Potatoes, lemons, and other groceries that dropped in price in the South last month

Grocery shoppers felt a slight reprieve this spring as grocery prices fell after a run of increases dating to September 2020.

So far since then, grocery prices have remained relatively steady, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. In September, prices inflated by 0.1% compared to August, and were up 2.4% from September 2022. Prices have fallen in many grocery categories, including eggs, meats, vegetables, grains, and dairy products. Overall inflation is cooling after a series of interest rate hikes by the Fed to temper the record inflation plaguing Americans over the past two years.

While costs remain high overall, the decreases mean dollars can stretch a bit further at the grocery store. Stacker used monthly Bureau of Labor Statistics data to find the grocery items that experienced the largest price decreases 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.

Stefan Malloch // Shutterstock

#9. Cheddar cheese, natural (per lb.)

– One-month decrease in cost: -0.6%
– Annual change in cost: -2.4%
– September 2023 cost: $5.92

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#6. Spaghetti and macaroni (per lb.)

– One-month decrease in cost: -1.0%
– Annual change in cost: +5.9%
– September 2023 cost: $1.16

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#6. Ground beef (per lb.)

– One-month decrease in cost: -1.0%
– Annual change in cost: +3.6%
– September 2023 cost: $5.42

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#6. American processed cheese (per lb.)

– One-month decrease in cost: -1.0%
– Annual change in cost: -3.1%
– September 2023 cost: $4.66

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#5. Tomatoes (per lb.)

– One-month decrease in cost: -2.4%
– Annual change in cost: -6.0%
– September 2023 cost: $1.62

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#4. Whole chicken (per lb.)

– One-month decrease in cost: -3.5%
– Annual change in cost: -1.0%
– September 2023 cost: $1.77

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#3. Ground coffee (per lb.)

– One-month decrease in cost: -3.8%
– Annual change in cost: +3.8%
– September 2023 cost: $5.99

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#2. Lemons (per lb.)

– One-month decrease in cost: -5.5%
– Annual change in cost: Not available
– September 2023 cost: $2.11

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#1. White potatoes (per lb.)

– One-month decrease in cost: -6.5%
– Annual change in cost: +4.4%
– September 2023 cost: $1.09