Grocery prices remain one of the most visible pressure points for U.S. households in 2025. A new Gallup survey shows Americans are now more worried about the cost of food than they were at the start of the year. The shift adds to a broader picture in which everyday staples still feel expensive for many shoppers, even after inflation slowed from earlier highs.
Worry about grocery costs has moved up since January
Gallup said in results released July 29 that 55% of U.S. adults are very worried about the cost of food and groceries, up from 47% in January 2025. That 8-point increase made groceries one of the clearest areas where consumer concern rose over the first half of the year, according to Gallup’s Economy and Personal Finance survey. The poll was conducted July 7 through July 21 among 1,002 adults nationwide, Gallup said.
The same Gallup release showed grocery costs ranking among the top household price concerns, alongside housing and healthcare. Gallup reported that concern about healthcare rose to 59% in July from 57% in January, while concern about housing rose to 58% from 53%. The grocery number stood out because food is a routine weekly expense for nearly every household.
The national shift is clear, but state-by-state results are not available
Gallup’s July 2025 findings are national, not broken out by state, county, or city. The polling organization has not released a full list of state-level grocery-price concern data, so it is not yet possible to say which places saw the biggest jumps since January. What is confirmed is the national movement from 47% to 55%, based on Gallup’s July survey.
Federal price data helps explain why the issue remains so visible in local stores. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said the food-at-home index was up 2.4% over 12 months in its June 2025 Consumer Price Index report. That means shoppers in places from California to Ohio may still be seeing higher shelf prices for basics, even though price growth is slower than it was in 2022 and 2023.
Food prices are still rising, and shoppers notice weekly changes fast
The broader reason is straightforward: grocery prices are still increasing, even if they are not climbing as quickly as they did during the inflation surge. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said in June 2025 that indexes for cereals and bakery products, nonalcoholic beverages, and meats, poultry, fish, and eggs all contributed to higher food-at-home costs over the prior year. For shoppers making one or two grocery trips a week, those category increases are hard to miss.
For customers, this does not mean a new federal price spike was announced on July 29. It means more Americans told Gallup they are worried about what they are already paying at the store. Unless retailers or federal agencies release new price data for late summer 2025, the clearest confirmed takeaway is that grocery costs remain a live financial concern in households across the country.
