In the five years since the Covid-19 pandemic began, the cost of feeding a family has increased dramatically across the United States. Even as the economy rebounded, food prices remained 28% higher than they were in 2019, according to government data.
In the run up to November’s election, the cost of groceries was top of mind for many voters. Seventy percent of women and 63% of men said they were very concerned about the cost of food and groceries, according to a poll from AP Vote Cast.
President-elect Donald Trump made bringing down the cost of groceries a key message on the campaign trail – though many experts have pointed out that his proposed tariffs could raise the cost of imported kitchen staples like bananas and coffee.
“There is a fundamental disconnect between a stated goal of reducing grocery prices and tariff policy that only stands to increase those costs,” Tom Madrecki, the vice president of campaigns and special projects at the Consumer Brands Association, told PBS.
With Americans across the country concerned about the cost of groceries, Food Label Maker recently conducted an analysis to determine which states have the lowest food costs. The study looked at the grocery price index, to see which states deviated from the national average the most.
Continue reading to learn which states have the cheapest grocery prices.
Georgia is the tenth cheapest state for grocery shoppers – but the state has seen a 29.30% increase in price in the last two years.
Tennessee is the ninth cheapest state for grocery shoppers.The cost of groceries in the Volunteer State has increased by 20.15% in the last two years.
Kansas is the eighth cheapest state for grocery shoppers. It is 20.11% more expensive to buy groceries in Kansas now than two years ago.
Oklahoma is the seventh cheapest state for grocery shoppers. In the last two years, the cost of buying groceries in Oklahoma increased by 22.32%.
Indiana is the sixth cheapest state for grocery shoppers – but the state has seen a 27.2% price increase in the last two years.
Kentucky is the fifth cheapest state for grocery shoppers.The cost of groceries in the Bluegrass State has increased by 13.51% in the last two years.
Arkansas is the eighth cheapest state for grocery shoppers. It is 30.72% more expensive to buy groceries in Arkansas now than two years ago.
Mississippi is the third cheapest state for grocery shoppers – but the state has seen a 22.22% price increase in the last two years.
Michigan is the second cheapest state for grocery shoppers. In the last two years, the cost of buying groceries in Michigan declined by 0.98%.
Texas is the cheapest state for grocery shoppers. The Lone Star State’s grocery costs are 9.7% below the national average, but there has been a 27.16% increase in price over the last two years.
The post The 10 cheapest states in America for buying groceries appeared first on Quartz.
