Nevada has some of the highest grocery bills in the US. Here’s why.

Nevada households spend an average of $10,339 per year on groceries, ranking No. 4 in the country, according to a study from LendingTree. The figure is 27.2 percent more than the national average of $8,167.

Utah, Alaska and Hawaii were the top three states with the highest grocery bills, respectively, with Utah households spending $11,884 on groceries annually, 45.5 percent higher than the national average.

The numbers were calculated by dividing average household spending on food at home by the total number of households from the U.S. Census Bureau 2023 American Community Survey with five-year estimates. Then the number was divided by the average household income in each state, also from the U.S. Census Bureau 2023 ACS with five-year estimates.

Additionally, Nevada households spent the second-highest percentage of their income on groceries, tying with Utah, spending 10.1 percent of their income based on the median income of $102,911 for the state. Idaho ranked No. 1, spending 10.4 percent of their income on groceries, with a median income of $98,748.

The reason these states ranked so high is most likely due to the sparser population of Western states, according to Matt Schulz, LendingTree chief consumer finance analyst.

“In those big Eastern states, housing costs are likely taking up a bigger percentage of income than what we see in the Western states,” said Schulz in the study. “Also, the states at the bottom of the list tend to be far more urban, so more dining-out options might lead to less dining at home.”

To save on grocery bills, Schulz says to leverage credit card rewards, shop around for better deals and buy in bulk “when it makes sense,” for items like paper towels and toilet paper, but run the numbers first.

Contact Emerson Drewes at edrewes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @EmersonDrewes on X.