Reviewed by: Mary Helene Hall
Birmingham ranks 3rd among cities spending the most on groceries
Reading time: 2 minutes
A new study released by WalletHub ranked Birmingham third in the U.S. where residents spent the highest proportion of the income they earn on groceries.
The study, which was based on the 100 largest metro areas in the nation, reviewed the cost of 26 common grocery items between those cities. They then compared the total grocery costs to the median monthly household income to determine which U.S. metro area spent the greatest percentage of their income on groceries.
Here are the top five cities and the cost of groceries as a share of median monthly household income.
- Detroit — 3.78%
- Cleveland — 3.77%
- Birmingham — 3.28%
- Newark — 3.16%
- Toledo — 3.09%
Rankings of cities near the Magic City include:
- Memphis #10
- Nashville #53
- Atlanta #71
The metro areas spending the least on groceries per their income are San Jose, San Francisco and Seattle.
Cost of food in Birmingham not the culprit
According to WalletHub, the reason for Birmingham’s high ranking is not because food costs are high, even though strangely we pay the 10th most expensive prices for potatoes.
Our community ranks high on the list because we have a low median income, hence we spend more percentage-wise compared to high income areas in California and more affluent metro areas.
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