Hamburgers Or Hot Dogs? Inside The Battleground Of Illinois’ Top 3 4th Of July Foods

It's just about time to put that grill to work.

What a surprise: no one can agree on anything anymore and evidently that includes 4th of July food.

Instacart looked at every state's favorite 4th of July foods and the trends are kind of surprising. Instacart based it off of orders made on the week of the 4th, so 6/30/25-7/6/25.

Consider this your reminder of what not to forget at the store before the cookout.

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The nation is perfectly split on hot dogs vs. hamburgers. 25 states ranked high in hamburger orders, while the other 25 ranked high in hot dog orders.

But...Illinois is split too. They rank +10.7% over the national average on hamburger buns. On hot dog buns, Illinois is +9.7% higher than the average. So is the home of the Chicago Dog actually eating less hot dogs on the 4th?

America's favorite side are potato chips because 'merica but Illinois' favorite chips brand? Pringles. Most states pick Lay's.

Meanwhile, as for the sides and add-ons, here are the ones Illinois definitely does not like:

• Sweet corn (-17.4% less than national item share)
• Watermelons (-9.3% less than national item share)
• Roma tomatoes (-26.8% less than national item share)

Illinois doesn't care for canned baked beans, green limes or popsicles either. Their top 3 4th foods are:

• Hamburger buns
• Hot dog buns
• Potato chips

And of course, there's a huge jump in orders for s'mores ingredients the week of the 4th too. The demand for graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows the holiday weekend jumps 550% higher than the rest of the year (Memorial Day is 2nd place on s'mores ingredient orders, followed by Labor Day weekend).