There’s no denying that grilling food is almost an art form, with almost unlimited ways to use this method to make even standard recipes taste even more amazing. While we can guess that it’s popular, do you know the actual data on how grills are used in the United States today?

We compiled the numbers on everything from who owns grills to when people are most likely to fire one up. We also looked at trends to see what people were most likely to try, taste, and season during different times of the year. From the number of grills sold each year to the most popular meat to grill, check out these grilling statistics for 2022.

Grill Production & Ownership Statistics

You may have assumed that many Americans own grills, and you would be right. How many they own, however, is a data set all its own.

How Many Grills Are Sold in The USA each year?

In 2020 alone, approximately 20 million grills were sold in the United States. Compare that to other items that saw popularity in 2020, such as the Keurig coffee makers (which sold over 3 million units to new households that year.)

How Many Grills Are Owned in the USA?

As of December 31, 2020, there were an estimated 100 million grills in homes in the United States. (Traeger S-1))

What Percentage of Households in the USA Have Grills?

There were approximately 128.5 million households in the U.S. in 2020, with 60% of those households owning a grill (Traeger S-1). That adds up to 75 million households with a grill and a whole lot of places we would like to join for dinner.

What Percentage of U.S. Households Own Multiple Grills?

Owning a single grill is one thing, but many households own two or more grills. In fact, we estimate that 1/3 of those households that own a grill likely own multiple – or approximately 25 million households own multiple grills. (Traeger - S1)

Here is the complete breakdown of favorite meat by each of the 50 states:

• Alabama: Hamburgers (96%)
• Alaska: Steaks (73%)
• Arizona: Hamburgers (95%)
• Arkansas: Hamburgers (94%)
• California: Steak (72%)
• Colorado: Hamburgers (93%)
• Connecticut: Hamburgers (95%)
• Delaware: Hamburgers (90%)
• Florida: Chicken (74%)
• Georgia: Hamburgers (95%)
• Hawaii: Hamburgers (81%)
• Idaho: Hamburgers (93%)
• Illinois: Hamburgers (96%)
• Indiana: Hamburgers (95%)
• Iowa: Hamburgers (96%)
• Kansas: Hamburgers (96%)
• Kentucky: Hamburgers (94%)
• Louisiana: Hamburgers (96%)
• Maine: Hamburgers (93%)
• Maryland: Hamburgers (96%)
• Massachusetts: Hamburgers (94%)
• Michigan: Hamburgers (98%)
• Minnesota: Hamburgers (94%)
• Mississippi: Hamburgers (98%)
• Missouri: Hamburgers (95%)
• Montana: Hamburgers (99%)
• Nebraska: Hamburgers (98%)
• Nevada: Hot dogs (84%)
• New Hampshire: Hamburgers (96%)
• New Jersey: Hamburgers (94%)
• New Mexico: Hamburgers (96%)
• New York: Hamburgers (96%)
• North Carolina: Hamburgers (95%)
• North Dakota: Hamburgers (98%)
• Ohio: Hamburgers (96%)
• Oklahoma: Hamburgers (96%)
• Oregon: Hamburgers (85%)
• Pennsylvania: Hot dogs (91%)
• Rhode Island: Hamburgers (95%)
• South Carolina: Hamburgers (96%)
• South Dakota: Steaks (98%)
• Tennessee: Steaks (92%)
• Texas: Hamburgers (96%)
• Utah: Hamburgers (91%)
• Vermont: Hamburgers & Chicken (90%)
• Virginia: Hamburgers (97%)
• Washington: Hamburgers (92%)
• West Virginia: Hamburgers (97%)
• Wisconsin: Hamburgers (96%)
• Wyoming: Hamburgers (92%)

What States Like to Grill Burgers the Most?

Of those that liked burgers, Montana was almost unanimous in its decision, with 99% of grillers surveyed picking the meat and bun combo as their go-to grilling meal. Nebraska, North Dakota, Michigan, and Mississippi were close behind; 98% of their residents picked hamburgers, as well.

Seasonal BBQ and Grill Trends

It’s true that certain times of year are more popular for grilling, but would you guess which times they are? Here are some stats on when you would most likely see someone getting the grill ready.

What Are the Most Popular Seasons to Grill?

