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A few nights ago on payday, my wife came home from shopping at the supermarket buying groceries for the month for our family. As she walked into the kitchen and started setting bags down I saw the frown on her face, (could tell she was not happy). I asked what seems to be the problem and she unloaded on me.

She started with a question asking me, "have you priced raw chicken lately, how about a dozen eggs, or have you tried to buy produce or an already chopped-up salad?" My response was no dear why?

She then informed me that the chicken she prefers to purchase that's normally a few dollars a pound has shot up to nearly $10 a pound (mind you she likes to buy organic chicken and eggs) and that the eggs are now close to $7 a dozen. I commented that we might need to go on a diet. That was the wrong thing to say!

The conversation turned to politics and I just shut my mouth and went to my office in our house to do some research on exactly how much food has risen in Texas in 2022. What I discovered is that, yes, prices are up in Texas, and while that's not good news, I did find a silver lining in this dark cloud.

While the prices of nearly everything are up in Texas, we've still got it good in the Lone Star State when you compare us to all other States in America. YES, inflation is running wild in the U.S. and it's due to the soaring fuel prices that the truckers are paying to transport all our foods to our communities.

Thus the unbelievable surge across America. However, I discovered that food is about 8% higher on average than it was say a year ago, according to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), which is a nonprofit organization and not a political or governmental organization.

That said, the graph below is from EPI and shows the hard figures. Food costs are partially driven by what residents can afford, and states with higher food costs also often have higher than average family incomes, and vice-versa. Texas is no exception. Just as food costs are lower than average in Texas, so, too, are incomes. The typical family in the state earns $76,073 a year, compared to the national average of $80,069. Source: Economic Policy Institute (EPI)

 

Rank   StateAvg. annual food cost($)Median family income($)SNAP recipiency rate (%)
1Hawaii$14,042$97,81311.80%
2Massachusetts$11,674$106,52612.50%
3Maine$11,480$76,19213.50%
4Vermont$11,430$83,02311.50%
5New York$11,180$87,27015.20%
6Connecticut$10,910$102,06112.40%
7Rhode Island$10,834$89,33015.90%
8New Hampshire$10,832$97,0017.40%
9New Jersey$10,750$104,8049.10%
10California$10,543$89,79810.20%
11Washington$10,525$92,42212.00%
12Florida$10,385$69,67013.90%
13Colorado$10,384$92,7528.00%
14Maryland$10,293$105,79010.80%
15Oregon$10,175$80,63016.00%
16Delaware$10,169$84,82511.50%
17Virginia$10,064$93,2848.50%
18Nevada$9,990$74,07712.70%
19Minnesota$9,936$92,6928.40%
20Wyoming$9,917$81,2905.90%
21Pennsylvania$9,903$80,99613.90%
22North Dakota$9,824$86,7987.30%
23Idaho$9,786$70,88510.00%
24Montana$9,782$72,77310.10%
25Louisiana$9,748$65,42715.80%
26Alabama$9,631$66,77213.70%
27Tennessee$9,595$68,79313.10%
28South Dakota$9,546$77,0429.50%
29Georgia$9,507$74,12712.80%
30Alaska$9,419$92,64812.90%
31Mississippi$9,350$58,92315.20%
32Kansas$9,341$77,6207.80%
33Arizona$9,338$73,45611.20%
34New Mexico$9,297$62,61117.70%
35Illinois$9,274$86,25113.10%
36North Carolina$9,267$70,97812.50%
37Utah$9,239$84,5906.90%
38Oklahoma$9,223$67,51113.40%
39Missouri$9,104$72,83411.10%
40South Carolina$9,086$68,81311.70%
41Nebraska$9,081$80,1258.70%
42Wisconsin$9,058$80,84410.90%
42Michigan$9,058$75,47013.50%
44Ohio$8,904$74,39113.30%
45Iowa$8,885$79,18610.60%
46Arkansas$8,838$62,06712.20%
47Texas$8,660$76,07312.10%
48West Virginia$8,634$61,70717.10%
49Indiana$8,544$73,2659.80%
50Kentucky$8,527$65,89313.60%

While I now better understand the progression of how the economy is dipping and why. I also understand the frustration in my wife's attitude because she also informed me that our monthly utilities have also gone up. I don't know what you call it, but I call it NO GOOD! What say you?

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