Geographic Food Spending Statistics

With your Southeast Regional Ag News, I am Haylie Shipp. This is the Ag Information Network.

Nationally speaking, we are seeing a shift in how and where people spend money on food. According to USDA data, spending away from home surpassed food at home spending by over 300 million last year, the largest gap ever. Think that’s true where you live? Maybe, maybe not.

Danny Munch, American Farm Bureau Federation Economist…

“So, for instance, in rural Northeast states like New Hampshire and Maine, food costs on average are already higher than the rest of the country, but because they have such higher rural populations folks eat at home more often, so they spend more money on food at home. Versus places like Hawaii, Nevada, which has Las Vegas and Florida where there's much more tourism happening, and people spend a lot more money away from home. And it's important for farmers to be aware of these changes because it influences how their products are ultimately sold.”

When it comes to shopping for food consumed within the home, data shows that grocery stores are still the source for half of the purchases although numbers are waning. The remainder are being made at warehouse clubs or super centers. Home delivery is also growing in popularity.