July 4th Fireworks Safety Tips
Follow these tips to enjoy and safe on July 4th
houmatoday.com and dailycomet.com
- Fireworks prices could rise this July 4th due to tariffs on Chinese imports.
- Kansas ranks second in the nation for annual fireworks displays per resident.
- Larger fireworks companies may be less susceptible to customs duties due to advanced purchasing.
This July 4th could be less for $1 on July 4th due to the ongoing tariff war with China, which provides 96.3% of the country’s fireworks.
This is one of the conclusions of a study published last month by ValuePenguin, a subsidiary that focused on research and analysis of lending trees in the online lending market.
The study determined that Missouri was the first in the nation to rank in annual spending to import fireworks.
The situation of tariffs causes costs to rise sharply
The US imported $452 million in fireworks from China last year, according to the survey.
“This $452.0 million value is equivalent to $1.1 billion with a 145% tariff on China and a 145% tariff on the US,” the report said.
The tariffs came into effect in early April.
However, the report noted that the US and China agreed to temporarily roll back tariffs on May 12, lowering that figure to 30% in the 90 days when the rollback is in effect, extending into August.
“At a 30% tariff, the value of $452.0 million is equivalent to $587.7 million,” he said.
Fireworks Company says it saw tariffs come and prepare
Jason Marietta, head of retail sales for Kansas-based Jake’s fireworks, said tariffs should not have much impact on large fireworks companies that buy fireworks from China throughout the year.
Jake operates four Topeka locations, one named “Wholesale Fireworks” and has a fifth city range in unincorporated Shawnee County.
The company ordered fireworks a year ago, Marietta said.
“We were expecting there could be something in the future tariffs, so we tried to get a lot early,” he said.
The biggest impact from customs duties could be in 2026
According to Marietta, tariffs will likely damage smaller fireworks businesses than larger companies.
He said that while he sees fireworks consumers in general this year as “maybe a bit more” in what they pay, it’s just an increase in the costs they’re paying for a variety of other products.
This July 4th could be characterized by a “slight shortage” of available fireworks, but the shortage is not as severe as consumers had expected during the Covid pandemic, Marietta said.
He said he hopes fireworks consumers will see more impacts from tariffs on July 4, 2026.
Fireworks expenditure per person
A study by ValuePenguin found that Missouri came first in terms of annual spending per capita to import fireworks.
Missouri imported $85.7 million and $13.84 per resident last year, compared with $25.8 million and $8.79 per resident in second place in Kansas and $13.9 million and $7.02 per resident in Nebraska last year.
Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri have some of the most relaxed fireworks methods in the country.
Ranked from 4th to 10th respectively were Wyoming, Alabama, South Dakota, Montana, South Carolina, Ohio and North Dakota.
Massachusetts, the only state that buys fireworks for all consumers, imports the per capita fireworks lowest price at just $0.01, the study said.
Contact Tim Huncir at threnchir@gannett.com or 785-213-5934.
