Google Ads CPC Statistics for 2026: Cost Per Click by Industry
The average Google Ads click costs $5.26 to $5.42 in the US, but a click for a law firm costs about six times more than a click for an arts venue. Below is cost per click for 23 industries from two independent benchmark reports, the year over year movers, and the trend data that shows where prices are heading.
Key Takeaways
- Average cost per click is $5.26 in the WordStream 2025 report and $5.42 in the LocaliQ 2026 report, a gap of just $0.16.
- Legal, dental and home improvement are the most expensive categories, at roughly $8 to $10 per click in both reports.
- Arts, restaurants, travel and auto sales stay near $2 per click.
- Cost per click rose in 87% of industries in WordStream data, with Beauty up 60.11% and Education up 41.91%.
- A higher click price does not always mean a higher lead price. Dentists pay $8.00 per click but $72.97 per lead because they convert at 10.67%.
What Is the Average Google Ads Cost Per Click?
Short answer: The median Google Ads cost per click is $5.26 (WordStream), up 12.88% year over year, and LocaliQ's 2026 average is $5.42.
LocaliQ says cost per click rose a bit over the last year, without giving a number. Its report mixes Google Ads and Microsoft Ads campaigns, while WordStream reports Google Ads search campaigns only. That is why we show both rather than blending them.
At a $5.42 click and an 8.18% conversion rate, a conversion costs about $66.26 (5.42 divided by 0.0818). That sits close to the reported $66.69 average cost per lead, so the benchmark figures agree with each other.
Cost Per Click by Industry: Two Reports Side by Side
All 23 industries appear in both reports. Cost per click in US dollars. The reports cover different periods and samples, so small differences are normal.
Average cost per click by industry
| Industry | WordStream 2025 | LocaliQ 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Animals and Pets | $3.97 | $4.06 |
| Apparel, Fashion and Jewelry | $4.31 | $4.44 |
| Arts and Entertainment | $1.60 | $1.63 |
| Attorneys and Legal Services | $8.58 | $9.87 |
| Automotive: For Sale | $2.41 | $2.27 |
| Automotive: Repair, Service and Parts | $3.90 | $4.35 |
| Beauty and Personal Care | $5.70 | $4.62 |
| Business Services | $5.58 | $5.87 |
| Career and Employment | $5.16 | $5.81 |
| Dentists and Dental Services | $7.85 | $8.00 |
| Education and Instruction | $6.23 | $4.81 |
| Finance and Insurance | $3.46 | $3.39 |
| Furniture | $3.86 | $3.97 |
| Health and Fitness | $5.00 | $6.17 |
| Home and Home Improvement | $7.85 | $8.33 |
| Industrial and Commercial | $5.70 | $5.87 |
| Personal Services | $5.81 | $7.17 |
| Physicians and Surgeons | $5.00 | $4.76 |
| Real Estate | $2.53 | $3.22 |
| Restaurants and Food | $2.05 | $2.05 |
| Shopping, Collectibles and Gifts | $3.49 | $4.14 |
| Sports and Recreation | $2.64 | $2.77 |
| Travel | $2.12 | $2.14 |
Which Industries Have the Highest and Lowest CPC?
Short answer: Attorneys and legal services pay the most at $9.87 per click and arts and entertainment the least at $1.63, per LocaliQ 2026.
Highest cost per click, LocaliQ 2026 (US dollars)
Lowest cost per click, LocaliQ 2026 (US dollars)
The spread is large. Using the same tables, the most expensive category costs about 6.1 times the cheapest in LocaliQ data ($9.87 versus $1.63) and about 5.4 times in WordStream data ($8.58 versus $1.60). Those ratios are our calculation from the published averages.
Click Through Rate by Industry
Click price is only half the picture. Click through rate shows how often searchers choose an ad. Arts and Entertainment leads in both reports, and Attorneys and Dentists sit near the bottom.
