An image of a cheeseburger and the word STACKED

Everybody loves a burger! They are sizzling on grills across the U.S. this National Cheeseburger Day and all year round. But those living on the coasts will pay a premium to cook their burgers at home.

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National average prices for a home-cooked burger by state, from highest to lowest, are as follows: California, $3.62; Oregon, $3.58; Virginia, $3.57; New Hampshire, $3.56; Nebraska, $3.51; Maryland, $3.49; Vermont, $3.46; South Dakota, $3.46; Massachusetts, $3.44; Rhode Island, $3.44; Maine, $3.40; Louisiana, $3.36; South Carolina, $3.33; Arkansas, $3.32; Alaska, $3.32; Delaware, $3.29; Colorado, $3.28; Mississippi, $3.27; Washington, $3.21; Alabama, $3.18; New York, $3.13; Connecticut, $3.13; Kentucky, $3.11; Iowa, $3.10; Michigan, $3.09; Wisconsin, $3.08; Kansas, $3.07; Pennsylvania, $3.07; Idaho, $3.06; Ohio, $3.06; Texas, $3.04; Missouri, $3.04; Indiana, $3.03; New Jersey, $3.03; Illinois, $3.02; Nevada, $2.93; West Virginia, $2.92; Arizona, $2.87; Wyoming, $2.86; Montana, $2.81; Florida, $2.74; Utah, $2.73; New Mexico, $2.72; Georgia, $2.70; Tennessee, $2.60. Did you know? – IN The Duane Purvis All-American cheeseburger is a favorite at Triple XXX diner in West Lafayette, IN. Named after the All-American running back who played for Purdue from 1932-34, the fixings feature a thick slather of creamy peanut butter. Did you know? - OK Invented during the Great Depression, Oklahoma’s fried onion burger features onion slices smashed straight into the patty, since onions were cheaper than beef. You can still pick up this favorite today along Route 66. Did you know? - CA A California burger often includes slices of avocado. The Hass avocado hails from a mother tree in La Habra Heights, and California produces about 90% of the nation’s crop.

Cost of a home-cooked burger based on 1/4 lb. fresh beef, 2 oz. of bread, 2 oz. of tomato and 1 oz. each of lettuce, onion, and cheese.

 

Most Expensive States

Most Expensive
California $3.62
Oregon $3.58
Virginia $3.57
New Hampshire $3.56
Nebraska $3.51
Maryland $3.49
Vermont $3.46
South Dakota $3.46
Massachusetts $3.44
Rhode Island $3.44

The most expensive states to cook a burger at home include California, Oregon and Virginia, with the average cost of a pound of ground beef costing more than $8.00.

Most Affordable
Tennessee $2.60
Georgia $2.70
New Mexico $2.72
Utah $2.73
Florida $2.74
Montana $2.81
Wyoming $2.86
Arizona $2.87
West Virginia $2.92
Nevada $2.93

The most affordable states include Tennessee, Georgia, New Mexico and Utah, where ground beef prices are on average about $3.12 less per pound than the most expensive states.

Cost of a home-cooked burger based on national average cost of ingredients using data from the CFDAS.

You can find dashboards with food cost data at Purdue Agriculture’s Center for Food Demand Analysis and Sustainability, as well as data on a number of shopping and eating habits through Consumer Food Insights, a monthly survey of more than 1,200 Americans conducted by Purdue agricultural economists. It tracks trends and changes in consumer food demand and sustainability, including food expenditure, values, satisfaction, security and sustainability.

Source: Center of Food Demand Analysis & Sustainability (CFDAS) at Purdue University and Department of Agricultural Economics at Purdue University

Data Sources: Web scraping via CFDAS and Octoparse; data for bun price from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI data for current year

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