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Grill Ownership Statistics: Households, Fuel, and Outdoor Cooking

Survey findings on grill ownership, fuel types, purchases, seasonal use, outdoor kitchens, and cooking habits.

November 11, 2026 9 min read khillbbqcompany.com Editorial Team

Contents

Grill ownership statistics: household and homeowner ownership

Grill ownership statistics refer to more than one kind of measure: the share of households with at least one grill or smoker, estimates of the number of households that own a grill, and estimates of the total equipment installed. The populations, methods, and dates matter when comparing them. Household ownership is not the same as the number of grills, since a household may own more than one.

In its 2021 U.S. consumer research, the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (HPBA) reported that 70% of households owned at least 1 grill or smoker, up from 64% in its 2019 study. HPBA reported an 80% ownership rate among U.S. homeowners in 2021. That homeowner figure describes a narrower population than households overall, so it should be read separately rather than as a competing estimate. The survey was conducted online in September 2021 among adults who were primary grillers or shared grilling responsibilities; the report gives an aggregate margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2%.

Population and measureReported ownershipPeriod
U.S. households with a grill or smoker64%2019
U.S. households with a grill or smoker70%2021
U.S. homeowners with a grill or smoker80%2021
Canadian households with a grill70%Latest study cited in 2022

Source: HPBA, 2022 State of the Barbecue Industry

HPBA also reported that 70% of Canadian households owned a grill in its latest study cited in 2022, consistent with the previous survey. This is a Canadian household measure; it does not belong in the U.S. series above.

A company filing offers estimates with different units. Traeger estimated that approximately 75 million U.S. households owned a grill, representing approximately 60% of U.S. households. It also estimated that the installed base was nearly 100 million grills as of December 31, 2020. The household estimate and installed-base estimate are compatible in concept because multiple grills can be owned in one household, but they are company estimates rather than official counts or an update to HPBA’s survey.

Source: Traeger, Inc., Form S-1 Registration Statement

Grill ownership statistics by fuel type and backyard setup

Fuel categories can overlap: one household may own more than one kind of grill. The percentages therefore do not represent exclusive shares of a single market, and they should not be expected to total 100%.

HPBA’s U.S. consumer research recorded charcoal grill ownership at 49% in 2019 and 65% in 2021. Its 2021 measure for gas grills was 63%. Wood-pellet grill ownership among all grill owners rose from 3% in 2019 to 9% in 2021. These results retain the report’s survey scope and are not measurements of fuel use frequency.

YouGov’s separate online Omnibus survey asked German residents aged 18 and older about grill ownership. Conducted July 8–10, 2026, it found that 49% reported owning a charcoal grill, 35% a gas grill, and 30% an electric grill. These figures describe a different national population and survey from HPBA’s U.S. research, so they provide a snapshot rather than a direct continuation of its trend.

Fuel typeHPBA U.S. researchGerman residents aged 18+, July 2026
Charcoal49% in 2019; 65% in 202149%
Gas63% in 202135%
ElectricNot reported here30%

Sources: HPBA, 2022 State of the Barbecue Industry; YouGov, Grillsaison-Bilanz 2026

YouGov also reported differences by residential setting. In rural areas, charcoal grill ownership was 55%, compared with 43% in urban areas; gas grill ownership was 40% in rural areas and 28% in urban areas. Electric grill ownership showed the opposite pattern in the reported comparison: 38% in cities and 24% in rural areas. The survey describes reported ownership by setting but does not establish why the results differ.

Source: YouGov, Grillsaison-Bilanz 2026

HPBA’s October 2022 study focused on mid-to-high-end grill owners in the United States and Canada. In that group, 61% used propane grills and 59% used charcoal or wood grills. Among wood-pellet grill users, hickory and pellet blends were the leading fuel choices, at 20% each. The study’s narrower premium-owner population should not be treated as representative of all households.

Source: HPBA, Insights for July’s National Grilling Month

Grill ownership statistics and replacement purchases

Ownership is a snapshot of equipment or households; purchase statistics record buying over a stated period. HPBA found that 38% of all grill owners in its U.S. and Canadian research had purchased a new grill during the 2 years before the September 2021 survey. This is a 2-year lookback, not an annual replacement rate. The finding does not say whether buyers replaced an older grill or added another. Among owners who had bought in the prior year, 27% said they purchased because they were cooking at home more due to the pandemic.

Source: HPBA, 2022 State of the Barbecue Industry

YouGov Shopper’s registered-purchase data indicate that nearly 6% of German private households bought at least 1 new grill in 2025, equivalent to more than 2.4 million buyer households. These estimates came from a representative 20,000-household nonfood panel. They measure purchases, not the ownership answers from YouGov’s separate survey of adults.

More than 1.1 million German households chose DIY stores to buy a new grill in 2025. Buyers using that channel spent an average of just under €200 on the grill. This average applies to DIY-store purchases, not every German household buying a grill, and it does not specify a fuel type.

Source: YouGov, Grillsaison-Bilanz 2026

Traeger estimated that approximately 20 million grills were purchased in the United States in 2020. In the same filing, the company estimated that approximately 2.0 million Traeger grills were sold in the United States from 2016 through 2020. The first figure covers all U.S. grill purchases in 1 historical year; the second covers one brand over 5 years. Both are company estimates.

