(INDIANA) - Fourth of July cookout costs are down for Indiana shoppers this year.
Indiana Farm Bureau's annual survey of July Fourth staples for a 10-person cookout found an average total price of $66.73 this year, or $6.67 per person.
That is down from $71.49 last year, or about $7.15 per person.
Indiana's average is also lower than the national average of $73.82, which is the most expensive cookout the American Farm Bureau Federation has ever surveyed. Adjusted for inflation, costs have remained relatively stable in recent years.
Regional Cookout Costs
West: $80
Northeast: $71.35
Midwest: $71.45
Indiana: $66.73
Todd Davis, chief economist for Indiana Farm Bureau, says Indiana's lower cost is likely tied to feed and livestock industries being centered in the region, making the path from farm to store more direct.
Proteins, including ground beef and pork chops, account for much of the price of the meal. Davis says those are the items where shoppers should look for savings.
Most of the cookout products surveyed in Indiana were down from last year. Ice cream and potato salad saw the largest percent decreases, falling by $1.27 and $2.01.
Four of the 12 items surveyed saw slight price increases: cookies, strawberries, chicken breast and pork and beans.
Davis says the lower potato salad cost is tied to a larger potato crop and lower egg costs compared with last year, when prices were affected by bird flu.
Indiana Farm Bureau collected the numbers through volunteer shoppers across the state, who checked prices at local grocery stores in early June without using special deal.