GA folks need to work this many hours to afford groceries now, study shows
If you feel like groceries are taking a big chunk out of your paycheck each week, you’re not alone. And a new study shows just how much U.S. residents need to work each week to afford groceries in their state.
Here’s how they did it:
Utility Rates examined data from the U.S. Census and the Council for Community and Economic Research to find out how much residents are working in each state, how much they are making and how much they spend on weekly groceries.
“Grocery prices are rising, but wages aren’t always keeping up. For people earning minimum wage, a simple shopping trip can eat up most of their week’s earnings. Even on a median income, the hours add up fast depending on where you live,” said a representative with Utility Rates.
The average grocery trip for one person can cost anywhere from $385 to $445 a month, said Instacart experts. So how many hours of work do residents in Georgia need to clock to buy groceries? Let’s take a look:
How much do GA residents need to work to afford weekly groceries?
According to the study, Georgia is ranked the 17th state with the most hours needed to work to afford groceries.
Georgia residents have a median household income of $74,632 and based on that income, residents would need to work at least 7.76 hours a week to just purchase groceries.
The hours are calculated by dividing the weekly grocery cost by the hourly wage based on median income and minimum wage.
But what about people that don’t make that much?
Well, the study also found that Georgians making minimum wage ($7.25) need to work 38.39 hours a week to pay their grocery bill.
So how do other states stack up? Here’s what to know:
What about other states?
The state with the highest number of hours needed to work to afford groceries is Mississippi with 11.15 hours based on median household income. At minimum wage, Mississippi residents would need to work over 40 hours per week to afford their grocery bill.
- Ranked second: Louisiana with 10.11 hours at median household income and 39.03 at minimum wage
- Third: New Mexico with 9.57 or 23.87 at minimum wage.
- Fourth: Oklahoma with 9.34 at median household income and 38.50 hours at minimum wage
- Fifth: Arkansas with 9.25 hours at median household income and 23.72 at minimum wage
What do you think about this study? Let me know in the comments or email me at cmadden@mcclatchy.com
