Marketing6 min readSourced Data

Facebook Ads Benchmarks 2026: CPC, CPM, CTR by Industry

Facebook ads benchmarks 2026: median CPC, CTR, CPM and cost per lead by industry, from WordStream, Triple Whale and Meta data, every figure sourced.

Digital Applied Team
April 5, 2026• Updated September 22, 2026
6 min read
$0.60

Median CPC, traffic campaigns (WordStream/LocaliQ 2026)

$27.39

Median cost per lead (WordStream/LocaliQ 2026)

$15.06

Median ecommerce CPM (Triple Whale)

+12%

Meta average price per ad, Q2 2026, year on year

Key Takeaways

Benchmarks depend on the objective: WordStream and LocaliQ's 2026 medians for US campaigns are $0.60 per click for traffic campaigns and $1.80 per click, $27.39 per lead, for lead campaigns.
Clicks got cheaper while impressions got dearer: Median traffic CPC fell from $0.70 to $0.60, while Triple Whale's ecommerce CPM rose 13% to $15.06 and Meta's average price per ad rose 12% in Q2 2026.
Industry spreads are wide: Median traffic CPC ranges from $0.34 to $0.86 by industry, and median cost per lead from about $12 to about $62.
Advantage+ figures are Meta's own: Meta reports a $75 billion+ run-rate for its automated campaigns; its performance claims are its own figures, not independent benchmarks.

What does Facebook advertising cost in 2026? It depends on the objective, the industry and whose customers you ask. There is no official Meta benchmark, and many widely shared "average CPC" figures are years out of date or have no source.

This page collects the benchmarks that are published with a method: WordStream and LocaliQ's US campaign data, Triple Whale's ecommerce data, Skai's and Tinuiti's cost trends, and Meta's own quarterly figures. Every row names its source and period. Figures were last checked on September 22, 2026. For help applying them to your account, see our paid media work.

Headline Facebook Ads Benchmarks

There is no single "average" Facebook CPC. Every benchmark comes from one company's own customers, and the answer depends on the campaign objective. In WordStream and LocaliQ's 2026 data for US campaigns, the median cost per click was $0.60 for traffic campaigns and $1.80 for lead campaigns. Triple Whale's data for more than 40,000 ecommerce brands puts the median CPM at $15.06 and the median cost per acquisition (CPA) at $38.99.

All of these figures are medians from each company's own sample, so they are useful for comparison, not as a target for any single account.

FigureWhat it measuresSource
$0.60Median cost per click, US Facebook traffic campaigns, all industries ($0.70 in the 2025 edition)WordStream/LocaliQ, Sep 14, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
1.93%Median click-through rate, US Facebook traffic campaigns, all industries (1.71% in the 2025 edition)WordStream/LocaliQ, Sep 14, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$1.80Median cost per click, US Facebook lead campaigns, all industries ($1.92 in the 2025 edition)WordStream/LocaliQ, Sep 14, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
2.70%Median click-through rate, US Facebook lead campaigns, all industries (2.59% in the 2025 edition)WordStream/LocaliQ, Sep 14, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
8.54%Median conversion rate, US Facebook lead campaigns, all industries (7.72% in the 2025 edition)WordStream/LocaliQ, Sep 14, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$27.39Median cost per lead, US Facebook lead campaigns, all industries ($27.66 in the 2025 edition)WordStream/LocaliQ, Sep 14, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$15.06Median CPM on Meta ads (Facebook and Instagram) for ecommerce brands using Triple Whale, up 13.2% on a year earlierTriple Whale, Aug 18, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
2.39%Median click-through rate on Meta ads for ecommerce brands using Triple Whale (2.06% a year earlier)Triple Whale, Aug 18, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
1.53%Median conversion rate (share of ad clicks that convert) on Meta ads for ecommerce brands using Triple Whale (1.60% a year earlier)Triple Whale, Aug 18, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$38.99Median cost per acquisition (CPA) on Meta ads for ecommerce brands using Triple Whale, up 3.1% on a year earlierTriple Whale, Aug 18, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
1.88Median return on ad spend on Meta ads for ecommerce brands using Triple Whale (1.86 a year earlier)Triple Whale, Aug 18, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$73.36Median order value of Meta-driven orders for ecommerce brands using Triple WhaleTriple Whale, Aug 18, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
66.9%Share of total ad budget that ecommerce brands using Triple Whale put on MetaTriple Whale, Aug 18, 2026Benchmark (platform data)

Traffic Campaigns by Industry

For traffic campaigns, WordStream and LocaliQ's median cost per click ranges from $0.34 in Arts and Entertainment to $0.86 in Finance and Insurance. Beauty, Arts and Entertainment, and Restaurants and Food have the highest click-through rates, at around 2.7%.

