See how your CPL compares. Explore lead generation cost benchmarks by industry, region, and campaign type
January 2025 - January 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
The headline for cost-per-lead in the United States: leads were consistently pricier than the global Facebook Ads benchmark through 2025, lifted by a strong Q3–Q4 run before cooling sharply into January 2026. The year told a familiar story—steady escalation into the retail-heavy fall, a December reset, and a clear trough to start the new year—delivered with slightly more chop than the worldwide average.
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 the United States compared to the global benchmark.
Across the 13-month window, United States cost per lead (CPL) averaged $43.05, running about 5% above the global average of $40.99. The period opened at $35.90 in January 2025, built to an annual high of $51.88 in October, and then cooled to $33.11 by January 2026—the lowest point in the series. That places the range for the United States at $18.77, wider than the global spread of $15.40 (high of $48.83 in October, low of $33.43 in March).
Momentum was clear: from January to October 2025, United States CPL rose roughly 45%, then retraced about 36% by January 2026. The sharpest single-month moves were a February lift of +$7.07 and a December-to-January drop of −$9.94. Month-to-month volatility averaged $4.15 in the United States versus $3.52 globally, signaling a more pronounced cadence of swings.
Within 2025, the monthly low sat in March at $35.77 before the market climbed steadily: $44–46 in mid-year, breaching $51 in both September and October, and then easing to $43.04 in December. On a year-end comparison, January 2026 in the United States landed about 8% lower than January 2025, while the global benchmark dipped a milder 2%.
Seasonality shaped the curve. Q1 2025 was the softest quarter in the United States (average $38.22), followed by a gradual Q2 build ($41.59). The market accelerated in Q3 ($47.11) and peaked in early Q4 (Q4 average $48.60), a classic pattern as competition intensifies ahead of peak retail periods. December marked a reset to $43.04, with a deeper downshift into January 2026 ($33.11), consistent with early-year softening in engagement and budgets.
Relative to the global benchmark, the United States tracked above market through every month of 2025—by roughly 2% to 8.5%. The gap was tightest in December (+1.9%) and widest in July (+8.5%). In January 2026, the relationship flipped: United States CPL dipped about 3.9% below global levels as the local market overshot the typical new-year trough. Quarterly comparisons reinforce the premium: Q3 averaged $47.11 in the United States versus $44.21 globally; Q4 posted $48.60 vs. $46.48. Both trends rose at similar clips through 2025 (+~20% from January to December), but the United States moved more sharply month to month.
These Facebook Ads benchmarks for cost per lead show that all industries in the United States generally face higher, more volatile CPLs than the global average, with a pronounced Q3–Q4 lift and a January reset. Understanding cost-per-lead trends and country-specific ad costs helps contextualize industry ad performance in the United States against worldwide patterns.
Insights & analysis of Facebook advertising costs
Facebook advertising costs vary based on many factors including industry, target audience, ad placement, and campaign objectives. Different industries see varying ad costs due to market competition, user demographics, and conversion value. For campaigns targeting United States, advertisers often face higher costs due to high competition and purchasing power. Different campaign objectives lead to varying costs based on how Facebook optimizes for your specific goals. The data shown represents median values across multiple campaigns, and individual results may vary based on ad quality, audience targeting, and campaign optimization.
We use the median CTR because the underlying distribution of click-through rates is highly skewed, with a small share of campaigns achieving extremely high CTRs. These outliers can inflate a simple average, making it less representative of what most advertisers actually experience. By using the median—which sits at the midpoint of all campaigns—we provide a more rigorous and realistic benchmark that reflects the true underlying data model and helps you set attainable performance expectations.
Note: This data represents industry median values and benchmarks. Your actual costs may vary based on specific targeting, ad creative quality, and campaign optimization.
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All data is sourced from over $3B in Facebook ad spend, collected across thousands of ad accounts that use Superads daily to analyze and improve their campaigns. Every data point is fully anonymized and aggregated—no individual advertiser is ever exposed.
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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 might rise around major holidays like Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day, especially in travel and entertainment. Black Friday/Thanksgiving weekend triggers massive spikes in retail ad competition. December ad demand typically peaks—retail campaigns require significantly higher budgets. Back-to-school promotions drive increased competition. Juneteenth may see regional engagement rise.
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.
Your CPL could be high due to weak creative, irrelevant targeting, or an offer that doesn't resonate. Low engagement or poor conversion rates on your landing page can also drive up costs.
Yes. Campaigns optimized for conversions or leads tend to generate cheaper and more qualified leads compared to traffic or engagement objectives. Facebook needs clear signals to find the right users.
Focus on improving your offer, targeting the right audience, and using high-converting creative. Test native lead forms, but make sure you're still qualifying users properly.
If your goal is sales or revenue, optimizing for deeper funnel conversions is better. Optimizing for leads alone can inflate volume but hurt quality.
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Cost per lead across different markets
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