10 States With the Highest Increase in Household Spending

American household spending has gone up by 23.4% on average. This was spurred by the pandemic and many people receiving stimulus checks.

Though economists expected a halt at some point, it seems Americans have kept spending since the pandemic, despite inflation. Though, the items they’re buying aren’t all leisure items. The top purchases Americans are spending money on are financial services, insurance and healthcare. Only after those are taken care of do clothing and footwear make an appearance, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

However, some states have been spending more on household essentials than others. GreenImprove analyzed a study of household spending by state between 2018 and 2022. Here are the 10 states that had the biggest increases.  

Also see what the average American spends on 25 everyday items.

Utah’s spending went up 32%. Utah’s per-capita personal consumption expenditures went up to $48,189 — a jump of about $11,000 over the five-year period.

Arizona takes second place on the list with a spending increase of 31%. Arizona households spent $12,000 more.

Colorado saw a 29% increase in household spending, up to about $59,000 from $46,000 before the pandemic.

Residents in California spent about 28.5% more. That totals out to about $13,300. 

If you live in North Carolina, you probably experienced a pretty noticeable jump in spending. Residents are said to have spent 28% more — about $10,000.

Cost of living has gone up drastically in Florida, and you can tell by the household spending increase of 27%. In 2018, household expenditures totaled out to be $44,000; in 2022, they were $55,500. 

Idaho also saw an increase in spending by about 27%. This shook out to households spending about $9,200 more. 

The Western states definitely saw a price increase, and Nevada was not spared. The Silver State saw prices go up by approximately 26% — or about $10,000 per person.

Both Carolinas have seen a pretty decent increase in spending. Residents of South Carolina saw a 26% increase in spending as well — about $9,500. 

Oregon also saw about a 26% increase in spending. That meant residents of the Beaver State saw their bills go up about $10,000 between 2018 and 2022. 

Methodology: The study looked at public data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis on the total dollars spent on Personal Consumption Expenditures. This data was analyzed and calculated to determine the Personal Consumption Expenditures per capita and to assess the percentage change in expenses from 2018 to 2022. The states were then ranked from highest to lowest, with the highest percentage change ranked at the top.