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 Public Administration CPC spent most of the year below the global benchmark, but the story is anything but quiet. Costs swung from a November low of $0.41 to a June spike at $1.55 — a rare moment when the category ran above market. Overall, the sector’s CPC trended choppy rather than linear: a firm start in Q1, a mid-year surge, a soft Q3, and a mixed Q4 with a late-year rebound.
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 Public Administration in the United States compared to the global benchmark.
Across Dec 2024–Dec 2025, CPC in United States Public Administration averaged $0.75 versus a $1.13 global average. It opened at $0.49 in December 2024 and closed at $0.96 in December 2025 — nearly doubling year over year for that month — but the path between those points was jagged.
Volatility was pronounced. The average month‑to‑month move was $0.42, six times the global benchmark’s $0.07. Big swings clustered around mid-year and Q4: May→June rose +210%, June→July fell −63%, September→October rebounded +83%, October→November fell −50%, and November→December rebounded +137%.
The rhythm of 2025 showed distinct phases:
While global CPCs typically rise into November and cool in December, this category in the United States moved counter to that seasonal pulse, troughing in November and snapping back in December.
Relative to Facebook Ads benchmarks, the United States Public Administration CPC consistently ran below market — on average 33% beneath the global level across the period and 31% lower during 2025. The gap was narrowest in January (−9% vs global) and December (−9%), and widest in November (−69%). Only June sat above market (+44%).
The global series was steadier: it ranged from $1.07 (September) to $1.30 (November), a $0.24 spread, compared with the United States category’s $1.15 spread. Globally, CPCs rose into November then eased into December; the United States Public Administration trend was more volatile and “out of phase,” dipping sharply in November before rebounding.
In sum, CPC trends for Public Administration in the United States show below-market costs with outsized month-to-month swings, highlighted by a June spike and a November trough against a steadier global backdrop. Understanding Facebook Ads benchmarks for cost-per-click in Public Administration in the United States helps quantify country-specific ad costs and compare industry ad performance to global CPC trends.
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 Public Administration 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.
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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.
Discover detailed cost benchmarks for different Facebook advertising metrics:
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Cost per thousand impressions across different markets
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