FigureWhat it measuresSource
$0.51Animals & Pets: median cost per click, US Facebook traffic campaigns (CTR 1.85%)WordStream/LocaliQ, Sep 14, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$0.71Apparel / Fashion & Jewelry: median cost per click, US Facebook traffic campaigns (CTR 1.51%)WordStream/LocaliQ, Sep 14, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$0.34Arts & Entertainment: median cost per click, US Facebook traffic campaigns (CTR 2.71%)WordStream/LocaliQ, Sep 14, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$0.69Attorneys & Legal Services: median cost per click, US Facebook traffic campaigns (CTR 1.77%)WordStream/LocaliQ, Sep 14, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$0.70Automotive — For Sale: median cost per click, US Facebook traffic campaigns (CTR 1.47%)WordStream/LocaliQ, Sep 14, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$0.74Automotive — Repair, Service & Parts: median cost per click, US Facebook traffic campaigns (CTR 1.51%)WordStream/LocaliQ, Sep 14, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$0.50Beauty & Personal Care: median cost per click, US Facebook traffic campaigns (CTR 2.73%)WordStream/LocaliQ, Sep 14, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$0.70Business Services: median cost per click, US Facebook traffic campaigns (CTR 1.64%)WordStream/LocaliQ, Sep 14, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$0.61Dentists & Dental Services: median cost per click, US Facebook traffic campaigns (CTR 1.55%)WordStream/LocaliQ, Sep 14, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$0.70Education & Instruction: median cost per click, US Facebook traffic campaigns (CTR 1.50%)WordStream/LocaliQ, Sep 14, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$0.86Finance & Insurance: median cost per click, US Facebook traffic campaigns (CTR 1.46%)WordStream/LocaliQ, Sep 14, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$0.64Furniture: median cost per click, US Facebook traffic campaigns (CTR 1.90%)WordStream/LocaliQ, Sep 14, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$0.64Health & Fitness: median cost per click, US Facebook traffic campaigns (CTR 1.86%)WordStream/LocaliQ, Sep 14, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$0.63Home & Home Improvement: median cost per click, US Facebook traffic campaigns (CTR 1.76%)WordStream/LocaliQ, Sep 14, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$0.54Industrial & Commercial: median cost per click, US Facebook traffic campaigns (CTR 2.06%)WordStream/LocaliQ, Sep 14, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$0.67Personal Services: median cost per click, US Facebook traffic campaigns (CTR 1.93%)WordStream/LocaliQ, Sep 14, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$0.61Physicians & Surgeons: median cost per click, US Facebook traffic campaigns (CTR 1.90%)WordStream/LocaliQ, Sep 14, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$0.55Real Estate: median cost per click, US Facebook traffic campaigns (CTR 2.37%)WordStream/LocaliQ, Sep 14, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$0.45Restaurants & Food: median cost per click, US Facebook traffic campaigns (CTR 2.68%)WordStream/LocaliQ, Sep 14, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$0.59Shopping, Collectibles & Gifts: median cost per click, US Facebook traffic campaigns (CTR 1.88%)WordStream/LocaliQ, Sep 14, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$0.59Sports & Recreation: median cost per click, US Facebook traffic campaigns (CTR 1.77%)WordStream/LocaliQ, Sep 14, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$0.42Travel: median cost per click, US Facebook traffic campaigns (CTR 2.28%)WordStream/LocaliQ, Sep 14, 2026Benchmark (platform data)

Lead Campaigns by Industry

Lead campaigns cost more per click but are the better guide to cost per lead. The median ranges from about $12 in Career and Employment to about $62 for dentists. These samples are small: the lead data covers 452 campaigns, and WordStream requires only four campaigns for an industry to be included, so treat single-industry figures as indicative.

