Milwaukee Ranks Among Top 10 U.S. Cities Where Groceries Take Biggest Bite Of Income

LA CROSSE, WI — Grocery prices have continued to rise across the country, and a new WalletHub study shows how much residents in each major U.S. city are spending relative to their income. Two Wisconsin cities, Milwaukee and Madison, landed at opposite ends of the list.

According to WalletHub, which analyzed the prices of 26 common grocery items in 100 of the largest cities, Milwaukee ranks No. 9 nationally for the share of income spent on groceries.

The average Milwaukee household spends about 2.89 percent of its median monthly income on groceries.

Madison, by contrast, ranked No. 59, with grocery costs accounting for 1.91 percent of median monthly income. That places Madison among the more affordable cities in the Midwest when it comes to food spending.

Regionally, Milwaukee’s grocery burden is one of the highest in the Midwest, similar to Cincinnati (2.90 percent) and St. Louis (2.64 percent).

WalletHub’s findings underline a familiar economic divide in Wisconsin: Milwaukee residents face steeper grocery burdens due to lower median household incomes, while Madison’s higher wages cushion households from rising food costs.

Cities like Chicago (2.03 percent) and Omaha (2.02 percent) fall closer to Madison’s range, while Minneapolis (1.86 percent) ranks even lower, meaning groceries take up a smaller share of income there.

“In the cities where people spend the most money on groceries, residents often have low incomes on top of seeing high sticker prices on common grocery items,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said. “Shoppers should take advantage of sales and coupons, buy generic items and buy in bulk if possible in order to save money.”

Nationally, Detroit ranked No. 1, where groceries consume 3.78 percent of median monthly income. At the other end of the list, Fremont, California, residents spend less than 1 percent.