Where’s the Beef on Independence Day?

How could Julia Child and Groucho Marx be wrong?

The Fourth of July is a firecracker of a feast, when billows of smoke rise from grills all over the long-liberated nation. Barbecued favorites, especially juicy hamburgers and hot dogs, are always the specials of the day. It’s the prime time to chow down on beef and lift up brews with friends and family. As the inimitable Julia Child taught us, “The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook.”

For Independence Day, approximately 65% of Americans plan to cook out, grill, or host a picnic each year. It is estimated that some 72.2 million Americans will travel more than 50 miles to sizzle a wiener or burger with relatives and friends in 2025.

Beef Up the Numbers

As reported by Liberty Nation News in 2022, the average price for a pound of ground beef was $5.33, while the national average for a gallon of gasoline hovered around $4.90. This year, that pound of burger fetched a record $5.98, but gasoline averaged $3.22. Those driving long distances may save enough at the pump to more than offset the increased cost of the holiday menu. That’s a relief for those who subscribe to the philosophy of famed comedian Groucho Marx: “I’m not a vegetarian, but I eat animals who are.”

Or perhaps Americans will spend their gas savings on beer! The Fourth of July celebration is foaming over for ale drinkers – an average of 6.3 beers per citizen, according to the American Beverage Association (ABA) — when Americans consume 23.8 million gallons of the stuff, a full 15% of total annual brew sales. The beverage was entrenched as a national favorite by colonial times, and today’s sales are boosted by liberty-themed red, white, and blue packaging and discount promotions for the holiday.

Americans eat 150 million hot dogs on Independence Day alone (washed down with a lot of hops, for sure). The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council reports that 61% of Americans prefer hot dogs made from beef. Steaks and burgers both exceed hot dogs in popularity. That’s a LOT of cows consumed in one day!

Some Americans have a beef with the national celebration of the plucky colonists’ liberation from the British. Although Christmas and Thanksgiving are the most popular US holidays, a 2024 poll found that 42% of Americans “enjoyed [Fourth of July] more than any other day.” Only Thanksgiving fared better in favoritism. But the poll also reflected some aversion to Independence Day among young people and Democrats. Seventeen percent of 18-29-year-olds said they enjoy the holiday “less than an average day or that it is their least favorite day of the year,” versus merely 5% of those over 65; 12% of Democrats viewed the holiday unfavorably, versus 7% of Republicans. A more recent survey of 1,000 Americans by CouponFollow found shifting attitudes about Independence Day in recent years, with 22% saying they feel less patriotic now and 11% feeling more patriotic.

Despite higher beef prices this year, lower prices for hamburger and hot dog buns, combined with savings at the pump, help soften those spikes, and – good news — wages are higher. Overall, things aren’t bad at all for the annual summer foodfest: The Wells Fargo Agri-Food Institute concluded that consumers can expect to pay about $130 for food and beverages for a July gathering of 10 people, an increase of only 2.2% from last year. Despite naysayers howling that the economy is in decline, many indicators suggest it is surging under Donald  Trump’s administration for the first time in years. Jobs are up, and inflation is easing.

Something else to celebrate: All the hoopla over Independence Day equals a significant boost to the economy. Jobs are created to manufacture and transport the abundance of beer and crispy chicken wings. Beef farmers get a boost from consumer demand for burgers and hot dogs. A WalletHub report found that Americans plan to spend $8.9 billion on food this year and an additional $2.8 billion on fireworks. The number of Americans traveling more than 50 miles is expected to set a new record high.

Perhaps Fourth of July 2025 will serve as a harbinger of a more patriotic nation, where people can come together despite differing political perspectives to focus on positive bonds, abundant food, and good times for the future. These are values Americans used to savor more than beer or firecrackers.