Overview
- The American Farm Bureau Federation's 2026 marketbasket survey finds a typical cookout for 10 people costs $73.82, about $2.90 more than last year and roughly $7.38 per person.
- Ten of the 12 tracked items rose in price with the largest increases for ground beef (up 5.5%), strawberries (up 12.4%), and canned pork and beans (up 13.8%), while potato salad, chips, and eggs fell.
- Reporters and Farm Bureau sources link the price moves to supply disruptions such as drought-driven herd rebuilding and spring frost damage, along with higher aluminum, fuel and freight costs that ripple through the supply chain.
- Michigan shoppers face a lower state average of $66.06 for a 10-person cookout, and the Farm Bureau suggests shoppers use weekly ads, coupons and seasonal local produce to cut costs.
- Adjusted for inflation, the survey shows cookout costs have been relatively stable in recent years and remain below the real peak reached in 2022, even as grocery prices track close to broader CPI-driven inflation.