The burger is a menu staple as reliable as a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet — flustered to order, it works in a pinch. Yet sometimes, a burger is all that will do. There are days when a slab of beef, hugged by bun, feels like the only possible dinner.
What’s clear is Americans love burgers, out of convenience, deliciousness, familiarity, or some other combination of factors. The country loves the famous sandwich so much that we gave it a holiday: May 28 is National Burger Day. Why May 28? Well…no reason really, beyond the fact that summer’s nearing, which means peak grilling season. That seems as good a reason as any.
To celebrate National Burger Day 2026, we analyzed data from tens of thousands of restaurants across the country to glean insight into America’s burger consumption and eating habits. Here are some trends to chew on.
Key Takeaways
The price of a burger is rising
The bad news for burger lovers? With shrinking herd sizes, drought-stricken grazing land, and slowed imports, beef is getting more expensive. It’s all over the headlines, which can mean more expensive burgers for restaurant guests. Toast regularly tracks burger prices, along with other common items, in our monthly Menu Price Monitor. The median burger in the U.S. cost $14.65 in April 2026, up 2.4% year-over-year. You can see the steady rise in price over the past 12 months.
The various accouterments and toppings — things like lettuce, tomato, onion, and cheese — can have an effect on burger prices. Right now, fresh vegetables are seeing a spike in price, up 44% on an annualized basis over the last three months. We can’t be sure that cost has made its way to menus, but it could be passed down to guests if high prices remain. Fuel, too, has gone up in price, which can affect prices for most things.
The price of a burger in each state
While the nationwide trend is clear — the price of a burger is going up — costs still differ state to state.
The state furthest from the continental U.S., Hawaii ($18.94), had the most expensive median burger.
Oklahoma had the cheapest median burger price at $12.50.
West Virginia has seen the largest year-over-year (YoY) increase in price at 6.2%, while Tennessee (0.9%) was the only state to see a YoY jump of less than one percent.
The price and popularity of burgers in major U.S. cities
It’s typically a safe assumption that products are more expensive in cities, and that holds true for burgers. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Toast’s data showed New York City had the highest-priced median burger at $19.86 in the cities Toast explored. Just across the bridge in Brooklyn, however, it was only $16.75. The median price can also be affected by the types of burgers ordered, meaning folks in Manhattan could be springing for wagyu or other expensive options.
Texas cities in the heart of beef country — San Antonio ($13.54), Dallas ($14.38), and Houston ($14.38) — boasted the cheapest burgers among urban centers.
And while Americans still love burgers — same-store sales nationwide increased 0.34% in April 2026 compared to April 2025 – orders were down 16% YoY in Atlanta, for instance, which was by far the steepest drop in the cities Toast explored. Philadelphia, meanwhile, saw the largest increase among cities at 6%.
How popular are burgers at restaurants?
No matter the beef prices, time of year, or location, guests order burgers if it’s on the menu. There is, of course, some variation. For instance:
Kentucky saw the largest YoY increase in burger orders at 8%.
Among all states, Utah saw the steepest YoY drop in burger orders at 5%.
When burgers are ordered most at restaurants
Burger popularity does seem to wax and wane with seasons, prices, and other factors. To wit: It’s fitting National Burger Day comes in May. The busiest single day for burgers in the last 12 months was May 10, 2025, a Saturday that saw 70% more orders than the median day. (Good thing Toast restaurants are Built For Busy.) And of the last 12 months — you guessed it — May 2025 was the most popular for burgers at 11.1% above the monthly median. February 2026, meanwhile, was the least popular month for burgers at 13.7% below the median. In general, folks seem to order more burgers as the weather warms.
Interestingly enough, we took a look at the same data for a burger’s best friend: the French fry. And while we can’t correlate an exact connection — some burger orders in this analysis may include a side like fries, others do not — the popularity graph for orders of fries very closely mirrors that of its longtime patty companion.
It just goes to show that if you’re ordering a burger, you might as well just splurge for the fries, too.
AVISO LEGAL: Esta información se proporciona solo con fines informativos generales y su publicación no constituye un aval. Toast no garantiza la precisión ni la integridad de la información, el texto, los gráficos, los enlaces y otros elementos que incluye este contenido. Toast no garantiza que alcanzarás ningún resultado específico si sigues los consejos que aparecen aquí. Te recomendamos consultar con un profesional, como un abogado, contador o asesor comercial, para recibir asesoramiento específico para tu situación.
