Most Americans cite rising food costs as their top affordability challenge, according to a report by the McKinsey Institute and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation:
The survey found that 90% of respondents identified grocery prices as a primary financial concern, even more than housing and healthcare expenses:
“We face a common challenge, and that is the rising cost of living,” said John-Paul Julien, a partner at McKinsey & Company:
Rising Food Prices
A separate analysis by the Urban Institute released in 2025 found that many families used credit cards to pay for groceries, and many struggled to make minimum monthly payments:
About 35% paid for groceries with a credit card and paid their bills in full, while 20% paid less than the full balance but still made the minimum payment, and 8.7% did not always make the minimum payment:
“Food prices have increased by about 25% over the past five years,” said Kassandra Martinchek, a public policy expert at the Urban Institute:
