Americans Will Spend This Much on 4th of July This Year

Though fireworks have already been heard for weeks before Fourth of July, the actual holiday is today and people are outside lighting up their barbecues and celebrating America’s independence.

So how much will Americans be spending this year on the holiday?

According to AAA, 44.2 million Americans will be traveling 50 or more miles from their home this holiday. This is a record for the country.

According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), 65.5% of people will participate in a cookout this holiday and when you count up all the goods needed for a cookout, it comes out to around $73.42.

The NRF has said $7.1 billion will be spent on these cookouts as well as picnics. Last year the figure was $6.8 billion.

According to the National Hot Dog and Sausage council, Americans consume about 150 million hot dogs on the Fourth of July. You can imagine how much that will cost.

Let’s not forget alcohol. In July of 2015, $1 billion alone was spent on beer by Americans for the holiday.

Last but not least, fire works, which is one of the most symbolic elements of the Fourth of July holiday, has played a big part in the total spent. Last year 243 million pounds of fireworks were blown up and according to the American Pyrotechnic Association, revenues reached $825 million last year.