Ranked: European Countries With the Most Taxes

Where Groceries Cost the Most–and Least–in America

How much more, or less, does a typical basket of groceries cost in your state?

This map compares grocery costs across all 50 states and Washington, D.C., in the first quarter of 2026, using data from the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC). Its grocery index measures the cost of a fixed basket of supermarket goods, with 100 representing the U.S. average.

Why Hawaii and Alaska Stand So Far Above the Rest

Hawaii has by far the highest grocery index, at 136.3, meaning its basket costs 36.3% more than the national average. Alaska ranks second at 126.6, or 26.6% above average.

Both states face unusual geographic and logistical challenges. Much of their food must travel long distances by ship, barge, or air before reaching store shelves, making transportation costs a bigger factor than in the contiguous U.S. Those costs can also be affected by changes in fuel prices.

The table below shows the grocery index for all 50 states and Washington, D.C., along with the difference from the U.S. benchmark of 100 in index points:

The biggest drop comes after the top two. California ranks third, but its grocery costs are only 10.5% above the national average, less than half Alaska’s premium.

Across the contiguous U.S., a regional pattern still emerges: much of the West Coast and Northeast sits above average, while many Southern and Plains states fall below it.

The pattern is not simply a matter of distance from farms. The priciest states include California and Florida, which grow a significant share of America’s produce.

Store operating costs can also play a role. Higher wages and commercial real estate costs can push prices upward in expensive coastal markets, while lower operating costs and greater competition from discount grocers can help keep prices down in parts of the South and Plains.

New York Shows the Grocery Disconnect in Living Costs

New York provides one of the clearest examples of how grocery costs can diverge from the broader cost of living. Its overall cost-of-living index is 124.7, ranking sixth-highest in the country, yet its grocery index is almost exactly at the national average at 100.3.

Massachusetts offers another example. Its overall index is 147.8, the second-highest in the country, while its grocery costs are only 6.8% above average.

The data table below shows how each state compares across all six C2ER spending categories in the cost-of-living index:

The difference comes down in part to which expenses rise the most in high-cost places. Housing carries the largest weight in the overall cost-of-living index and can run two or three times the national average in the priciest metros. Grocery prices tend to vary within a much narrower range.

Groceries also benefit from scale and competition. Dense states such as New York and Massachusetts can support large numbers of stores and national chains, helping keep grocery prices closer to average even when housing and other expenses are far higher.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Mapped: Every U.S. State’s Economy, Matched to a Country on Voronoi.

Ranked: Wealth Per Person Across 22 Major Economies

Global wealth hit $570 trillion in 2025, a record high and $40 trillion more than the year before. Across the economies shown here, wealth per capita ranges from $504,000 in the United States to $41,000 in Mexico.

This graphic uses McKinsey & Company analysis to visualize wealth per capita across 22 major economies in 2025, with per capita figures calculated using UN World Population Prospects data.

The U.S. and Australia: Wealth Outpacing GDP

The U.S. leads the ranking at $504k per capita, with gains driven largely by rising stock prices concentrated among a small number of large tech companies. In second-ranked Australia ($445k), property was the main driver. Real estate there is now equal to 4.5 times annual economic output, the highest ratio of any major economy.

The table below ranks 22 major economies by wealth per capita, alongside each country’s total wealth and 2025 population.

Because per capita figures are averages rather than medians, they can be pushed higher by wealth concentrated at the top.

The Federal Reserve finds that the top 10% of Americans hold roughly two-thirds of all household wealth, while the 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances puts median U.S. household net worth at $192,900.

The gap highlights why the $504k per capita figure should not be interpreted as the wealth of a typical American household. At the state level, financial distress also varies widely.

Inside Europe’s $300,000 Per Capita Divide

Denmark tops the continent at $350k per capita, just behind Australia globally, with the Netherlands close behind at $349k. At the other end, Poland sits at $47k, creating a gap of more than $300k between two EU member states.

Eastern European members such as Poland are still building wealth from a lower base than their Western neighbors.

In Germany and France, dollar-denominated wealth grew slightly, but both countries saw declines in local currency terms. Falling real estate values were the main culprit.

China’s Household Net Worth Is Below the Global Average

China stands out at just $53k in wealth per capita, below the global average of $69k. By comparison, South Korea sits at $194k and Japan at $179k.

Japan saw the largest upswing in household wealth growth in 2025, driven mostly by rising nominal asset values rather than new investment. Chinese households, meanwhile, hold a large share of their wealth in cash and bank deposits rather than stocks or property, limiting their exposure to the asset-price gains that drove wealth growth elsewhere in 2025.

Mexico rounds out the ranking at $41k, roughly one-twelfth of the U.S. figure. All figures in the dataset are calculated at market exchange rates.

At purchasing power parity, which adjusts for differences in the cost of living, the gap between Mexico and the wealthiest economies would be narrower.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

If you enjoyed this visualization, check out Mapped: The States Carrying the Most Debt Per Resident on the Voronoi app.