Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
December 2024 - December 2025
Detailed observation of presented data
Recreation and Travel advertisers in the United States ran on materially lower cost-per-clicks than the market this year, yet with sharper seasonal swings. CPCs averaged $0.69 from December 2024 through December 2025, far below the $1.14 global median, but with a pronounced Q4 run-up that narrowed the gap late in the year. The category entered 2025 at a low point, steadied through spring, dipped in late summer, and then surged into the holidays, finishing almost where it started. 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 Recreation and Travel in the United States compared to the global benchmark.
The period is bookended by December highs: $0.93 CPC in December 2024 and $0.92 in December 2025, effectively flat year over year (−1%). The trough arrived in January at $0.53, marking a 75% climb from the low to the December finish. Across the year, United States Recreation and Travel CPCs averaged $0.69, with a range from $0.53 (January) to $0.93 (December 2024).
Momentum unfolded in clear phases. From January’s trough, CPCs rebounded to $0.74–$0.73 in February–March (+39% from January). A softer Q2 followed: April slid to $0.62 (−16% vs. March), with May–June holding in a tight $0.63–$0.64 band. Mid-year stayed subdued: July at $0.63, August at $0.55 (a second dip), and September at $0.57. The fourth quarter brought the turn: $0.68 in October, $0.73 in November, and $0.92 in December—an increase of 60% from September to December.
Volatility was noticeable. Average month-to-month absolute movement was $0.10 (about 15% of the mean). Excluding the December-to-January reset, typical swings were $0.08 (≈11%). By comparison, the global benchmark’s average monthly change was $0.06 (≈5% of its mean), indicating steadier market-level CPC trends than those seen in United States Recreation and Travel.
The year followed a classic travel rhythm: a post-holiday trough in January, recovery into late Q1, a stable but softer Q2, a late-summer dip around August, and a strong Q4 lift. Quarterly averages tell the cadence clearly: Q1 at $0.67, Q2 at $0.63, Q3 at $0.58, and Q4 at $0.77. The Q4 average was 33% higher than Q3, highlighting peak-season competition and demand pressure typical for holiday travel.
Relative to Facebook Ads benchmarks globally, United States Recreation and Travel CPCs sat well below market throughout the year—about 40% lower on average ($0.69 vs. $1.14). The gap swung meaningfully: widest in January (−53% vs. global), still deep in August (−50%), and narrowest in December (−19%), when the category’s costs accelerated into year-end. While the global trend dipped from December 2024 to December 2025 (−12%) and showed a moderate Q4 bump (+9% from Q3 to Q4), United States Recreation and Travel posted a more pronounced seasonal rise (+33% from Q3 to Q4), making the category more volatile but still structurally cheaper than the market.
In short, Facebook Ads cost-per-click benchmarks for Recreation and Travel in the United States reveal structurally low, seasonally elastic CPCs—substantially below global levels, with a marked Q4 surge and a January trough. Understanding CPC trends and country-specific ad costs for this industry in the United States helps benchmark performance against the broader market pattern.
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 Recreation and Travel 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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