Average click through rate by industry
| Industry | WordStream 2025 | LocaliQ 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Animals and Pets | 6.58% | 7.49% |
| Apparel, Fashion and Jewelry | 6.77% | 6.64% |
| Arts and Entertainment | 13.10% | 12.75% |
| Attorneys and Legal Services | 5.97% | 5.87% |
| Automotive: For Sale | 8.29% | 8.28% |
| Automotive: Repair, Service and Parts | 5.56% | 5.56% |
| Beauty and Personal Care | 5.71% | 6.75% |
| Business Services | 5.65% | 6.10% |
| Career and Employment | 6.57% | 5.88% |
| Dentists and Dental Services | 5.44% | 5.66% |
| Education and Instruction | 5.74% | 7.56% |
| Finance and Insurance | 8.33% | 9.83% |
| Furniture | 6.11% | 6.57% |
| Health and Fitness | 7.18% | 5.81% |
| Home and Home Improvement | 6.37% | 6.47% |
| Industrial and Commercial | 6.23% | 6.57% |
| Personal Services | 7.69% | 7.16% |
| Physicians and Surgeons | 6.73% | 6.61% |
| Real Estate | 8.43% | 7.61% |
| Restaurants and Food | 7.58% | 6.83% |
| Shopping, Collectibles and Gifts | 8.92% | 8.28% |
| Sports and Recreation | 9.19% | 8.75% |
| Travel | 8.73% | 9.32% |
Which Industries Moved Most Year Over Year
Cost per click change, WordStream 2025 versus 2024
| Industry | Change in median cost per click |
|---|---|
| Beauty and Personal Care | up 60.11% |
| Education and Instruction | up 41.91% |
| Shopping, Collectibles and Gifts | up 33.72% |
| Restaurants and Food | down 5.96% |
| Arts and Entertainment | down 6.98% |
| Attorneys and Legal Services | down 4.03% |
Most industries moved up, and only a few fell. Legal fell 4.03% in WordStream data yet remains the most expensive category, so cheaper does not mean cheap.
Cost Per Click Trends Across Campaign Types
Different samples give different growth rates: Tinuiti tracks large advertisers, Optmyzr tracks its own accounts and WordStream tracks its customers. The direction is consistent, with search click prices rising faster than inflation in most reports. For ways to keep your own click costs down, read our guide on Google Ads cost per lead, and for the full set of benchmarks see our Google Ads statistics roundup.
How Does Cost Per Click Translate to Cost Per Lead?
Short answer: Cost per lead is cost per click divided by conversion rate, so a $3.97 furniture click converting at 2.99% costs $106.70 per lead, more than an $8.00 dental click at 10.67% ($72.97).
Same click price, very different lead cost
| Industry | Cost per click | Conversion rate | Cost per lead |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dentists and Dental Services | $8.00 | 10.67% | $72.97 |
| Attorneys and Legal Services | $9.87 | 5.55% | $131.63 |
| Automotive: Repair, Service and Parts | $4.35 | 15.51% | $29.96 |
| Finance and Insurance | $3.39 | 2.64% | $74.44 |
| Furniture | $3.97 | 2.99% | $106.70 |
| Real Estate | $3.22 | 3.70% | $102.51 |
Furniture and real estate have click prices below $4 yet lead costs above $100, because few clicks convert. Conversion rate, not click price, decides lead cost. The WordStream account study found accounts using negative keywords converted at 13% versus 4.6% without them.
Sources and Further Reading
Every statistic on this page links to its original source. Figures were checked on October 24, 2026. Where sources disagree, we show both and say so.
- WordStream, 2025 Google Ads benchmarks
- WordStream, 2024 Google Ads benchmarks
- WordStream, Google Ads account study
- LocaliQ, search advertising benchmarks
- Search Engine Land, Google Ads costs keep rising but conversion rates improved in 2025
- Search Engine Land, Tinuiti Q4 2025 report
- Search Engine Land, Tinuiti Q1 2025 report
- Search Engine Land, Optmyzr data on Performance Max and Search CPCs
- Triple Whale, Google Ads benchmarks
Keep Reading
- Google Ads statistics 2026
- Why is your Google Ads cost per lead so high?
- Why most Google Ads campaigns fail
- Google Ads management services
Paying More Per Click Than Your Industry?
Growth Architech audits your Google Ads account, compares your click costs with these benchmarks and shows you where spend is wasted, with no contract.
Get Your Free PPC Audit →