Consumers are putting more than eggs in their baskets, and their wallets are feeling the pinch. While soaring egg prices and picked-over egg aisles seem to dominate the headlines, supermarket prices on the whole are on a steady climb too. According to the CPI report released in March, food prices increased 2.6% year over year, and the USDA reports that grocery prices on the whole have increased 23.6% since 2020.¹

Check it out

The Empower Personal Dashboard^TM data shows Americans rang up an average of $634 monthly on groceries for the 12-month period ended February 28, 2025.

Who’s spending the most at the supermarket? Dashboard data shows four of the five states with the biggest grocery bills are in New England. Americans living in Maine rank highest, forking out $798 monthly on average for the twelve months ending February 28, 2025, followed by New Hampshire ($753), Connecticut ($728), Colorado ($719), and Massachusetts ($702). People in North Dakota spend the lease on average at $494 monthly, based on dashboard data.

States with the highest average monthly grocery spend per individual

Consumers’ approach to food spending may be shifting too. Many Americans enjoy treating themselves to culinary delights, but a recent McKinsey & Company report reveals consumers who intend to splurge on restaurants and groceries dropped to 32% from 37% YOY.^2,3 With food prices on the rise, the change may be due to people allocating additional funds to food items that feel more like status quo and less like indulgences.

Read more: Check out these prices: The average cost of groceries by state

The buck stops here

Steady price increases may be feeling like the norm, but consumers say they have a limit: According to Empower research, a majority (87%) say they’re fed up with rising prices in general, and 27% say they’re not willing to pay more for some grocery staples on their shopping lists.

Though the most recent Consumer Price Index (CPI) shows meat, fish, and poultry are up 7.7% YOY, people may not have to give up their carrots and crackers just yet:⁴ Certain produce is down for the same period, including bananas (-1.3%), tomatoes (-9.7%), and fresh veggies overall (-2.5%), and snacks are down 1.3%.

Read more: Inflation cools in February, but egg prices keep climbing

Hold onto carts

Consumers looking for relief on aisle five may be putting the cart before the horse. Register this: CPI forecasts prices for items like sugar, fresh fruits, and beverages will grow at above-average rates during 2025, and eggs are expected to increase more than 41% during 2025.⁵

During times of ongoing change, calculating a monthly budget is one way to try to stay financially healthy.