How Much Do Americans Spend On Groceries In Each State

Since August 2020, prices for “food at home” (groceries) have increased by 20% according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the steepest inflation seen since the 1970s.

On average, American households are paying about $270 per week ($1,080 a month) for groceries, according to Delish, which sourced their findings from the latest Census Bureau estimates.

But how does this change across the country? From the same source, Visuali Capitalist’s Pallavi Rao maps the weekly grocery bill for an American household by each state. Figures are rounded.

Ranked: U.S. States by Weekly Grocery Bills

Hawaii and Alaska, the two non-mainland states, have the highest grocery costs for an average American household: both topping $300 a week, or about $1,200 a month.

Shipping is the primary reason for driving up prices, and neither state produces enough food locally to offset the import costs.

Rank
State
State Code
Weekly Spend
1
Hawaii
HI
$334
2
Alaska
AK
$329
3
California
CA
$298
4
Nevada
NV
$295
5
Mississippi
MS
$291
6
Washington
WA
$288
7
Florida
FL
$287
8
New Mexico
NM
$286
9
Texas
TX
$286
10
Louisiana
LA
$283
11
Colorado
CO
$280
12
Oklahoma
OK
$279
13
Georgia
GA
$278
14
Utah
UT
$278
15
New Jersey
NJ
$275
16
Alabama
AL
$272
17
Arizona
AZ
$272
18
Massachusetts
MA
$272
19
Tennessee
TN
$270
20
Illinois
IL
$269
21
Connecticut
CT
$266
22
Maryland
MD
$266
23
New York
NY
$266
24
North Carolina
NC
$266
25
North Dakota
ND
$265
26
Arkansas
AR
$261
27
Virginia
VA
$260
28
Idaho
ID
$258
29
Rhode Island
RI
$256
30
South Dakota
SD
$256
31
Kentucky
KY
$255
32
Washington, D.C.
DC
$255
33
Ohio
OH
$254
34
South Carolina
SC
$254
35
Wyoming
WY
$254
36
Kansas
KS
$251
37
Minnesota
MN
$251
38
Maine
ME
$250
39
Oregon
OR
$249
40
Pennsylvania
PA
$249
41
Vermont
VT
$249
42
Delaware
DE
$246
43
Montana
MT
$246
44
Missouri
MO
$244
45
Indiana
IN
$239
46
New Hampshire
NH
$239
47
West Virginia
WV
$239
48
Michigan
MI
$236
49
Nebraska
NE
$235
50
Iowa
IA
$227
51
Wisconsin
WI
$221
N/A
National Average
 
$270

For what it’s worth, Alaskans pay very low taxes (no income, nor inheritance tax, and a very low sales tax) so the higher grocery bill may be far more affordable than other states with lower bills.

Meanwhile, the Midwest has some of the lowest grocery costs across the country. These state economies are often tied to farming and food production, helping keep grocery prices down.

There is some correlation between places (like California, Washington, and New York) with higher grocery prices, and, well, higher prices generally—where $100 doesn’t go as far as it does in the rest of the country.

However, in Mississippi, New Mexico, and Arizona—where living costs are lower—food prices remain in the top half of the ranking. This indicates a greater financial strain for food despite lower overall living expenses.

Eating out hasn’t been spared inflation’s effect either. Check out Charted: Inflation Across U.S. Fast Food Chains (2014-2024) to see how the occasional McDonald’s cheat meal is taking more out of your pocket.