Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
December 2024 - December 2025
Detailed observation of presented data
The Consulting industry in the United States ran structurally expensive on Facebook Ads throughout the past year, with Cost Per Click (CPC) consistently above the global benchmark and moving in sharper ups-and-downs. Two distinct lifts—one in late Q1 and another in early Q3—framed a late-year cool-down, while the global market trended lower into Q3 before spiking in November. 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 Consulting in the United States compared to the global benchmark.
From December 2024 to November 2025, median CPC for United States Consulting averaged $1.77, starting at $1.79 in December and ending at $1.70 in November (−4.8%). The low point landed in April at $1.58, followed by the annual high in May at $1.94. After a modest dip in January and February (both around $1.65), CPC lifted to $1.87 in March, fell to the April trough, then surged to the May peak. Summer stabilized: June to August hovered near $1.76–$1.80. A second lift arrived in September ($1.89), followed by easing in October ($1.82) and a softer November ($1.70).
Volatility stood out. Monthly absolute changes averaged 0.14 points—about 8% of the series level—nearly three times the global swing. The pattern reads as choppy but range-bound: a $0.35 spread between the April low ($1.58) and May high ($1.94), with most months clustering in the $1.70–$1.90 band.
Seasonally, the category showed two crests and a late-year slackening. Q1 built gradually with a March lift; Q2 mixed a trough (April) and the annual high (May); Q3 was the strongest quarter on average (~$1.82), driven by a September push; Q4 to date (October–November) drifted lower (~$1.76 average), bucking the global pattern of rising costs into the holidays. This rhythm emphasizes mid-year competitiveness in United States Consulting CPC trends, with price resilience across summer and a tempered finish in November.
Against the global median CPC of roughly $1.14 for the same months, United States Consulting ran 55% above market on average. The gap was consistently positive every month, ranging from +30% in November (as global costs jumped) to +78% in September (when the global trough met a U.S. lift). The United States series was also more volatile: average monthly moves of 0.14 points versus 0.05 globally—about 2.8× more variable.
Trend-wise, the global benchmark eased from Q1 into a Q3 low (~$1.06 in September) before climbing to $1.31 in November (+16% from January), reflecting typical Q4 competition. The United States Consulting path was choppier: two distinct peaks (March and September) and a late-year retreat, with a modest net change from January to November (+3%).
These Facebook Ads benchmarks highlight country-specific ad costs for the Consulting industry in the United States: higher-than-average CPCs, greater volatility, and a mid-year strength that diverged from the global late-year climb. Understanding CPC trends and CTR performance context within broader industry ad performance and CPM analysis helps compare United States Consulting results to global patterns.
Insights & analysis of Facebook advertising costs
Cost Per Click (CPC) is the amount advertisers pay each time a user clicks on their Facebook ad. In the Consulting industry, Facebook ad costs can be influenced by seasonal trends and market competition. 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.
Improve your Facebook ad performance
• Instant performance insights – See which ads, audiences, and creatives drive results.
• Data-driven creative decisions – Spot patterns to improve ROAS.
• Effortless reporting – No spreadsheets, just clear insights.
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.
This dataset updates frequently as new ad data flows in. It will only get bigger and better.
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.
CPC (Cost Per Click) is what you pay each time someone clicks on your ad, on any Facebook Ads placement. It's calculated by dividing your total spend by the number of clicks received. Facebook Ads lists Clicks, Link Clicks and Outbound Clicks separately. The former is the sum of all types of clicks (including, for example, clicks to your profile page, to a link or to a comment).
The truth is that varies, so play with our tool to get some benchmarks that are relevant to you. CPC values are highly dependent on the region, industry and campaign objective. The US is one of the most expensive markets.
Several factors affect CPC: your audience targeting, competition in your industry, ad relevance score, and creative performance. If your ad isn't getting engagement or relevance is low, CPC tends to spike.
CPC spikes usually happen because of increased competition in your target audience, seasonal trends (like holidays), poor ad relevance scores, or algorithm changes. Check if your audience targeting has become too narrow or if your creative is showing fatigue.
Yes, there's a noticeable difference between platforms. Mobile CPCs often run lower than desktop. How many times do check Instagram on your phone and how often do you open it in your computer? There's simply much more mobile inventory. Tip: segment your performance data by placement to understand where your clicks are coming from. Spoiler: it's likely all mobile.
For most businesses, optimizing for conversions will deliver much better ROI than focusing purely on CPC. A low CPC is meaningless if those clicks don't convert. However, if you're running awareness campaigns or some kind content promotion, CPC optimization might potentially make sense, although most experts have switched to conversion optimization by now.
Your specific audience targeting, creative quality, bidding strategy, and account history all influence your CPC. Industry averages provide a reference point, but your historical performance is a more reliable benchmark for setting expectations and measuring improvement.
Instagram CPCs are generally slightly higher due to stronger purchase intent and higher competition among advertisers. But it depends on the audience and creative.
Discover detailed cost benchmarks for different Facebook advertising metrics:
Average cost per click benchmarks across industries
Cost per thousand impressions across different markets
Benchmark click-through rates for Facebook ads
Cost per lead across different markets
Average cost per purchase benchmarks across industries
See how much it costs to get users to install an app