Hawaii Families of Four Spend Most on Groceries

A family of four in Hawaii spends an estimated $389.66 a week on groceries, or $20,262 a year, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey. The same survey placed Alaska second at $383.62 weekly and California third at $347.45 weekly.

Hawaii and Alaska import most of their food by air or ocean freight. Hawaii's grocery prices run about 33 percent above the national average.

Nevada ranked fourth at $343.99 per week.

Mississippi placed fifth at $339.18 per week, followed by Washington, Florida, New Mexico, Texas, and Louisiana. Mississippi, West Virginia, and Arkansas have relatively low grocery prices but also some of the lowest median household incomes, so residents spend up to 2.6 percent of monthly income on food.

Grocery prices for food eaten at home rose 2.9 percent in April from a year earlier. Wholesale inflation increased 6 percent over the same period, the largest gain since December 2022. Energy prices climbed 7.8 percent from March to April 2026 and 22.7 percent from a year earlier.

Gasoline rose 15.6 percent in that month and diesel rose 12.6 percent. Higher energy costs affect perishable and refrigerated goods first. The full effect of recent energy price increases on retail grocery prices may appear over the next three to six months.