Facebook Ads Cost Per Lead Benchmarks for Public Safety

Introduction

The Public Safety category across all countries showed a dramatic, uneven year for Facebook Ads cost per lead. Against the global, all-industry benchmark, Public Safety CPL spent most of the year elevated—at times extraordinarily so—before collapsing to record lows in Q4. The headline: an average CPL of about $255 for Public Safety versus roughly $40 for the global benchmark across the same months, with an August peak above $1.1K and an October trough near $1.72. Momentum shifted from steep escalation through late summer to a sharp reversal heading into the holidays, marking one of the most volatile patterns in the dataset.

This analysis is based on $3B worth of advertising data from our dataset, which provides strong directional benchmarks.

This analysis explores ad performance trends for Public Safety across all countries compared to the global benchmark.

The story in the data

Public Safety CPL started at $54.38 in December 2024 and ended at $7.71 in December 2025—an 86% decline year over year. Between those endpoints, the category traced an unusually tall arc: $91.84 in February, $228.24 in March, a climb to $414.68 by July, and a spike to $1,096.27 in August, before plunging to $142.29 in September and then $1.72 in October. The range from high to low ($1,094+) is more than four times the category’s average level (~$255), underscoring extreme dispersion.

Month-to-month movements were outsized. Gains included +69% from December to February, +149% from February to March, and another +164% from July to August. The unwinding was just as sharp: −87% from August to September and −99% from September to October. Even the rebound into December (+348% from October) left CPL far below midyear levels. On average, Public Safety’s month-to-month swing was about $306, far more turbulent than typical Facebook Ads benchmarks.

Seasonal and monthly dynamics

Seasonality showed an atypical rhythm. The first quarter built steadily from December 2024 through March 2025, consistent with early-year stabilization seen in many categories. The real inflection arrived in Q3: July surged and August set the annual high, with a Q3 average near $551—over twelve times the global benchmark for the same period. Then the narrative flipped. Rather than the gradual Q4 tightening seen broadly as competition rises, Public Safety CPL collapsed in October, briefly touched single-digit territory, and remained subdued into December.

Country vs. Global

Compared to the global, all-industry baseline, Public Safety across all countries was consistently above market through September and then notably below market in Q4. Measured month by month:

• December 2024 was 42% above the global benchmark.
• February and March ran 131% and 588% above, respectively.
• The gap peaked in August: roughly 25.6 times the global CPL (+2,460%).
• The spread narrowed abruptly in Q4, with Public Safety 96% below the benchmark in October and 76% below by December.

Across the same months, Public Safety averaged ~$255 versus the global average of ~$40—about six times higher. Volatility also diverged: average monthly movement was ~$306 for Public Safety versus ~$5.6 for the global baseline, indicating a far more erratic cost environment. While the global series progressed with modest shifts—rising into early fall before easing in December—Public Safety’s trajectory was choppier, with a pronounced Q3 spike and a sharp Q4 retracement.

Closing

Facebook Ads benchmarks for cost per lead in the Public Safety industry across all countries reveal a year defined by an extraordinary Q3 surge and a rare Q4 collapse, with CPL trends far above the global benchmark for most of the year and markedly below it at year-end. In a landscape where CPC trends, CPM analysis, and CTR performance often frame budget conversations, understanding CPL patterns helps benchmark country-specific ad costs and industry ad performance against global norms for Public Safety.