Maia Pandey
The cost of groceries has been ticking up in the Midwest, but there's at least one bright spot nationwide: egg prices have recovered after hitting all-time highs in 2025.
In January, Midwest grocery prices were up 0.4% from December 2025 and up 2.4% from a year earlier, according to the latest Consumer Price Index report. The increase comes after last month's report showed Midwest grocery prices remained stable toward the end of 2025.
Nationwide, the cost of food at home increased by 0.2% last month. That's down from a 0.7% increase in December 2025, meaning grocery prices rose at a slightly slower pace in January. Egg prices in particular were down by more than two dollars in January when compared to a year earlier.
Here's the latest on Midwest grocery prices, including why egg prices are finally dropping.
Are groceries getting more expensive in the Midwest?
Aside from fruits and vegetables, the price of all other Midwest groceries rose over the past year, according to the Consumer Price Index report released Feb 13.
In addition to Wisconsin, the Bureau of Labor Statistics includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio and South Dakota in its Midwest region analysis.
Here's how much grocery prices changed last month in the Midwest:
- Cereal and bakery product prices dropped by 0.1% from December 2025 but were still up by 2.4% from January 2025
- Meat, poultry, fish and egg prices rose by 0.2% from December 2025 and by 3.8% from January 2025
- Dairy product prices rose by 2.7% from December 2025 and by 0.4% from January 2025
- Fruit and vegetable prices dropped by 1.6% from December 2025 and by 2.9% from January 2025
- Nonalcoholic beverage prices rose by 0.8% from December 2025 and by 2.1% from January 2025
- Alcoholic beverage prices rose by 0.5% from December 2025 and by 1.6% from January 2025
Egg prices coming back down after bird flu outbreak
Though meat, poultry, fish and egg prices were still up slightly in the Midwest, egg prices nationally are finally recovering after hitting record levels in early 2025 due to the highly pathogenic avian influenza, or bird flu, outbreak.
The national Consumer Price Index indicates the average cost for a dozen Grade A eggs in the United States was $2.58 in January 2026, compared to $4.95 in January 2025. In March 2025, average egg prices hit a record high of $6.23.
Wholesale egg prices have also dropped nearly 90% over the past seven months, USA TODAY reported. Bird flu is still present in the U.S., but much of the egg industry is now facing an oversupply problem, with some farmers selling eggs at below production cost.
How much do Wisconsin residents spend on groceries?
Despite increasing grocery prices in the region, Wisconsin residents rank in the middle of the pack in terms of how much they're spending on groceries, according to a Feb. 12 analysis by WalletHub, a personal finance website
The report compared the cost of commonly purchased grocery items against the median household income in each state. In Wisconsin, residents likely spend 1.97% of their monthly income on groceries, or 27th-highest of all the states, WalletHub found.
The U.S. Census Bureau's median income data on Wisconsin says that would amount to about $1,526 annually, or $127 monthly, spent on groceries.
Mississippi residents tend to spend the largest portion of their income, 2.6%, on groceries, and Massachusetts spends the least at 1.51%, WalletHub reported.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment