Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
December 2024 - December 2025
Detailed observation of presented data
IT Services & Outsourcing advertisers in the United States faced notably higher and choppier Facebook Ads CPCs than the global market. Costs peaked in late winter, held elevated through early summer, then slipped hard into a September trough before stabilizing into Q4. Across the year, the United States stayed well above the global benchmark in every month, with gaps widening during high-demand periods and narrowing only briefly in September.
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 IT Services & Outsourcing in the United States compared to the global benchmark.
From December to November, United States CPCs for IT Services & Outsourcing opened at $2.85 and closed essentially flat at $2.82. The year’s high arrived in February at $3.61, followed closely by March ($3.58) and a second pulse in May–June ($3.44–$3.50). The low landed in September at $1.51, marking the sharpest single-month reset of the year.
On average, CPCs in the United States came in at $2.89, with 5 of 12 months clearing the $3 level. The amplitude was large: a $2.10 spread from high to low, or roughly 139% above the trough. Month to month, absolute movement averaged $0.76, reflecting pronounced swings: +$0.92 from January to February, −$1.16 from March to April, and −$1.82 from August to September, followed by a +$0.91 rebound in October.
By contrast, the global median CPC averaged $1.14 across the same window, fluctuating within a narrow band ($1.06–$1.31) and moving just $0.05 on average month to month.
The United States pattern showed a classic first-half lift: CPCs surged through February–March and remained elevated into June. Midyear brought instability—July cooled, August ticked back up, then September delivered the year’s softest month. Q4 stabilized: October rebounded from the trough and November held that recovery near the opening levels from December, though still below the peaks seen in Q1–Q2.
Globally, CPCs were steadier. They drifted slightly downward into September, then rose into November—a modest late-year lift consistent with higher competition in Q4—without the sharp spikes and dips seen in the United States.
United States CPCs averaged about 2.5x the global benchmark (+154%) across the year. The market sat above global levels every month, with the gap at its widest in June (about +225% vs. global) and narrowest in September (about +43%). The global line rose gently into November (+19% from October), while the United States profile was markedly more volatile, swinging −55% from August to September before rebounding +60% into October.
Said differently, the global market offered a stable baseline of roughly $1.10–$1.31, whereas the United States for IT Services & Outsourcing oscillated between $1.51 and $3.61, clustering near $3 during the first half and stabilizing just under $3 by year-end.
These Facebook Ads benchmarks highlight CPC trends for IT Services & Outsourcing in the United States: consistently above market, materially more volatile, and shaped by a first-half rise, a late-summer low, and a measured Q4 stabilization. Understanding cost-per-click benchmarks for IT Services & Outsourcing in the United States helps contextualize country-specific ad costs and compare industry ad performance 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 IT Services & Outsourcing 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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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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