Whether you’re a burger and hotdogs or an apple pie a la mode kind of host (or all of them), this year’s Fourth of July feast is projected to be more expensive than last year.

Each year the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) calculates the cost of various foods that might be served to ring in America’s birthday including cheeseburgers, pork chops, chicken breasts, sides, and desserts. All told, the national average cost for a 10-person meal is $71.22, an increase of 5 percent over the 2023 cost and the first time the per person cost has topped $7.

Breaking the cost down by region is even more telling. Shoppers outside the West Coast will spend significantly less for their holiday feasts:

• West Coast – $80.88
• Northeast - $63.54
• Midwest - $68.26
• South - $68.33

There are certainly several policy factors that drive the cost of food on the West Coast up including higher fuel costs, increased regulatory burdens, higher minimum wages for retail and shipping, longer shipping distances, and more. The AFBF notes the overall cost of the Fourth of July cookout projections has increased 30 percent in the last five years.

The report further explains that while food costs have increased and continue to be a concern for many consumers, the perceived income from that increased food cost is not making its way to America’s farms. 

“Despite rising prices in grocery stores, farm finances remain a concern for producers across the U.S. Farm income dropped 17% in 2023 and is expected to decrease another 25% this year. At the same time, production expenses have reached record highs in recent years,” the report notes.

This year, about 15 cents of every grocery dollar spent goes back to the person who grew the food on your plate. So, for West Coast shoppers spending $80.88 for their Fourth of July meal, just $12.15 will make it back to the farms and ranches where the various food products came from. 

While prices are high this year, let us keep in mind that difficult times are what sparked the birth of this great nation. So, no matter how you celebrate Independence Day and divvy up food responsibilities, don’t forget where we came from:

“Remember, remember always that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists.” – FDR