New Grocery Cost Study Has Some Good News For RI Shoppers

Grocery bills continue to strain household budgets across the country, but Rhode Island residents are in a better position than most Americans, according to a new study.

Rhode Island has the sixth-lowest grocery cost burden in the country, according to a ConsumerAffairs study released Tuesday.

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The study compared estimated grocery spending with median household income in all 50 states. The state's average family spends 8.1% of its income on groceries.

Oklahoma had the lowest grocery cost burden, with households spending an estimated 6.8% of their income on groceries. Massachusetts, Maryland, Vermont and Connecticut rounded out the five states with the lowest burdens.

At the opposite end, Arkansas had the highest grocery cost burden, with households spending an estimated 11.7% of their income on groceries.

Maine ranked second-highest at 11.4%, followed by Washington (11.4%), Louisiana (11.3%) and Hawaii (11.2%).

Nationally, the typical household spends an estimated $668 per month on groceries, or $8,019 annually. That represents approximately 9.8% of household income.

The study found that grocery spending increased 33.2% nationally between 2019 and 2025, adding an estimated $1,733 annually to the typical household's grocery bill.

Researchers used U.S. Department of Agriculture grocery spending data and U.S. Census Bureau household income and size figures to calculate the rankings.

Check out the full study by clicking here.

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