The number one issue in exit polls in the election was the economy, and now a map lays bare the burden inflation has put on families across the country.
Visual Capitalist, an online publication that produces data-driven content, used Census Bureau data to map the average amount households spend on a week’s worth of groceries in every state.
On average, Americans pay $270 per week on groceries, which adds up to $1,080 per month.
Since August 2020, grocery prices have increased 20 percent, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
This is the steepest inflation that the US has seen since the 1970s.
The COVID-19 pandemic, conflict in the Ukraine and other economy-wide inflationary pressures such as high energy costs have contributed to grocery price increases, according to the USDA.
States where people are paying the most for groceries include Hawaii, Alaska and California. In these states, households spend between $298 and $334 on average during their weekly trip to the market.
Even the those with the lowest weekly grocery bills – Wisconsin, Iowa and Nebraska – are still spending more than $200 per week, with the average cost ranging from $221 to $235.
Visual Capitalist, an online publication that produces data-driven content, used Census Bureau data to map the average amount spent on a week’s worth of groceries in every state
Shipping is the primary reason for grocery bills skyrocketing in Alaska and Hawaii – two non-mainland states.
That is because the states do not produces enough food locally to offset import costs, according to Visual Capitalist.
On average, Alaskan households spend $334 per week at the grocery store, and Hawaiians spend $329 per week.
Alaska residents do get a break on taxes, however. The Last Frontier does not have a state-wide sales tax, and individual income and inheritance aren’t taxed either.
California is close behind with residents of the Golden State spending roughly $298 for a week of groceries.
There are some surprising states near the top of the list, too.
Despite the fact that the cost of living is relatively low in Mississippi, New Mexico and Arizona, high food prices earned these states spots in the top half of the ranking.
On average, households in Mississippi spend $291 per week on groceries, those in New Mexico spend $286, and those in Arizona spend $272.
The lowest grocery bills in the country are mainly in the Midwest.
On average, Americans are paying $270 per week on groceries. But prices are even higher in states like Alaska, Hawaii and California
Wisconsin is dead last on the list with an average weekly grocery cost of $221. This is followed by Iowa, where households spend roughly $227 per week at the market.
Third-cheapest was Nebraska, with a weekly cost of $235.
What these states – and many others throughout the Midwest – have in common is local economies tied to farming and food production, which helps keep grocery prices low as they rely less on imported goods.
Today, the average American spends a whopping $12,960 per year on groceries.
That annual cost has more than doubled in the last 25 years. In 2000, the average American spent roughly $5,158 per year at the grocery store.
Since 2020, inflation has been driven by a number of different factors.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit that spring, shoppers across the US began stockpiling groceries to prepare for lockdowns.
Meanwhile, operations at meatpacking plants and shipping companies slowed down, especially as workers became sick.
This sent food prices skyrocketing as the demand for goods surged and supply faltered.
In 2022, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine disrupted the global food supply chain. Additionally, the bird flu outbreak, floods and droughts in the US increased prices for goods like eggs, poultry, oranges and chocolate.
