ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida ranks ninth nationally for grocery cost burden, according to a ConsumerAffairs analysis comparing estimated grocery spending with median household income.
The report estimates an average-size Florida household spends about $8,362 annually on groceries, or $697 a month. That amounts to approximately 10.76% of the state’s median household income of $77,735.
The ranking measures spending relative to income, rather than which states have the highest supermarket prices.
How the estimates were calculated
ConsumerAffairs used 2025 state-level food-at-home sales figures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and household size and income figures from the Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey.
Researchers multiplied per-person sales by average household size, then divided the result by median household income. The figures are estimates, rather than a direct measurement of what individual families spend.
Nationally, the analysis estimates an average-size household spends about $668 monthly on groceries, representing 9.8% of median household income.
Where Florida stands
Arkansas ranked first for grocery cost burden, followed by Maine, Washington, Louisiana and Hawaii. Seven of the 10 highest-ranked states are in the South.
ConsumerAffairs also supplied historical figures showing Florida’s estimated grocery burden was 10.91% in 2019, slightly higher than its 2025 estimate of 10.76%.
That comparison does not mean grocery prices fell. The measure also depends on household income and household size.
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