Hawaii has the highest grocery bills in the United States, according to a new analysis by financial assistance group Ex Felons Support, highlighting the growing affordability crisis facing American families as food prices continue to strain household budgets nationwide.
According to the report which uses data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey, the typical four-person in Hawaii spends an estimated $389.66 a week on supermarket trips adding up to $20,262 a year, more than a full-time worker on the federal minimum wage earns in an entire year.
Alaska comes in second place with a family of four spending $383.62 a week or $19,948 a year. This is followed by California, where the expenditure is $347.45 a week or $18,067 a year. These states are followed by Nevada, Mississippi, Washington, Florida, New Mexico, Texas, and Louisiana.
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The report states that Hawaii and Alaska’s positions are due to their geographical isolation. Both of these states must import nearly all of their food, often by air or ocean freight, sending shipping and refrigeration costs through the roof. Hawaii’s grocery prices sit roughly 33% above the national average, and a single gallon of milk in the state costs nearly $6, compared to a national average of around $3.
A spokesperson for Ex Felons Support said rising grocery prices are “squeezing American families harder than they have in decades,” particularly in lower-income communities. The group urged struggling households to explore assistance programs such as SNAP, WIC, local food banks, and free school meal initiatives, noting that many families miss out on aid because they “don’t realize they qualify” or find the application process intimidating.
Mississippi’s position in the list comes as a surprise to the experts. Despite being one of America’s poorest states, Mississippi families of four are spending an estimated $17,637 a year on groceries — the fifth-highest in the nation. This has been attributed to a combination of the country’s steepest grocery sales tax (recently reduced from 7% to 5% in July 2025) and widespread food deserts in rural areas, where residents are often forced to rely on corner stores and gas stations that charge sharp mark-ups on basic essentials.
Texas, which ranks ninth on the list, also reportedly has its own affordability crisis. The state has the most USDA-designated low-income, low-access food deserts, which means more Texans than residents of any other state live more than a mile from a full-service supermarket in urban areas or more than 10 miles away in rural ones.
The report also mentioned that nationally, the average U.S. family of four spends $315.22 a week on groceries. This comes to roughly $1,260 a month, or just over $16,000 a year. The Census data reveals that the figure jumps for certain households.
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Families with children spend 41% more than households without kids, and households that rely on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits actually spend 16% more on groceries than households that don’t, largely because they tend to be larger and include more children.
The data also showed a major disparity between different cities. Miami, Florida, has the highest average weekly grocery spending of any major U.S. metro area, about 14% higher than Florida’s statewide average. Houston, Texas and Riverside, California also crossed the $300-per-week mark for the average household.