Source: Traeger, Inc., Form S-1 Registration Statement

Grill ownership: outdoor cooking frequency, seasons, and holidays

Seasonal use figures from HPBA’s October 2022 study apply to mid-to-high-end grill owners in the United States and Canada. Multiple-times-per-week grill use was reported by 65% in spring, 83% in summer, and 63% in fall. The published findings do not provide a winter percentage, so the figures show variation across the 3 stated seasons without describing a complete annual cycle.

Season or occasionReported shareStudy population and period
Multiple uses per week in spring65%U.S. and Canadian mid-to-high-end owners, October 2022
Multiple uses per week in summer83%U.S. and Canadian mid-to-high-end owners, October 2022
Multiple uses per week in fall63%U.S. and Canadian mid-to-high-end owners, October 2022
Independence Day grilling70%U.S. mid-to-high-end owners, October 2022
Memorial Day grilling58%U.S. mid-to-high-end owners, October 2022
Canada Day grilling66%Canadian mid-to-high-end owners, October 2022

Source: HPBA, Insights for July’s National Grilling Month

The holiday measures are country-specific. Among U.S. mid-to-high-end owners, 70% reported grilling on Independence Day and 58% on Memorial Day. Among Canadian owners, 66% reported grilling on Canada Day. They describe reported holiday activity within a premium group, rather than the share of all households celebrating outdoors.

HPBA’s broader 2021 consumer research offers a separate historical comparison: 54% of owners grilled on the Fourth of July, down from 68% in the prior study. Because these figures cover a broader consumer group than the October 2022 premium study, the holiday results are not a like-for-like time series.

Source: HPBA, 2022 State of the Barbecue Industry

The reported occasions extend beyond dinner and major holidays. During the pandemic period, 12% of HPBA research respondents said they grilled for brunch and 7% for breakfast. In the October 2022 premium study, 64% said they grilled for birthdays, and 43% reported cooking for groups of 10 or more. These are distinct measures from different study populations, but together they describe a range of reported meal and gathering contexts.

Sources: HPBA, 2022 State of the Barbecue Industry; HPBA, Insights for July’s National Grilling Month

Grill ownership statistics for premium owners and outdoor kitchens

Outdoor-kitchen findings concern specialized groups and should not be conflated with general household ownership rates. In HPBA’s October 2022 study of mid-to-high-end owners in the United States and Canada, 35% of survey recipients reported having an outdoor kitchen. Among the reported outdoor kitchens, 98% included a grill. Of outdoor-kitchen owners, 73% said they used the space at least 3 times per week. HPBA reported an average outdoor-kitchen investment of $10,600 among premium grill owners. That is the study’s reported average, not a current cost estimate for building an outdoor kitchen.

Source: HPBA, Insights for July’s National Grilling Month

A separate HPBA survey reported in 2024 asked over 850 outdoor hearth product owners about outdoor amenities. In this group, 83% reported owning a BBQ grill or outdoor kitchen, and the same share had outdoor furniture. The combined grill-or-kitchen measure does not mean that 83% had an outdoor kitchen; its population and wording differ from the mid-to-high-end study.

Outdoor amenity among outdoor hearth product ownersShare
BBQ grill or outdoor kitchen83%
Outdoor furniture83%
Outdoor lighting61%
Garden décor43%
Outdoor storage solutions42%
Sunshades or awnings28%
Outdoor heating20%

Source: HPBA, 6 Expert Tips to Create the Ultimate Patio Experience This Year

These amenity findings put grills and outdoor kitchens alongside furniture, lighting, storage, and other features reported by outdoor hearth product owners. They do not establish the prevalence of those amenities among all households or reveal whether owners installed them together.

Grill ownership: cooking habits, preferences, and reasons

Fuel interest can reach beyond the equipment a person currently owns. In HPBA’s October 2022 study, 67% of mid-to-high-end owners said they were interested in both fuel types when considering their next premium grill. This measures stated interest in a future purchase, not a completed purchase. Separately, 18% of consumers in the study bought grill fuel from barbecue specialty retailers.

The study also described research before a premium grill purchase. Thorough research was reported by 55% of premium grill buyers. Within this research-focused group, 87% browsed in-store and 69% explored online. The channel measures can overlap; they are not exclusive alternatives and should not be added together.

Source: HPBA, Insights for July’s National Grilling Month

Cooking practices in the same premium-owner study included both seasoning and technique choices. Dry rubs and spice blends were used by 66%, and 66% relied on marinades. Experimenting with smoking and slow-cooking techniques was reported by 50%, while 34% incorporated hardwood smoking chips. These practices can coexist, so the percentages do not divide owners into separate groups.

The study also found that 53% of premium grill owners actively sought new grilling or smoking recipes, while 34% researched ways to enhance food quality. These figures describe reported habits among the surveyed mid-to-high-end owners. They offer detail on how this group approaches grilling, but do not measure the same behaviors among all grill-owning households.

Source: HPBA, Insights for July’s National Grilling Month

Sources

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khillbbqcompany.com Editorial Team

Editorial team

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