Kentucky among hardest-hit states for grocery costs, report says. How much we spend

Here’s how Kentucky performed in a recent Consumer Affairs analysis on grocery cost burdens. 4045/Getty

Kentucky residents spend more of their income on groceries than the majority of states, according to a recent analysis, with inflation driving costs further up.

Consumer Affairs, a for-profit consumer research publication, reported in its Oct. 27 analysis, “Where Are Americans Most Burdened by Grocery Costs? (2026),” Kentucky ranked No. 10 in the nation.

Arkansas was named the No. 1 state for the highest grocery cost burden, while Oklahoma was in 50th.

“The same grocery bill can be manageable for a family in one state and a financial strain for a family in another, depending on household income,” the Consumer Affairs report said.

Consumer Affairs reported the average Kentucky household spends about 10.6% of the commonwealth’s median household income on groceries. Kentucky’s median household income is $64,526, and average estimated annual grocery spending amounts to $6,854.

To compile the analysis, Consumer Affairs used grocery sales data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture as well as household size and income data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.

Grocery costs increased by 1.8% from September 2025 to September 2026, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with steeper hikes for produce, nonalcoholic beverages, cereals and bakery products.

Top 10 states with highest grocery cost burdens

Here’s how the top 10 states with the highest grocery cost burdens compared, according to Consumer Affairs:

Arkansas: 11.7% of monthly income spent on groceriesMaine: 11.4%Washington: 11.4%Louisiana: 11.3%Hawaii: 11.2%Tennessee: 11.12%Georgia: 10.93%Texas: 10.8%Florida: 10.76%Kentucky: 10.62%

The states with the lowest grocery cost burdens were Oklahoma, Massachusetts, Maryland, Vermont and Connecticut, Consumer Affairs reported.

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