U.S. consumer units spent an average of $6,053 on food at home in 2023, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). That annual figure includes groceries and other food purchased for consumption at home, so it is a useful benchmark for understanding grocery basket size without treating one shopping trip as typical for every household.
Table of contents
- How grocery spending changed from 2019 to 2023
- What the 2023 grocery basket covered
- How household size changes spending
- How income changes the food budget
- How spending varies by region
- How urban-area size relates to spending
- How food prices changed the basket
How grocery spending changed from 2019 to 2023
The BLS reported a steady rise in average annual food-at-home spending over the five-year period. The figures are per U.S. consumer unit and describe annual spending, rather than the value of one checkout transaction.
| Year | Average annual food-at-home spending |
|---|---|
| 2019 | $4,643 |
| 2020 | $4,935 |
| 2021 | $5,259 |
| 2022 | $5,703 |
| 2023 | $6,053 |
Source: Consumer expenditures in 2023, BLS, 2019–2023.
The BLS recorded an 8.4% increase from 2021 to 2022 and a 6.1% increase from 2022 to 2023. The same source reported that food-at-home spending was 2.7% higher in November 2023 than in November 2019. These measures use different comparison periods, so they should not be combined into a single growth estimate.
For meal planning, the main takeaway is that an annual average gives context for a household grocery budget, while the actual basket can vary with household size, dietary choices, shopping frequency, and the mix of products bought.
What the 2023 grocery basket covered
The 2023 BLS breakdown shows that “food at home” was spread across several broad groups. The largest listed category was other food at home, which includes frozen, canned, and processed food.
- Cereals and bakery products: $830.
- Meat, poultry, fish, and eggs: $1,164.
- Dairy products: $602.
- Fruits and vegetables: $988.
- Other food at home, including frozen, canned, and processed food: $2,469.
Source: Consumer expenditures in 2023, BLS, 2023.
The year-over-year movement differed by category. Cereals and bakery spending increased 16.6% from 2022 to 2023, while dairy spending increased 13.2%. Other food-at-home spending increased 15.2%. In contrast, meat, poultry, fish, and egg spending decreased 4.3%, and fruit and vegetable spending decreased 10.1%.
The USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) reported that food-at-home spending represented 5.3% of U.S. disposable personal income in 2023. That is a national share, not a recommended household budget percentage. It also covers the broader population rather than a specific family’s grocery plan. Source: U.S. Consumers Increased Spending on Food Away From Home in 2023, Driving Overall Food Spending Growth, USDA ERS, 2023.
How household size changes spending
Household size is one of the clearest differences in the BLS data. In 2023, annual food-at-home spending ranged from $3,497 for one-person consumer units to $9,713 for units with five or more people.
| Consumer unit size | Annual food-at-home spending in 2023 |
|---|---|
| One person | $3,497 |
| Two people | $5,745 |
| Three people | $7,351 |
| Four people | $8,634 |
| Five or more people | $9,713 |
Source: Consumer expenditures in 2023, BLS, 2023.
The BLS reported that the average consumer unit contained 2.5 people in 2023. The average unit with five or more people contained 5.7 people. This distinction matters when comparing totals: the five-or-more category groups households with different numbers of people together.
The category mix also changed with household size. One-person consumer units spent $636 per year on meat, poultry, fish, and eggs. Consumer units with five or more people spent $2,021 on that category. The larger group spent $1,553 on fruits and vegetables. These are annual category totals, not per-person amounts.
For meal planning, a household total is more useful when it is paired with the number of people being fed. Even then, the BLS categories are population averages and do not describe the exact quantities, recipes, or dietary needs of any individual household.
How income changes the food budget
The USDA ERS found a wide spread in total food spending across income quintiles in 2023. Total food includes food at home and food away from home, so these figures are broader than grocery spending alone.
| Household income quintile | Average annual total food spending | Approximate weekly food spending | Food share of after-tax income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest | $5,278 | $102 | 32.6% |
| Middle | $8,989 | $173 | 13.5% |
| Highest | $16,996 | $327 | 8.1% |
Source: U.S. households that earn less spend a higher share of income on food, USDA ERS, 2023.
The lowest-income-quintile household spent an average of $5,278 on total food, or about $102 per week. The middle-income-quintile household spent $8,989, or about $173 per week. The highest-income-quintile household spent $16,996, or about $327 per week.
The share of after-tax income moved in the opposite direction. Food consumed 32.6% of after-tax income for the lowest income quintile, 13.5% for the middle quintile, and 8.1% for the highest quintile. The percentages show why the same basket price can place very different pressure on different household budgets.
Because this USDA comparison is for total food, it should not be used as a direct grocery-only benchmark. It is most useful for understanding the relationship between food spending and household resources.
How spending varies by region
The BLS reported different average annual food-at-home totals across the four U.S. regions in 2023–24.
| Region | Average annual food-at-home spending |
|---|---|
| Northeast | $7,029 |
| Midwest | $5,931 |
| South | $5,445 |
| West | $6,852 |
Source: Consumer Expenditures for the U.S., regions, and selected metropolitan areas, BLS, 2023–24.
The regional table also shows differences in selected categories. Northeast households spent $964 on cereals and bakery products at home and $2,694 on other food at home. West households spent $1,389 on meat, poultry, fish, and eggs at home and $1,153 on fruits and vegetables at home.
These figures are regional averages for 2023–24, while the earlier household-size and category figures are generally for 2023. The periods should remain distinct when using the numbers to plan a budget or compare locations.
How urban-area size relates to spending
The 2023 BLS data show that food-at-home spending varied across urban-area-size categories, but the pattern was not a simple straight increase with population.
- Outside urban areas: $6,055 per year.
- Urban areas under 100,000 people: $5,260.
- Urban areas of 100,000 to 249,999 people: $5,759.
- Urban areas of 250,000 to 999,999 people: $5,986.
- Urban areas of 1,000,000 to 2,499,999 people: $5,950.
- Urban areas of 2,500,000 to 4,999,999 people: $6,767.
- Urban areas of 5,000,000 or more people: $6,289.
Source: Consumer expenditures in 2023, BLS, 2023.
The highest reported urban-area category was the 2,500,000-to-4,999,999 group at $6,767. The lowest was urban areas under 100,000 people at $5,260. These are averages for geographic categories, not a claim that population size alone determines a household’s grocery basket.
How food prices changed the basket
Price movements help explain why a grocery basket can cost more even when the products purchased change. USDA ERS reported that food-at-home prices increased 5.0% in 2023, after increasing 11.4% in 2022.
Category price changes in 2023 included:
- Fats and oils: up 9.0%.
- Sugar and sweets: up 8.7%.
- Cereals and bakery products: up 8.4%.
- Fresh vegetables: up 0.9%.
- Pork: down 1.2%.
Source: Retail food price inflation subsided across categories in 2023, USDA ERS, 2023.
USDA ERS projected overall food-at-home prices to decrease 0.4% in 2024. That was a forecast, not a measured result, and its prediction interval ran from a 4.5% decrease to a 4.0% increase. Source: Retail food price inflation subsided across categories in 2023, USDA ERS, 2024 forecast.
For a meal-planning budget, the distinction between spending and prices is important. The BLS totals describe what consumer units spent during the stated period, while the USDA price figures describe category-level price changes and a clearly identified forecast. Neither set predicts the exact cost of a future basket for a particular household.