Food Inflation Trends: Discover Which States and Cities Are Most Affected
Vermont, Hawaii, and Oklahoma lead the states with the steepest grocery price increases. The cities experiencing the largest hikes include Oahu, San Antonio, and Oklahoma City.
Food prices have increased at a slower rate compared to previous years, yet many Americans still struggle with high costs.
From July 2023 to July 2024, food prices climbed 2.2%, a notable decrease from the 4.9% rise seen the previous year, as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, grocery prices are still approximately 25% higher than they were in 2019, according to the Bureau.
Consumers are feeling the impact of eating out too often, as mentioned by Joanne Hsu, who leads the University of Michigan’s Surveys of Consumers. “Many shoppers express their frustration with continuously high prices,” Hsu informed YSL News in June. “This feeling is entirely valid, as several essential items now take up a bigger slice of their budgets than before.”
The shifts in prices for standard grocery items highlight food inflation trends across various states and urban regions. This section outlines where prices have soared the most:
Where Are Food Prices Rising for Americans?
Datasembly is a resource that tracks real-time data on different products, monitoring how grocery costs have fluctuated across the United States over the last year. Their Grocery Price Index analyzes weekly price changes from over 150,000 retailers and more than 200 different store brands.
Datasembly monitored price variations in categories such as snacks, baked goods, beverages, baby food, baby formula, cereals, cookies, crackers, meal kits, grains/beans/pasta, baking items, seasonings, sauces, candies, fruits, vegetables, condiments, dressings, and pet food.
According to the Grocery Price Index, Vermont saw the highest rise in grocery costs, followed by Hawaii and Oklahoma.
Factors like population density can affect pricing. Urban areas may see different prices compared to rural ones due to supply chain challenges and demand levels, as reported by Consumer Affairs. Overall, the average grocery prices across these categories rose by less than 2% compared to the previous year.
States With the Most Significant Grocery Price Increases
Over the past year, the states that have experienced the highest increases in grocery prices are:
- Vermont: 3.1% increase year-over-year
- Hawaii: 2.6% increase year-over-year
- Oklahoma: 2.1% increase year-over-year
- New Mexico: 2.1% increase year-over-year
- Alabama: 2.1% increase year-over-year
- North Dakota: 2% increase year-over-year
- Pennsylvania: 2% increase year-over-year
- Maine: 1.9% increase year-over-year
- New Hampshire: 1.9% increase year-over-year
- Delaware: 1.9% increase year-over-year
Cities With the Largest Increases in Grocery Prices
The following metropolitan areas have recorded the highest increases in grocery prices in the past year:
- Oahu, Hawaii: 2.7% increase year-over-year
- San Antonio, Texas: 2.2% increase year-over-year
- West Texas: 2.1% increase year-over-year
- Oklahoma City: 2.1% increase year-over-year
- Greenville, South Carolina: 2.1% increase year-over-year
- New Orleans, Louisiana: 2.1% increase year-over-year
- Birmingham, Alabama: 2.1% increase year-over-year
- Syracuse, New York: 2% increase year-over-year
- Miami, Florida: 1.9% increase year-over-year
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin: 1.9% increase year-over-year
Contributors: Bailey Schulz, YSL News
