15 States Where Residents Are Spending the Most on Groceries

Editor's Note: This story originally appeared on Filterbuy.

The current run of inflation in the U.S. economy is putting pressure on household finances nationwide. The second half of 2021 saw several consecutive months of higher-than-usual price increases, reaching an overall 6.8% rate of inflation from November 2020 to November 2021.

Wages have also grown in recent months but not at a rate fast enough to keep up with inflation, which is squeezing families’ budgets in key spending categories like housing, energy, transportation, and food.

Groceries are among the areas where inflation has challenged household spending this year. According to recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, food at home cost 6.4% more in 2021 than 2020, the highest year-over-year increase since the Great Recession. Prices for meat, poultry, fish, and eggs alone increased by 12.8% over that span.

Inflation in the cost of groceries has been especially challenging for U.S. households because consumers have also been buying more groceries in general during the COVID-19 pandemic. With more establishments closed or operating at limited capacity due to the pandemic, consumers were more likely to eat at home.

As a result, spending on groceries increased by 11.2% in 2020 while food services and accommodations saw a 20.5% drop.

To determine the states where residents are spending the most on groceries, researchers at Filterbuy calculated annual grocery spending as a share of total spending for U.S. households. The data used in this analysis is from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the event of a tie, the state with the higher per capita annual grocery spending was ranked higher.

Here are the states where residents are spending the most on groceries.

15. Montana

Grocery spending as a share of total: 9.0%

Per capita annual grocery spending: $3,814

Per capita annual total spending: $42,310

Percentage change in grocery spending (2019-2020): +9.6%

14. Idaho

Grocery spending as a share of total: 9.1%

Per capita annual grocery spending: $3,243

Per capita annual total spending: $35,459

Percentage change in grocery spending (2019-2020): +10.5%

13. North Carolina

Grocery spending as a share of total: 9.1%

Per capita annual grocery spending: $3,470

Per capita annual total spending: $38,295

Percentage change in grocery spending (2019-2020): +15.2%

12. Georgia

Grocery spending as a share of total: 9.1%

Per capita annual grocery spending: $3,483

Per capita annual total spending: $38,165

Percentage change in grocery spending (2019-2020): +11.9%

11. South Carolina

Grocery spending as a share of total: 9.2%

Per capita annual grocery spending: $3,438

Per capita annual total spending: $37,554

Percentage change in grocery spending (2019-2020): +13.1%

10. Nevada

Grocery spending as a share of total: 9.2%

Per capita annual grocery spending: $3,595

Per capita annual total spending: $39,211

Percentage change in grocery spending (2019-2020): +11.7%

9. Wyoming

Grocery spending as a share of total: 9.2%

Per capita annual grocery spending: $3,883

Per capita annual total spending: $42,016

Percentage change in grocery spending (2019-2020): +10.7%

8. New Mexico

Grocery spending as a share of total: 9.3%

Per capita annual grocery spending: $3,288

Per capita annual total spending: $35,264

Percentage change in grocery spending (2019-2020): +11.1%

7. Oregon

Grocery spending as a share of total: 9.3%

Per capita annual grocery spending: $3,928

Per capita annual total spending: $42,055

Percentage change in grocery spending (2019-2020): +13.1%

6. Vermont

Grocery spending as a share of total: 9.3%

Per capita annual grocery spending: $4,420

Per capita annual total spending: $47,397

Percentage change in grocery spending (2019-2020): +9.4%

5. Kansas

Grocery spending as a share of total: 9.5%

Per capita annual grocery spending: $3,672

Per capita annual total spending: $38,845

Percentage change in grocery spending (2019-2020): +11.2%

4. Maine

Grocery spending as a share of total: 9.6%

Per capita annual grocery spending: $4,338

Per capita annual total spending: $45,272

Percentage change in grocery spending (2019-2020): +12.5%

3. Kentucky

Grocery spending as a share of total: 9.8%

Per capita annual grocery spending: $3,581

Per capita annual total spending: $36,574

Percentage change in grocery spending (2019-2020): +9.9%

2. Mississippi

Grocery spending as a share of total: 9.9%

Per capita annual grocery spending: $3,211

Per capita annual total spending: $32,358

Percentage change in grocery spending (2019-2020): +11.3%

1. Hawaii

Grocery spending as a share of total: 10.1%

Per capita annual grocery spending: $4,556

Per capita annual total spending: $45,080

Percentage change in grocery spending (2019-2020): +10.9%

Methodology

The data used in this analysis is from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis’s Personal Consumption Expenditures.

To determine the states where residents are spending the most on groceries, researchers calculated total “food and beverages for off-premises consumption” spending as a share of total personal consumption expenditures. In the event of a tie, the state with the higher per capita annual grocery spending was ranked higher.