West Virginians Spend More Money on Groceries Than 96% of the Nation
You’ll be hard-pressed to find an area in the U.S. where Americans aren’t struggling with paying for higher grocery costs. But as a study by WalletHub reveals, increased food costs are impacting residents from certain states more than others.
West Virginians spend more money on groceries compared to the percentage of their income spent than all other states except Mississippi.
Hard on the Pocket
To determine which states spend the most and least on groceries, WalletHub examined the prices of 26 common grocery products in all 50 states. After adding up the costs, they compared them to the median household income.
They were then able to determine where Americans spend the largest percentage of their income on groceries.
West Virginians spend 2.57% of their income on grocery essentials. Mississippi is the only state that tops them, with 2.64% of Mississippians’ monthly income going towards groceries.
On the other end of the spectrum, New New Jerseyites only spend 1.50% of their monthly income on groceries. That makes New Jersey the best state from an income-to-grocery expense perspective.
Not What You Think
It doesn’t take much knowledge of the U.S. to assume that groceries are less expensive in West Virginia than in New Jersey. WalletHub Analyst Chip Lupo explains this discrepancy.
“While grocery prices have gone up tremendously in recent years, the states in which people spend the greatest percentage of their income on groceries actually aren’t those with the highest prices. Instead, the median incomes in these states are quite low, so even with reasonable grocery prices, residents end up shelling out a higher percentage of their earnings than people in states with more expensive products.”
When explaining why Mississippi ranks as the state where residents spend the most money on groceries, Lupo says, “Grocery prices in Mississippi are actually relatively low – the ninth-cheapest in the nation. The main problem lies in the fact that Mississippi has the lowest median annual household income in America, at just $52,985.”
That means “Mississippians are spending a higher percentage of their income on groceries than people in any other state.” The same concept can be applied to West Virginians.
States Spending the Most
The ten states spending the highest percentage of their income on groceries include:
- Mississippi: 2.64%
- West Virginia: 2.57%
- Arkansas: 2.49%
- Kentucky: 2.41%
- Louisiana: 2.39%
- New Mexico: 2.36%
- Alabama: 2.34%
- South Carolina: 2.27%
- Tennessee: 2.23%
- Oklahoma: 2.21%
States Spending the Least
The states where residents spend the smallest portion of their income on groceries are as follows:
- New Jersey: 1.50%
- Maryland: 1.54%
- Massachusetts: 1.54%
- New Hampshire: 1.60%
- Connecticut: 1.62%
- Utah: 1.63%
- Minnesota: 1.66%
- Virginia: 1.66%
- Colorado: 1.67%
- Hawaii: 1.68%
Reducing Grocery Costs
Eric T. Anderson, a professor at Northwestern University, offers Americans advice for saving money on their grocery bills. “Probably the best way to save money is to plan around weekly promotions offered by your grocery store.”
He gives the example that if there’s a great sale on canned tomatoes, you should plan a meal that requires that ingredient.
No matter how time-consuming and inconvenient it may feel at first, Anderson says “Reducing your spending on groceries starts by generating a specific menu for the week.”
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