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Rice, ham, and other groceries that rose in price in the South last month

After more than a year of historical inflation, grocery prices are staying steady. Grocery prices fell in March and April for the first time since September 2020 but changed little in May at a 0.2% increase.

The drop in recent months was largely fueled by decreases in eggs—which had previously risen dramatically over a short period of time—as well as meats, fruits and vegetables, and dairy products.

Still, inflation continued to plague shoppers. The overall cost of groceries in May remained up 6.7% from 2022—the result of historically high inflation in the past couple of years following a series of major social and economic events including the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, labor disruptions, and heightened consumer demand. Overall, inflation has cooled some but still hasn’t reached pre-pandemic levels.

Despite the lull, groceries in some categories continued to climb. Stacker used monthly data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to find the grocery items that experienced the largest price increases over the last month in the South, using year-over-year changes as a tiebreaker where needed. For this analysis, the South includes Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Washington, D.C., Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. Stacker excluded some hyper-specific meat categories in order to better understand grocery price fluctuations more broadly.

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#13. White bread (per lb.)

– One-month increase in cost: +0.2%
– Annual change in cost: +25.1%
– May 2023 cost: $1.81

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#12. Spaghetti and macaroni (per lb.)

– One-month increase in cost: +0.3%
– Annual change in cost: +19.5%
– May 2023 cost: $1.18

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#10. Whole milk (per gal.)

– One-month increase in cost: +0.5%
– Annual change in cost: +2.1%
– May 2023 cost: $4.14

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#10. Wine (per 1 liter)

– One-month increase in cost: +0.5%
– Annual change in cost: +3.6%
– May 2023 cost: $12.29

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#9. All-purpose white flour (per lb.)

– One-month increase in cost: +0.9%
– Annual change in cost: +23.9%
– May 2023 cost: $0.47

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#8. Beef steaks (per lb.)

– One-month increase in cost: +1.7%
– Annual change in cost: +3.4%
– May 2023 cost: $9.61

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#6. Dried beans (per lb.)

– One-month increase in cost: +1.8%
– Annual change in cost: +4.6%
– May 2023 cost: $1.5

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#6. Whole chicken (per lb.)

– One-month increase in cost: +1.8%
– Annual change in cost: +9.8%
– May 2023 cost: $1.79

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#5. Romaine lettuce (per lb.)

– One-month increase in cost: +1.9%
– Annual change in cost: Not available
– May 2023 cost: $2.41

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#4. White potatoes (per lb.)

– One-month increase in cost: +2.2%
– Annual change in cost: +12.6%
– May 2023 cost: $1.04

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#3. Ground beef (per lb.)

– One-month increase in cost: +2.6%
– Annual change in cost: +0.3%
– May 2023 cost: $5.26

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#2. Ham (per lb.)

– One-month increase in cost: +6.6%
– Annual change in cost: +13.9%
– May 2023 cost: $4.25

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#1. Long-grain white rice (per lb.)

– One-month increase in cost: +7.6%
– Annual change in cost: +17.0%
– May 2023 cost: $1.16