Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
February 2025 - February 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
Hardware and Networking advertisers in the United States spent most of 2025 paying above-market Facebook Ads cost-per-clicks, but with sharper swings than the global norm. The year traced a choppy arc: a solid January, a soft February, multiple spring and summer lifts, a steep October dip, and a dramatic November spike before cooling into December—followed by an unusually low January 2026. 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 Hardware and Networking in the United States compared to the global benchmark.
Across 2025, United States CPCs opened at $1.30 in January and ended the year at $1.11 in December, down roughly 15% over the period. The full-year median averaged $1.27 (vs. a global $1.13). The monthly high was November at $1.68—also the global high month—while the lowest 2025 point arrived in October at $0.80. The single lowest value across the full period was January 2026 at $0.25, an outlier drop well below global levels.
Momentum was punctuated by notable surges: March ($1.47), May ($1.61), and August ($1.48) each rose sharply after softer months. The steepest jump came from October to November, leaping from $0.80 to $1.68 (+111%). Pullbacks were equally pronounced: May to June (−29%), August to September (−25%), November to December (−34%), and then December to January 2026 (−78%).
Volatility stood out. The average absolute month-to-month change was 0.41 points in the United States, nearly six times the global benchmark’s 0.07 points—clear evidence of a more jagged CPC trend line for Hardware and Networking in this market. Over 2025 alone, the range from the October trough ($0.80) to the November peak ($1.68) was 0.88 points; globally, the 2025 range was far tighter at 0.26 points.
Seasonally, Q1 oscillated: January was firm, February dipped, and March rebounded. Q2 climbed into a May peak before easing in June. Q3 carried a late-summer lift in August, then fell back in September. Q4 diverged from typical patterns: October delivered a conspicuous trough, followed by a sharp November spike and a December cooldown. Early Q1 2026 reset dramatically lower, with January hitting the period’s floor.
Relative to the global Facebook Ads benchmarks, Hardware and Networking CPCs in the United States ran above market for nine of twelve months in 2025 and then dropped well below in January 2026. The 2025 average in the United States ($1.27) was about 12% higher than the global average ($1.13). By month, the gap was widest to the upside in May (+40% vs. global) and August (+31%), and narrowest in September (+2%). The United States slipped below global levels in February (−5%) and October (−29%), with the largest negative gap appearing in January 2026 (−71% vs. a global $0.85).
Trendwise, the global line edged down from $1.12 in January 2025 to $1.05 in December (−6%), whereas the United States fell more steeply (−15% from $1.30 to $1.11) and then slid sharply into January 2026. Overall, the United States was consistently higher-cost through most of 2025 yet distinctly more volatile than the global benchmark.
These Facebook Ads CPC trends for Hardware and Networking in the United States show a market that typically prices above global averages but moves with greater amplitude—peaking in November, dipping hard in October, and resetting lower in early 2026. Understanding Facebook Ads benchmarks and country-specific ad costs for Hardware and Networking in the United States helps quantify industry ad performance against global CPC 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 Hardware and Networking 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.
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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.
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.
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