A recent report from Consumer Affairs said that the state of Pennsylvania and city of Philadelphia had the highest grocery price increases in the country over the last year. At 8.2% and 7.4% respectively, the state and city saw increases significantly higher than the 5.3% national average.
Consumer Affairs, a customer review and consumer news platform, partnered with market intelligence provider Datasembly and looked at grocery price data in 15 categories covering 150,000 stores.
Other states with high grocery price increases over the last year included Vermont (7%), Maryland (7%), West Virginia (6.9%), and New Jersey (6.8%). On the other hand, Colorado (2.9%), Arizona (3.3%), North Carolina (3.5%), Michigan (3.5%), and Virginia (3.6%) were the states with the lowest price increases.
The cities close behind Philadelphia that experienced grocery price increases over the last year included Albany (7.2%), Syracuse (7.1%), Baltimore (7%), and Boston (6.7%). Richmond and San Diego saw the lowest increases at 2.3% and 3.3%, respectively.
The report also found that shoppers in rural areas are paying more than those in urban areas, and the biggest price increases were in zip codes where the average income is $35,000 to $50,000.
The price for baby formula rose at a higher rate (17.5%) than any other product, followed by candy/gum (9.7%), pet food (8.5%), cookies/crackers (6.6%), and beverages (6.5%).