Idaho Grocery Costs Now in Upper Half Nationally – News Radio 1310 KLIX

You can’t miss the price hikes. Food inflation is a leading driver of spikes in the Consumer Price Index.  The website Big Country News picked up a story from 24/7 Wall Street, which set out to rank all 50 states for the most to least expensive groceries.  Idaho, a primarily agricultural state, is in the top half of the list.  It checks in at number 23 with neighboring Montana right behind us.
As you might imagine, the highest cost in the country is Hawaii.  A place isolated by a considerable distance from the mainland.  Conversely, Alaska is among the better places for shopping, even after a long stretch of time when traffic across the Canadian border was limited.
The rankings are based on the cost per cart for a family of four.  One that shops mainly for nutritious foods and prepares what they eat at home while rarely dining out.  Of course, you also need to balance this against family incomes.  A family bringing in $150,000 a year likely has a better cushion against inflation than a family bringing in $45,000 over twelve months.  It’s why inflation is often called a tax on the poor.
Fuel costs aren’t helping matters. It’s one factor in higher grocery costs.  Additionally, the average family will pay an additional 800 dollars for gas this year at current levels!
I wasn’t able to find any details on how much of our grocery burden would be eased by the elimination of the grocery tax but suppose it could drop us a few spots in the ranking.

 

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