FigureWhat it measuresSource
$14.59Arts & Entertainment: median cost per lead, US Facebook lead campaigns (CTR 3.34%, CPC $0.88, conversion rate 15.31%)WordStream/LocaliQ, Sep 14, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$35.52Automotive — For Sale: median cost per lead, US Facebook lead campaigns (CTR 2.29%, CPC $2.01, conversion rate 4.15%)WordStream/LocaliQ, Sep 14, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$50.91Beauty & Personal Care: median cost per lead, US Facebook lead campaigns (CTR 1.35%, CPC $2.97, conversion rate 5.63%)WordStream/LocaliQ, Sep 14, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$12.30Career & Employment: median cost per lead, US Facebook lead campaigns (CTR 3.52%, CPC $0.73, conversion rate 5.38%)WordStream/LocaliQ, Sep 14, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$61.56Dentists & Dental Services: median cost per lead, US Facebook lead campaigns (CTR 1.62%, CPC $5.70, conversion rate 6.07%)WordStream/LocaliQ, Sep 14, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$26.31Education & Instruction: median cost per lead, US Facebook lead campaigns (CTR 1.74%, CPC $1.72, conversion rate 15.87%)WordStream/LocaliQ, Sep 14, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$39.25Furniture: median cost per lead, US Facebook lead campaigns (CTR 3.78%, CPC $2.18, conversion rate 5.66%)WordStream/LocaliQ, Sep 14, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$27.11Health & Fitness: median cost per lead, US Facebook lead campaigns (CTR 3.09%, CPC $1.84, conversion rate 7.98%)WordStream/LocaliQ, Sep 14, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$42.95Home & Home Improvement: median cost per lead, US Facebook lead campaigns (CTR 2.14%, CPC $2.18, conversion rate 5.32%)WordStream/LocaliQ, Sep 14, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$35.87Industrial & Commercial: median cost per lead, US Facebook lead campaigns (CTR 2.57%, CPC $1.55, conversion rate 4.50%)WordStream/LocaliQ, Sep 14, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$38.09Personal Services: median cost per lead, US Facebook lead campaigns (CTR 2.24%, CPC $1.62, conversion rate 6.61%)WordStream/LocaliQ, Sep 14, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$32.14Physicians & Surgeons: median cost per lead, US Facebook lead campaigns (CTR 4.18%, CPC $1.68, conversion rate 6.41%)WordStream/LocaliQ, Sep 14, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$13.74Real Estate: median cost per lead, US Facebook lead campaigns (CTR 4.17%, CPC $1.27, conversion rate 9.95%)WordStream/LocaliQ, Sep 14, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$15.49Sports & Recreation: median cost per lead, US Facebook lead campaigns (CTR 3.16%, CPC $1.08, conversion rate 6.75%)WordStream/LocaliQ, Sep 14, 2026Benchmark (platform data)

Ecommerce Benchmarks by Category

For online shops, Triple Whale publishes Meta ads medians by product category, covering Facebook and Instagram together. Median CPM runs from $11.50 for Baby products to $21.80 for Health and Wellness, and median CPA from $26.80 for E-learning to $51.86 for Electronics and Medical Devices.

