A new study has found which states are suffering from the rising costs of groceries, examining food prices as a percentage of income across the country.
Why It Matters
President Donald Trump promised to bring down the prices of everyday goods upon taking office, but in the weeks since his second inauguration, the administration has only seen price increases in key goods and services.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that as of January 2025, food prices increased 2.5 percent year-over-year, with eggs seeing the biggest increase, followed by coffee, flour, bacon, bananas and more.
Trump issued an executive order that looked to resolve the cost-of-living crisis, including the impact of grocery store prices.
What To Know
WalletHub’s data looked at the spending on 26 common grocery items across each of the 50 U.S. states, adding the costs together and comparing them to the median household income.
The study found that states with lower median household incomes are feeling the hit more than states that had flat-out higher price increases.
As such, the states that have seen the biggest increases are:
- Mississippi with 2.64 percent increase
- West Virginia with 2.57 percent increase
- Arkansas with 2.49 percent increase
- Kentucky with 2.41 percent increase
- Louisiana with 2.39 percent increase
- New Mexico with 2.36 percent increase
- Alabama with 2.34 percent increase
- South Carolina with 2.27 percent increase
- Tennessee with 2.23 percent increase
- Oklahoma with 2.21 percent increase
States with the smallest increases are:
- New Jersey with 1.50 percent increase
- Maryland with 1.54 percent increase
- Massachusetts with 1.54 percent increase
- New Hampshire with 1.60 percent increase
- Connecticut with 1.62 percent increase
- Utah with 1.63 percent increase
- Minnesota with 1.66 percent increase
- Virginia with 1.66 percent increase
- Colorado with 1.67 percent increase
- Hawaii with 1.68 percent increase
WalletHub noted that the Mississippi grocery prices are relatively lower, ranking as the ninth-cheapest in the country, with 15 of the product categories among the 10 least expensive states.
However, Mississippi’s median household income is $54,203. New Jersey, by comparison, has a median household income of $99,781, according to U.S. Census Data.
WalletHub used data from the Council for Community and Economic Research and the U.S. Census Bureau to determine its results.
What People Are Saying
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “If Trump’s Tax on Working Families continues, grocery and beer prices will continue to rise and the cost of cars, electronics, and appliances will only increase.”
In his Time magazine interview in late December, Trump said: “Look, they got [prices] up. I’d like to bring them down. It’s hard to bring things down once they’re up. You know, it’s very hard. But I think that they will. I think that energy is going to bring them down. I think a better supply chain is going to bring them down.”
Kevin Hassett, a White House economic adviser, told CNN: “We’re focusing on getting spending under control and having supply-side tax cuts and regulatory policies and drilling and so on, so that there’s a lot of supply-reduced demand…That’s how you get prices down at the more macroeconomic level.”
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday: “Welcome to the age of Trumpflation. Groceries are up. Chicken, pork, steak are all more expensive. Eggs prices are up 15% from last month… Donald Trump is breaking his promise to lower costs starting on day one.”
What Happens Next
Trump will continue to deploy tariffs, having just announced a new reciprocal tariff program against countries currently charging the U.S. on Thursday.
A tariff is often used to protect domestic industries. It is a tax on imported goods and is typically paid by the importing business, which may then pass the cost onto consumers through higher prices.