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Mapped: How Much Americans Spend on Groceries in Each State

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See this visualization first on the Voronoi app.

This map tracks the average weekly grocery bill for an American household by each state.

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Mapped: How Much Americans Spend on Groceries in Each State

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

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, we map 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.

RankStateState CodeWeekly Spend
1HawaiiHI$334
2AlaskaAK$329
3CaliforniaCA$298
4NevadaNV$295
5MississippiMS$291
6WashingtonWA$288
7FloridaFL$287
8New MexicoNM$286
9TexasTX$286
10LouisianaLA$283
11ColoradoCO$280
12OklahomaOK$279
13GeorgiaGA$278
14UtahUT$278
15New JerseyNJ$275
16AlabamaAL$272
17ArizonaAZ$272
18MassachusettsMA$272
19TennesseeTN$270
20IllinoisIL$269
21ConnecticutCT$266
22MarylandMD$266
23New YorkNY$266
24North CarolinaNC$266
25North DakotaND$265
26ArkansasAR$261
27VirginiaVA$260
28IdahoID$258
29Rhode IslandRI$256
30South DakotaSD$256
31KentuckyKY$255
32Washington, D.C.DC$255
33OhioOH$254
34South CarolinaSC$254
35WyomingWY$254
36KansasKS$251
37MinnesotaMN$251
38MaineME$250
39OregonOR$249
40PennsylvaniaPA$249
41VermontVT$249
42DelawareDE$246
43MontanaMT$246
44MissouriMO$244
45IndianaIN$239
46New HampshireNH$239
47West VirginiaWV$239
48MichiganMI$236
49NebraskaNE$235
50IowaIA$227
51WisconsinWI$221
N/ANational 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.

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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.

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