FigureWhat it measuresSource
$13.25Apparel & Accessories: median Meta ads CPM for ecommerce brands (CPA $36.98, CTR 2.44%, ROAS 2.24)Triple Whale, Aug 18, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$18.80Beauty: median Meta ads CPM for ecommerce brands (CPA $39.31, CTR 2.46%, ROAS 1.54)Triple Whale, Aug 18, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$14.67Home & Garden: median Meta ads CPM for ecommerce brands (CPA $47.93, CTR 2.38%, ROAS 2.25)Triple Whale, Aug 18, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$15.32Food & Beverage: median Meta ads CPM for ecommerce brands (CPA $38.57, CTR 1.98%, ROAS 1.61)Triple Whale, Aug 18, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$21.80Health & Wellness: median Meta ads CPM for ecommerce brands (CPA $40.53, CTR 3.02%, ROAS 1.44)Triple Whale, Aug 18, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$12.05Sports & Outdoors: median Meta ads CPM for ecommerce brands (CPA $44.53, CTR 2.01%, ROAS 2.35)Triple Whale, Aug 18, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$12.54Toys, Art, & Collectibles: median Meta ads CPM for ecommerce brands (CPA $34.85, CTR 2.35%, ROAS 1.95)Triple Whale, Aug 18, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$16.27Pets & Animals: median Meta ads CPM for ecommerce brands (CPA $38.51, CTR 2.37%, ROAS 1.60)Triple Whale, Aug 18, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$15.09Electronics: median Meta ads CPM for ecommerce brands (CPA $51.86, CTR 2.41%, ROAS 1.94)Triple Whale, Aug 18, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$13.25Lifestyle & Boutique: median Meta ads CPM for ecommerce brands (CPA $31.16, CTR 2.44%, ROAS 2.04)Triple Whale, Aug 18, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$11.50Baby: median Meta ads CPM for ecommerce brands (CPA $29.61, CTR 1.98%, ROAS 2.25)Triple Whale, Aug 18, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$14.05E-learning & Online Courses: median Meta ads CPM for ecommerce brands (CPA $26.80, CTR 2.74%, ROAS 1.19)Triple Whale, Aug 18, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$14.01Books & Music: median Meta ads CPM for ecommerce brands (CPA $30.69, CTR 2.62%, ROAS 1.65)Triple Whale, Aug 18, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$13.63Media & Publishing: median Meta ads CPM for ecommerce brands (CPA $36.60, CTR 2.48%, ROAS 1.13)Triple Whale, Aug 18, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$16.34Travel Accessories & Luggage: median Meta ads CPM for ecommerce brands (CPA $50.95, CTR 2.40%, ROAS 2.28)Triple Whale, Aug 18, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$18.32Medical Devices & Equipment: median Meta ads CPM for ecommerce brands (CPA $51.86, CTR 2.80%, ROAS 1.63)Triple Whale, Aug 18, 2026Benchmark (platform data)
$13.33Business Supplies & Equipment: median Meta ads CPM for ecommerce brands (CPA $37.98, CTR 1.88%, ROAS 2.34)Triple Whale, Aug 18, 2026Benchmark (platform data)

What Meta Reports

Meta does not publish CPCs or industry benchmarks. Its quarterly results do show the overall direction: average price per ad rose 9% in 2025 and 12% in each of the first two quarters of 2026, while ad impressions grew between 12% and 19% year on year. Price per ad is a blended measure across all Meta apps and regions, so it does not translate directly into a CPC or CPM for any one advertiser.

For what the price trend means for planning, see our look at Meta ads after the second quarter.

FigureWhat it measuresSource
+12%Growth in Meta's average price per ad, Q2 2026 (ad impressions +14%); price per ad is not a CPC or CPMMeta, Jul 29, 2026Official (company-reported)
+12%Growth in Meta's average price per ad, Q1 2026 (ad impressions +19%)Meta, Apr 29, 2026Official (company-reported)
+9%Growth in Meta's average price per ad, full year 2025 (ad impressions +12%)Meta, Jan 28, 2026Official (company-reported)
$59.4 billionMeta advertising revenue, Q2 2026, up 27%Meta, Jul 29, 2026Official (company-reported)
$196.2 billionMeta advertising revenue, full year 2025, up 22%Meta, Jan 28, 2026Official (company-reported)
3.60 billionDaily active people across Meta's apps (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger), average for June 2026Meta, Jul 29, 2026Official (company-reported)
3 billionInstagram monthly active users; milestone announced by Mark Zuckerberg in September 2025 and confirmed on Meta's Q3 2025 earnings callMeta, Oct 29, 2025Official (company-reported)
2 billionInstagram daily active users, reported July 2026Meta, Jul 29, 2026Official (company-reported)
500 million+Threads monthly active users, reported July 2026Meta, Jul 29, 2026Official (company-reported)
Apr 23, 2025Date Threads ads opened to all eligible advertisers worldwideMeta for Business, Apr 23, 2025Official (company-reported)

Advantage+ and AI: Meta's Own Claims

Meta's automated Advantage+ campaigns now carry a revenue run-rate of more than $75 billion a year. The performance figures below are Meta's own claims about its products, mostly without a published study basis, and are labelled that way. Meta publishes no independent verification of these figures, so test them in your own account.

