.

The report attributed the increase in the price of beef to lower supply caused by drought conditions; high costs of animal feed, pasture maintenance and farm labor; and supply chain challenges caused by efforts to contain the spread of the New World screwworm.

The American Farm Bureau Federation said in a June 24 press release that the cost of a July 4 cookout for 10 guests will be 4% higher this year, which is close to the overall annual inflation rate of 4.2%. The prices of 10 of the 12 the organization includes in its survey are up from last year.

The AFBF found that the price of a can of pork and beans is up 13.8% due to a drastic increase in the cost of aluminum used to make cans; the price of strawberries is up 12.4% due to the rising costs of labor and fuel as well as a frost that destroyed many plants early in the spring; and the price of hamburger buns is up 7.7% due to higher production, transportation and labor costs.

The National Retail Federation found in an annual survey that consumers expect to spend a record average of $94.41 per person on food items for this year’s Independence Day holiday. That figure is up from $92.44 last year and is the highest since the organization launched the survey in 2003.

AAA said Thursday (June 25) that the national gas price average has declined for five consecutive weeks but remains above where it was a year ago. The national average on Thursday was $3.918, up from the one-year-ago figure of $3.227.

In a June 23 press release about the Independence Day holiday, AAA said: “Given the recent volatility in gas prices, it’s too early to know what drivers should expect to pay at the pump.”