Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
December 2024 - December 2025
Detailed observation of presented data
Across the last 12 months, Facebook Ads cost-per-click in the United States ran consistently above the global benchmark, with a gentle mid-year easing and a sharp Q4 lift. The pattern is familiar to performance marketers: a comedown after the holiday surge, a steady summer plateau, then a forceful November upswing. The United States also showed slightly higher month-to-month movement than the world average, with standout swings in January and November. 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 all industries in the United States compared to the global benchmark.
Starting from December 2024, United States CPC sat at $1.49, dipped to $1.30 in January, and closed November 2025 at $1.49 again, before both series registered an identical $0.14 in December 2025 (a data floor outside normal ranges). Excluding December 2025, U.S. CPC averaged $1.30 from December 2024 through November 2025, ranging from a low of $1.20 in September to a high of $1.49 in November.
The biggest drop came right after the holidays: December to January fell $0.18 (−12%). After that, the market drifted lower in small steps through July, with only modest changes month to month (most moves within two cents). The late-summer trough arrived in September at $1.20, followed by a mild October lift to $1.23 and then a decisive jump in November to $1.49 (+21% month over month).
Volatility in the United States averaged a $0.06 absolute change per month across the period, compared with $0.05 globally—sharper swings than the global benchmark but still relatively contained. The U.S. annual range (Dec 2024–Nov 2025) spanned $0.29, slightly wider than the global range of $0.25.
Seasonality showed clearly. CPC cooled from the December peak into Q1, with January to March hovering around $1.30. The market softened further into mid-year, troughing in September ($1.20)—a gentle low rather than a steep discount. Q4 pressure returned on schedule: October ticked up, and November posted the strongest month of the year at $1.49. The global rhythm mirrored this cadence, with its own September low and a pronounced November surge.
The United States maintained a steady premium over the global benchmark throughout: U.S. CPC averaged $1.30 versus $1.14 globally (+14%). Month by month, the U.S. ran 12–16% above global levels, with the narrowest gap in August and October (about 12%) and the widest in December 2024 (about 17%). Growth momentum differed slightly: from January to November, global CPC rose +16%, while the U.S. climbed +14%. The United States was also more volatile, with average monthly moves about 19% larger than the global series. Both markets showed the same structural pattern—post-holiday reset, mid-year softness, and a strong November—though the U.S. executed those beats at a higher cost level.
Facebook Ads benchmarks for CPC in all industries in the United States point to a reliably higher cost environment than the global average, with a mild mid-year dip and a pronounced November spike. For marketers tracking CPC trends, this country-specific ad cost profile aligns with global seasonality while consistently clearing the worldwide baseline. Understanding CPC performance for all industries in the United States helps anchor expectations against global Facebook Ads benchmarks and clarifies how U.S. country-level dynamics stack up.
Insights & analysis of Facebook advertising costs
Cost Per Click (CPC) is the amount advertisers pay each time a user clicks on their Facebook ad. Different industries see varying ad costs due to market competition, user demographics, and conversion value. 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.
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