FigureWhat it measuresSource
$75 billion+Annual revenue run-rate through Meta's automated Advantage+ ad solutions, July 2026 ($60 billion on the October 2025 call)Meta, Jul 29, 2026Official (company-reported)
14% lowerCost per lead for advertisers using Advantage+ lead campaigns versus those not using it, per Meta's CFOMeta, Oct 29, 2025Vendor claim
20% lowerAverage cost per result for businesses using Advantage+ sales campaigns, per MetaMeta for Business, read Sep 22, 2026Vendor claim
$4.52Average return on ad spend Meta states for Advantage+ shopping campaigns ("22% higher returns")Meta for Business, read Sep 22, 2026Vendor claim
19%Cost per action improvement Meta states from adding Advantage+ shopping campaigns, from A/B tests in Southeast AsiaMeta for Business, read Sep 22, 2026Vendor claim
+24%Incremental conversions from Meta's latest attribution model versus its standard model, per MetaMeta, Jan 28, 2026Vendor claim
+3.5%Ad clicks on Facebook from Meta's GEM ads-ranking model and sequence learning, per MetaMeta, Jan 28, 2026Vendor claim
$10 billionCombined annual revenue run-rate of Meta's video-generation ad creative tools, Q4 2025 (reported January 2026)Meta, Jan 28, 2026Official (company-reported)

How to Use These Benchmarks

Match the benchmark to the campaign. Compare a lead campaign with WordStream's lead medians, an ecommerce account with Triple Whale's category medians, and neither with a single all-industry average. A result inside the published range is normal; one far outside it is worth investigating.

Treat vendor claims about automated campaigns as hypotheses to test in your own account, and judge them on cost per result and incremental conversions rather than platform-reported return on ad spend alone.

Widely Quoted Figures, Checked

Several Facebook ads statistics circulate without a source or are out of date. These are the ones we see most often, checked against current data.

Often quoted asWhat the source says
The average Facebook CPC is $1.72That figure is from WordStream's February 2017 all-industry benchmark, not current data. WordStream and LocaliQ's 2026 medians for US campaigns are $0.60 for traffic campaigns and $1.80 for lead campaigns.
Facebook CPCs rose 11% year on yearThe published data points the other way for clicks: WordStream's median traffic CPC fell from $0.70 to $0.60, and Skai measured paid-social CPC (all social platforms) down 18% in Q2 2026. Impression costs did rise.
Instagram has about 2.35 billion usersOut of date. Meta announced 3 billion monthly Instagram users in September 2025 and repeated it on its October 2025 earnings call.
Threads ads launched in 2026Threads ads opened to all eligible advertisers worldwide on April 23, 2025. In late January 2026 Meta began a gradual rollout of Threads ads to users in all markets, and said it completed the expansion in Q2 2026.
Meta's price per ad is the same as CPMNo. Meta's average price per ad is a blended figure across all its apps, placements and regions. It shows direction, not what an individual advertiser pays.

Benchmarks Are a Range, Not a Target

When you quote a Facebook ads benchmark, carry the source, objective and period with it: "the median CPC for US Facebook traffic campaigns was $0.60 (WordStream and LocaliQ, April 2025 to June 2026)" is checkable, while "the average Facebook CPC is $1" is not.

Use these figures to judge whether your own results are in a normal range, then optimise against your own cost per result.

Sources

Every figure on this page comes from one of the sources below.

Meta's own disclosures
Ad benchmark and platform data
  • WordStream by LocaliQFacebook Ads Benchmarks 2026 (US campaigns, April 2025 to June 2026)Sep 14, 2026
  • WordStream by LocaliQFacebook Ads Benchmarks 2025 (US campaigns, April 2024 to June 2025)Sep 8, 2025
  • Triple WhaleFacebook Ad Benchmarks by Industry (40,000+ ecommerce brands, August 2025 to July 2026)Aug 18, 2026
  • SkaiQuarterly Digital Trends, Q1 2026 (press release)Apr 28, 2026
  • SkaiQuarterly Digital Trends, Q2 2026 (press release and report page)Jul 28, 2026
  • TinuitiDigital Ads Benchmark Report, Q2 2026 (public landing page)Jul 2026

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