MA Grocery Prices Some Of The Worst In U.S., New Report Says

MASSACHUSETTS — Shoppers nationwide know it costs a lot more to fill up a grocery cart today than it used to. But inflation is causing food prices to spike faster in Massachusetts than in most other U.S. states, according to a new report.

A recently released report by Consumer Affairs found grocery prices nationwide were 5.3 percent higher in November than a year ago. While a dramatic improvement from 2022 — over two years, prices have spiked 25.5 percent — where you live plays a big role in how much shoppers will spend.

Topping the list with the highest spike in grocery prices nationwide is Pennsylvania, in which grocery costs spiked 8.2 percent in the last 12 months, the report stated. Just a few spots down the list is Massachusetts, which has spiked 6.6 percent. Meanwhile, in Colorado, prices were up just 2.9 percent.

To put that into perspective, a Pennsylvania family of four spending $750 should expect to fork over an extra $61.50 a month on groceries. In Colorado, that same family would see their monthly grocery bill rise by $21.75 — a difference between the two families of $477 per year.

To determine increases in each state, Consumer Affairs analyzed grocery price data in 15 categories, collected in real-time in 150,000 stores. As of mid-November, the states seeing the largest increase in food prices were clustered in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states, according to the report.

The states with the highest spike in grocery prices were:

• Pennsylvania: 8.2 percent
• Vermont: 7 percent
• Maryland: 7 percent
• West Virginia: 6.9 percent
• New Jersey: 6.8 percent
• Massachusetts: 6.6 percent
• Connecticut: 6.4 percent
• Florida: 6.4 percent
• Montana: 6.4 percent
• South Dakota: 6.4 percent
• North Dakota: 6.4 percent
• Iowa: 6.4 percent

States with the lowest increases in food costs were located throughout the United States; however, the report said price hikes in these states came in half as large as the increase in Pennsylvania.

Here are the states with the lowest spikes, according to the report:

• Colorado: 2.9 percent
• Arizona: 3.3 percent
• North Carolina: 3.5 percent
• Michigan: 3.5 percent
• Virginia: 3.6 percent
• Nevada: 4.2 percent
• South Carolina: 4.3 percent
• Indiana: 4.4 percent
• Ohio: 4.4 percent
• Oregon: 4.5 percent

Data collected to compile the report showed price hikes in each grocery category ranged widely, both nationally and locally.

Nationally, prices for grains, beans, and pasta were up 1.5 percent over 12 months. Yet in Colorado those products went down in price and were nearly 2 percent cheaper than a year ago, helping to explain the state’s low food inflation.

Other factors that could cause prices to vary by state, according to experts who spoke with Consumer Affairs, include supply and demand as well as overhead expenses like local labor, utilities, tax and real estate costs.

The war in Ukraine, for example, has reduced shipments of wheat, which has affected the prices of everything from bread and crackers to cereal, according to the report