By Alex Orellana for Instacart
Instacart orders feature several holidays, such as the Fourth of July. Fire up the grill, open that bag of chips and pack the cooler because Independence Day is the peak of summer, filled with great food and festive traditions.
Instacart What Americans saw by the thousands grocery department And the result is a primo backyard cookout shopping listWrite to data.
take root
- BBQ is king of the cookout. Hot dog buns (+360% vs. their annual average), sweet corn (+453%), and canned baked beans (+402%) were all purchased more often on July 4 than any other day in 2025.
- Chips on the table. Potato chips claimed the single largest share of any Fourth of July category, up 53% from their typical day. Lay’s leads in most states, but each region has loyal favorites (the brand that pushes the hardest on home turf): Cape Cod across New England, Hears in the Pennsylvania-New Jersey corridor, Zaps in Louisiana, and Maui Style in Hawaii.
- Regional flavor runs deep. Mississippi leads the nation in baked beans (+130%). Plains states (South Dakota, Nebraska, Delaware) light up for sweet corn. Roma tomatoes increased by +138% in Texas and +99% in California. And Green Lime grew +82% nationally, led by Southwest.
- S’mores are having their moment. Orders containing graham crackers, marshmallows and a chocolate bar were up nearly +550% from their annual average on July 4.
America’s Top 10 July Fourth Division
No Independence Day cookout is complete without chips, hot dogs and corn — and the data backs it up.
But what else is there to have for an epic backyard BBQ cookout? Here are the top 10 categories that hit their biggest day of the year on July 4 Each is ranked by share of that day’s total orders, with percentages showing how busy that day was compared to normal.
Every state has to go on 4th of July
National favorites are not equally loved everywhere. For each category, the interactive map shows how a state’s item share compares to the national average during the Fourth of July week (June 30-July 6) — orange states are higher indicators, green states trail the nation. A few standouts to know:
- Green lime illuminates the southwest. California (+86%), New Mexico (+53%), and Arizona (+46%) lead the nation. Out West, any holiday is a good excuse to eat salsa, guacamole and margaritas. Fourth of July is no exception.
- Roma tomato growth is highest in Texas (+138%) and California (+99%). Two states with serious food, sweltering summer heat, and a strong argument for salsa — or tomato-topped queso — on the table.
- Canned baked beans are a Southern institution. Mississippi (+130%) and Georgia (+86%) lead the nation, and if you’ve ever been to a backyard cookout in either state, you already know why. The smoker deserves some – but not all – of the credit.
- Popsicles over-indexed in Utah (+22%), Ohio (+21%), and Kentucky (+19%). Florida (-38%) and Hawaii (-40%)? Not much. While it’s warm enough for popsicles 365 days a year, the Fourth of July doesn’t move the needle the same way.
- Sweet corn is a Plains and Midwest staple, but the nation’s biggest over-indexer is South Dakota (+88%), beating Delaware (+84%) and most of the true Corn Belt. Make sense of it.
Hot Dogs vs. Hamburgers: A Nation Divided
Not everyone agrees on what they should put on their hot dog or hamburger, but most will agree on what they should: the bun. And since hot dogs and hamburger buns both ranked in the top 10 categories for 4th of July, we can guess which grillables are making just by looking at which buns people are buying—an easy way to get the full picture.
The map below shows whether it was the hot dog or the hamburger bun that led each state during the Fourth of July week.
As it turns out, the country is almost completely split down the middle: Hot dog buns rule 25 states and Washington DC, while hamburger buns take 25 states.
Hot dogs rule the Northeast Corridor, including New Jersey, New York, Maryland, and DC plus big states like California, Texas, and Illinois. It makes sense, New York has been selling hot dogs from Coney Island since 1871, and Chicago will tell you they perfected the style. Some traditions become a permanent part of culture.
Hamburgers own the West and the Plains, where Alaska, Montana, and Idaho “burgers” are the toughest. There, the grill has always been more about the patty.
Which chip brand punches above its weight?
Ask who sells the most potato chips and almost everywhere wins.
Chip lovers have strong brand loyalty, so Instacart mapped which brands stand out in each state by finding out where local market share exceeds national share.
Regional loyalty really shows:
- Utz across the mid-Atlantic
- Cape Cod throughout New England
- Kettle Brands in the Pacific Northwest
- Herr in the Pennsylvania-New Jersey corridor
Plus one-state icons like:
- Zap in Louisiana
- Better Made in Michigan
- Hawaii’s Maui style
S’mores spike
Ask anyone what the perfect ending to a Fourth of July cookout looks like. Perhaps, it involves a campfire and some marshmallows.
Instacart tracked orders consisting of three s’mores ingredients (graham crackers, marshmallows and a chocolate bar) through 2025. The share of orders for s’mores fluctuates year-round, then peaks on Independence Day, nearly 550% above the July 4 annual average.
When it comes to chocolate bars over s’mores, America is not tested. 95% of orders during the week of July 4 include Hershey’s. Some childhood loyalties never waver.
July 4 is the undisputed champion of s’mores season, but Memorial Day (+329% above annual average) and Labor Day (+219% above annual average) make a strong case that s’mores is a summer-long weekend staple.
From hot dogs and hamburgers to chips and s’mores, the data makes one thing clear: When Americans celebrate the Fourth of July, it’s a delicious affair.
This is the story is produced by Instacart and review and distribution Stacker.
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Previously published at hub.stackernewswire
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