Facebook Ads Cost Per Purchase Benchmarks for Media in United States

Summary and key takeaways

This analysis looks at cost-per-purchase trends for industry Media and target country United States compared to the global trend. The analysis is based on $3B worth of advertising data from our dataset, which provides strong directional benchmarks.

• Across the past 12 months, Media in the United States is consistently below market on cost-per-purchase, averaging 56% lower than the global baseline.
• Seasonal effects are visible globally with a Q4 lift into December–February, while the United States series shows a November bump but dips in December, then peaks in February.
• Volatility is materially higher in the United States series than globally, with a sharp dip in September.

What the selected trend shows

• Average: 20.86 across the period.
• High and low: Highest in February (28.99); lowest in September (2.30).
• Range: 26.69 (from 2.30 to 28.99).
• First-to-last change: Down 89.9% from October (22.69) to September (2.30).
• Volatility: Average absolute month-to-month change of 21.6%, skewed by an 87.3% drop in September. Excluding that month, swings are in the mid-teens.
• Notable moves:
• November rose 13.4% vs October.
• December fell 23.2% vs November.
• February peaked at 28.99 after a 24.2% rise vs January.
• September marked the steepest decline (-87.3% vs August).

How it compares to the global baseline

• Baseline average: 47.82, with values ranging from 32.29 (September) to 53.89 (February).
• Relative level: United States Media sits below average every month, between 40% (November) and 93% (September) lower than the global benchmark.
• First-to-last change: Baseline declined 30.8% from October to September, far less than the United States series (-89.9%).
• Volatility: Baseline month-to-month absolute change averaged 7.0%, roughly one-third of the United States’ volatility.
• Seasonal pattern: Baseline shows the classic Q4 lift, with a 19.3% rise from November to December and a high in February. The United States series shows a November lift, a December dip, then a February high—partly aligned but more variable.

Seasonal patterns and monthly highlights

• Q4 and early Q1: Globally, costs typically increase in Q4 around holiday periods and remain elevated into January–February. The United States series partly mirrors this with a February high but diverges with a softer December.
• Late summer to early fall: Both series drop into September, more moderately in the baseline (-29.3%) and sharply in the United States (-87.3%).

Bottom line for benchmarking

Media in the United States shows materially lower cost-per-purchase than the global baseline on Facebook Ads, but with higher month-to-month variability and a pronounced September dip. Understanding cost-per-purchase benchmarks on Facebook Ads in industry Media and United States helps advertisers make more efficient budget and creative choices.