Where Are Americans Most Burdened by Grocery Costs? (2026)

The five states most burdened by grocery costs

In the five states at the top of our ranking, an average-size household spends an estimated 11.2% to 11.7% of the household income on groceries. That’s higher than the 9.8% national estimate. About half a percentage point separates first from fifth, so neighboring ranks are close calls, not big gaps.

These states reach the top in different ways.

Arkansas and Louisiana have some of the lowest median household incomes in the country, and their estimated annual grocery spending sits below the national figure. Washington and Hawaii have median incomes above $99,000 but estimated grocery bills of more than $11,000 a year — more than $3,000 above the national estimate of $8,019. The South also stands out, with seven of the 10 most cost-burdened states located there.

See where your state lands on the map below. Then scroll down for a closer look at the five states where groceries take the biggest bite out of household budgets.

1. Arkansas

Arkansas tops the list with modest grocery spending compared with very low household income.

Estimated per-person grocery spending there ($3,020) is below the national figure ($3,208) — and lower than two-thirds of states. And the average household size is smaller than in half of states. But the median household income falls well short of the national median of $81,604.

The high cost of food is one reason why Arkansas has one of the highest food insecurity rates in the U.S., according to the hunger relief organization Feeding America: About one in five people don’t have enough to eat and don’t know where their next meal will come from.

• Share of income spent on groceries: 11.7%
• Estimated monthly household grocery spending: $607
• Median household income: $62,106

2. Maine

Mainers spend an estimated $3,959 per person per year on groceries. That’s the fourth highest in the nation and well above the national figure of $3,208. Households there are smaller than average, but the median household income, about 6% below the national median, means the grocery cost burden is high.

Freight costs, a factor in the price of groceries for shoppers, are climbing for at least one Maine grocer. In September, The Maine Monitor reported that an Augusta natural foods store now pays around $50 for deliveries that typically cost $5 to $10.

• Share of income spent on groceries: 11.4%
• Estimated monthly household grocery spending: $729
• Median household income: $76,442

3. Washington

No state’s residents spend a higher estimated amount on groceries than Washington’s. The per-person cost per year, $4,612, is 44% more than the national figure, and while incomes in Washington are high, they are still eaten up by one of the highest percentages of grocery spending nationwide.

Grocery expenditures keep rising there. The estimated grocery bill for an average-size Washington household grew by $430 from 2024 to 2025, the largest dollar increase of any state. In the Seattle area, grocery prices rose about 3.3% in the 12 months ending in September — well above the national rate of 1.8%, according to BLS data.

• Share of income spent on groceries: 11.4%
• Estimated monthly household grocery spending: $946
• Median household income: $99,389

4. Louisiana

Since 2019, estimated grocery spending has risen faster in Louisiana than anywhere, from $1,925 in 2019 to $2,856 in 2025, a 48% increase (33.2% nationally). Still, grocery spending per household is 10th lowest in the U.S., pointing up the issue of low household income.

Median household income in Louisiana is the third lowest in the U.S. Many households also rely on food assistance. About 17% of Louisiana households got benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in 2024 — the third-highest share in the nation.

• Share of income spent on groceries: 11.3%
• Estimated monthly household grocery spending: $576
• Median household income: $60,986

5. Hawaii

The Aloha State reaches the top five through a mix of big grocery bills and big households.

Spending is an estimated $3,964 per person, the third highest in the country. And the average household has 2.85 people, second only to Utah. Together, those make the typical household’s estimated grocery bill second highest nationally. Hawaii’s median household income is the fourth highest in the nation, but it still isn’t enough to keep groceries from taking a big bite.

Because of its geographic isolation, Hawaii is highly dependent on food imports, leaving food prices particularly vulnerable to supply chain disruptions and higher shipping costs. That’s a factor worth watching as fuel prices remain elevated.

• Share of income spent on groceries: 11.2%
• Estimated monthly household grocery spending: $941
• Median household income: $100,745

Grocery cost burden by state

Half of U.S. states have a grocery burden above the national figure of 9.8%. Across all 50 states, the burden ranges from 11.7% in Arkansas to 6.8% in Oklahoma.

Oklahoma, Massachusetts, Maryland, Vermont and Connecticut have the lowest grocery cost burdens, and five of the 10 least-burdened states are in the Northeast. Nine of the 10 have median household incomes above the national median of $81,604.

A few states stand out. Mississippi, for example, has the country’s lowest median household income, but it still ranks toward the middle (No. 22) because estimated per-person grocery spending is third lowest ($2,471).

Find your state in the table below to see how it compares.

If your grocery cost burden is high, small changes can help. Andrea Woroch, a consumer and money-saving expert in Bakersfield, California, recommends planning meals around recipes that share ingredients and sticking to your list. Store brands can help, too. “You can save up to 70% in some cases by opting for store or generic brands over name brands,” she said. She also suggests avoiding impulse purchases and comparing prices among grocers.

What’s the average monthly grocery bill?

An average-size U.S. household spends an estimated $8,019 annually on groceries, or about $668 per month. That works out to approximately $267 per person each month, or about $62 per person per week.

Costs vary widely by state. Households in Washington and Hawaii spend an estimated $940 or more per month, while Oklahoma households spend an estimated $375 monthly, the lowest in the nation.

“Household spending on groceries can (also) vary drastically depending on family size and age of children,” Woroch said. “For example, a family of three with one young child (buys) less than a family of five with two teenage boys who eat more and demand more calories to keep up with sports and other growing needs.”

From 2024 to 2025, estimated grocery spending increased 2.3% per person nationally, and from 2019 to 2025, it rose 33.2%, adding an estimated $1,733 more a year for the typical household.

Methodology

The ConsumerAffairs Research Team ranked all 50 states by the estimated share of median household income spent on groceries.

We took 2025 food-at-home sales per capita figures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, including sales taxes, and multiplied each by the state's average household size to estimate annual household grocery spending. We then divided that figure by median household income. Household size and income come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (2024, one-year estimates), the most recent data available for these measures at the time of analysis.

For additional context, we analyzed changes in per-person grocery spending from 2019 to 2025 and 2024 to 2025, total food and food-away-from-home spending and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participation. These metrics, sourced from the USDA and U.S. Census Bureau, were not factored into the ranking.

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Questions?

For questions about the data or if you'd like to set up an interview, please contact egomes@consumeraffairs.com.