Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
January 2025 - January 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
United States healthcare CPCs spent most of the year running well above the global benchmark, with a gentle slide through spring, a late-year dip, and a sharp January surge that broke from worldwide patterns. The series was notably more volatile than the market overall, with marked swings around mid-year and an especially large jump into 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 Healthcare in the United States compared to the global benchmark.
CPC trends for United States healthcare started elevated at $1.83 in January 2025 and ended much higher at $2.12 in January 2026 (+16% year over year). Across the full period, the median CPC averaged about $1.70; for calendar 2025 alone, the average was $1.67. The highest point was January 2026 ($2.12), while the yearly low landed in December 2025 at $1.43.
The arc inside 2025 moved from a strong first quarter into a spring soft patch: February peaked at $1.93 before easing to $1.56–$1.54 in April–May. A mild rebound followed ($1.71 in June), then a steady mid-year plateau near $1.59–$1.68 from July through October. November lifted to $1.77 before a sharp December drop to $1.43 (−19% month over month). The snap-back in January 2026 was pronounced, up 48% from December.
Volatility averaged 0.18 points month to month—substantially choppier than the global benchmark—reflecting bigger directional moves at several points in the year.
Seasonally, the pattern resembled a classic healthcare curve: elevated costs early in the year, softening into late spring, steadier performance through summer, and a Q4 bump. November showed the typical competitive uptick, followed by a December trough. The January 2026 surge, however, diverged from broader market behavior, marking the series’ high while the global CPC reached its low.
Relative to Facebook Ads benchmarks globally, United States healthcare CPCs were consistently above market. In 2025, the United States averaged $1.67 versus a $1.13 global median—about 47% higher. Over the full 13 months, the gap widened to roughly 53% ($1.70 vs. $1.11). Month by month in 2025, the premium ranged from +34% (May, the narrowest gap) to +71% (February, the widest). In January 2026 the spread ballooned: $2.12 in the United States versus $0.85 globally, a gap of about +150%.
The global trend was steadier and generally downbeat: the market slipped from roughly $1.12 in January 2025 to $1.05 in December (−6%), then fell further to $0.85 in January 2026 (−20% month over month and about −25% year over year). Volatility averaged 0.07 points globally, far calmer than the United States healthcare series.
In short, Facebook Ads benchmarks for cost per click in Healthcare show United States CPCs as higher and more volatile than the global market—softening into late 2025, dipping in December, and rebounding sharply in January 2026. Understanding these CPC trends and country-specific ad costs helps contextualize industry ad performance for healthcare in the United States against the global baseline.
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 Healthcare industry, Facebook ad costs can be higher than average due to specialized audience targeting and compliance requirements. 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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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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