Compare lead generation cost benchmarks by industry, region, and campaign type.
October 2025 - September 2026
Benchmark observations based on the selected data
The main story: cost per lead (CPL) in the United States ran consistently above the global benchmark across July 2025–July 2026, with a strong early-year peak and a dramatic mid-year decline that left July 2026 near half of the prior-year level. This pattern shows clear momentum — a winter peak, spring correction, a volatile early summer, and a steep drop into late July.
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 All industries in United States compared to the global benchmark.
At the start (July 2025) median CPL in the United States was about $46.53 versus a global baseline of $42.79. The US series peaked in February 2026 at roughly $55.23, then fell through spring and early summer to end at $23.45 in July 2026. Across the 13-month window the US median CPL averaged about $46.9, compared with a global average near $44.1 — roughly a 6% premium in the United States.
High / low: US high = $55.2 (Feb 2026); US low = $23.45 (Jul 2026). Baseline high = $53.2 (Feb 2026); baseline low = $20.82 (Jul 2026). From July 2025 to July 2026 the US CPL declined by approximately 50% (−49.6%); the global series declined similarly, about −51.4%.
Volatility: the US series moved on average about $4.4 per month (mean absolute monthly change), versus about $4.7 for the global baseline — indicating slightly lower month-to-month swings in the US but several large drops (March→April, May→June, June→July).
Notable monthly swings: March→April saw a ~21% drop (roughly $11), May→June another ~18% fall, and the largest single-month move was June→July (≈ −38%).
Rhythm across the year is clear: CPLs rose into Q1, peaking in February, held elevated through March, then softened sharply in April. A modest mid-year recovery in May gave way to another fall in June and a pronounced trough in July. Q4 (Oct–Dec) was relatively elevated (about $50–$52 US CPL range), consistent with heightened competition late in calendar year, while early Q1 registered the highest median in the window. The spring correction and summer collapse compress the seasonality into a two-phase year: winter peak and summer trough.
The United States ran above the global benchmark every month in this window. The gap ranged from a narrow ~1.5% above the baseline in April to a wide ~12.6% above in December and again in July — an 11-point swing in relative gap size. At peak (Feb), US CPL was about 3.8% higher than the global peak; at trough (Jul) US CPL remained roughly 12.6% above the global trough despite both series hitting multi-month lows. Overall, the global baseline mirrored the US shape (same peak and trough months) but showed marginally larger average monthly moves.
Understanding cost-per-lead benchmarks for All industries in the United States offers a clear picture of how country-specific ad costs moved against global CPL trends across mid-2025 to mid-2026. This comparison helps frame Facebook Ads benchmarks, CPC trends, CPM analysis, CTR performance references, country-specific ad costs, and industry ad performance in the United States.
Facebook advertising cost benchmarks
Facebook advertising costs vary by industry, target audience, ad placement, and campaign objective. Ad costs vary across industries because of competition, audience demographics, and conversion value. For campaigns targeting United States, advertisers often face higher costs because of high competition and purchasing power. Campaign objectives affect costs because Facebook optimizes delivery for different goals. The data shows median values across multiple campaigns. Results can vary with ad quality, audience targeting, and campaign optimization.
A small share of campaigns has extremely high CPL values. Those outliers can inflate an average. The median is the midpoint across campaigns, so it better represents a typical result.
The data shows industry median benchmarks. Costs can vary with targeting, creative quality, and campaign optimization.
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The dataset includes over $3B in Facebook ad spend from thousands of ad accounts that use Superads to analyze and improve campaigns. Every data point is anonymized and aggregated. It does not expose an individual advertiser.
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Late November (Thanksgiving & Black Friday weekend), December (Christmas), Back-to-school (July–September), Summer travel season (Memorial Day onwards)
CPM and CPC may rise around Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day, especially in travel and entertainment. Black Friday/Thanksgiving weekend increases retail ad competition. December ad demand typically peaks, and retail campaigns may need larger budgets. Back-to-school promotions increase competition. Juneteenth may increase regional engagement.
A good CPL usually ranges from $10 to $50, depending on your industry and target audience. B2C offers tend to be cheaper, while B2B or high-ticket services may see CPLs over $100.
Weak creative, irrelevant targeting, or an offer that does not resonate can raise CPL. Low engagement or poor landing-page conversion rates can also increase costs.
Yes. Campaigns optimized for conversions or leads tend to generate less expensive, more qualified leads than traffic or engagement objectives. Facebook uses the optimization signal to find users.
Improve the offer, target the right audience, and use high-converting creative. Test native lead forms while continuing to qualify users.
For sales or revenue goals, optimize for deeper-funnel conversions. Optimizing for leads alone can increase volume while reducing quality.
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