US grocery prices up 32% in five years, straining families

A recent Urban Institute study finds that the cost of food in the United States has risen 32% over the past five years. The increase, which began as a pandemic‑related shock, has become a structural pressure on households, especially those in the lower‑middle income bracket. Many families now allocate a larger share of their income to groceries, cut non‑essential items, switch to cheaper brands, or reduce purchases of fresh produce and meat.

Credit usage for everyday shopping has also grown, with more than one in four working‑age adults relying on credit cards or buy‑now‑pay‑later schemes to pay for groceries. Consumers are increasingly price‑shopping, using coupons, flyers and traveling farther to find lower prices, while discount chains such as Aldi and Lidl continue to expand in major cities.