Summer was the most likely time to fire up the grill, with 84% of those surveyed saying they grilled in the hot months at least one time a week. Spring was second in popularity; 62% were likely to grill then. Not surprisingly, fall was almost as ideal with 57%. A dedicated 27% of grillers took their meals to the fire during the coldest season: winter.

What Is the Most Popular Day of the Year to Grill?

When it comes to the best day to grill each season, the results were split among those who considered themselves grillers and those who were particular to the wood pellet grill. Among the general grill population, the 4th of July was the most likely time to BBQ. (Statista - Popular Grilling Days)

For those with wood pellet grills, however, Thanksgiving was the day to beat. Given that turkeys are delicious over wood pellet grills, this is actually not surprising.

What Are the Top 3 Most Popular Days for Grilling?

The three most likely days to catch someone BBQing are the 4th of July, Memorial Day, and Labor Day, as these are holidays during the summer season where food is often a centerpiece for socializing. (Statista - Popular Grilling Days)

Among wood pellet grill owners, Thanksgiving, Independence Day, and the Super Bowl are the most popular times to grill.

Since there are so many things you can cook inside a wood pellet grill, this tells us that people are doing much more than hamburgers inside them.

What Is the Most Popular Meat to Grill During Summer?

We already know that summer is the most likely time for people to grill. Of those people, hamburgers topped the list as the most popular meat. An incredible 94% were known to grill hamburgers when they BBQed.

What Are the Top 3 Most Popular Meats to Grill in the Summer?

Where you live determines what meats you are most likely to grill, but the top three meats were overwhelmingly hamburgers (94%), steaks (87%), and hot dogs (85%). These states had the most respondents favoring hamburgers over the others:

• Montana (99%)
• Virginia (97%)
• West Virginia (97%)
• Wisconsin (96%)
• Washington (92%)
• Wyoming (92%)

Population Trends and Statistics

Another fascinating category of data surrounds what people spend to eat. With food making up a major budgetary category for the majority of Americans, you may be surprised to see the numbers from 2020. Here’s what we know about the economics of food.

How Much Do Americans Spend on Food?

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, food bought to eat at home made up $1.1 trillion in sales in the U.S. during 2020. Eating at restaurants and food establishments totaled $698 billion that same year. Together, these categories made up $1.798 trillion in spending, making it the third-largest expenditure for consumers in a typical year.

How does that break down to individuals? U.S. households spent between $78 and $235 a week on groceries, or between 7% and 27% of their budget. They presumably used these groceries to cook at home, something that 33% of Americans do more than five times a week. Thirty-seven percent cook between three and fives times a week, and over 21% cook more than once a week at home. Just 8% said they don’t cook at home at least one time a week.

How Much Do Americans Spend on Eating Out?

In 2020 alone, Americans spent $698 billion on food away from home. This was around 39% of the total spent on food that year.

How Often Do Americans BBQ?

Forty-two percent of Americans grill one day per week. Around 23% said they would grill two days a week, and just 13% were dedicated to BBQing three days out of every seven.

While apple is hands-down the clear winner for the year, here are the sauce trends we see for each month:

• Healthy: January
• Cajun: February
• Original: March, November
• Cola: April
• Blueberry: May
• Apple: June, October
• Blackberry: July
• Sweet N’ Sour: August
• Pineapple: September
• Whiskey: December

Sources

• Share of Americans who grill on holidays in 2020, by holiday - Statista
• Consumer expenditures in 2020 - U.S. Bureau Of Labor Statistics
• Traeger Internal Research
• 2022 Consumer/Market Research - Traeger
• Traeger S-1
• Traeger 10-Q

Methodology & Disclaimers

This item includes estimates regarding market and industry data that we previously prepared and publicly released in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission based on our management's knowledge and experience in the markets in which we operate, together with information obtained from various sources, including publicly available information, industry reports and publications, surveys, our customers, distributors, suppliers, trade and business organizations and other contacts in the markets in which we operate.

Management estimates were derived from publicly available information released by independent industry analysts and third-party sources, as well as data from our internal research, and were based on assumptions made by us upon reviewing such data and our knowledge of such industry and markets, which we believe to be reasonable.

This item and estimates referenced herein are not being stated as of today and are merely referencing prior estimates made as of the date(s) included herein. Any such data was and is subject to change and may have been limited by the availability of raw data, the voluntary nature of the data gathering process, and other limitations inherent in any statistical survey. In addition, customer preferences were and are subject to change. Accordingly, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such data.