Kentucky Spends Fifth-Most On Groceries In The US

Kentuckians are spending more on groceries than ever before with prices jumping nearly 25% since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Trace One recently released a new report on grocery spending, with Kentucky ranking fifth in most spending on groceries in the United States.

The average household in Kentucky spends around $255 on groceries every week for all households, which represents over 9% of all consumer spending in the state. This makes the state the fifth-largest in terms of consumer spending of any state in the country.

In 37 states, grocery spending exceeded $250 on average, including neighboring states like Tennessee ($270) and Illinois ($269).

Though Kentucky spends less than these states and others across the nation, the amount of money that each Kentuckian makes also plays a factor. Which has stunted compared to many other states.

Since March 2023, many meat items have soared in price. These include beef roasts (nearly 12%), beef steaks (nearly 8%) and ground beef (over 6%). Other items that have jumped nearly 6% over the past year include lettuce, sugar and substitutes, and fruits like tomatoes.

The five highest consumer spending states included Mississippi (9.8%), Hawaii (9.7%), Kansas (9.5%), West Virginia (9.3%) and Kentucky (9.2%).