States Where People Pay the Most (and Least) for Fast Food

Published: January 19, 2024 by Colman Andrews

A majority of Americans eat fast food at least sometimes, whether we admit it or not. Various restaurant industry sources estimate that at least 30% of us — including children — choose it at least once a day, and 83% of U.S. families report that they indulge in it at least once a week, either as takeout or in a chain restaurant unit.

It’s no secret that fast food in general isn’t very good for us, even if at least a few marginally healthy options are offered increasingly by its purveyors. It tends to be high in calories, sodium, and sometimes sugar — even in savory items. (These are the 20 fast foods with the most calories.)

In addition, while our perception might be that fast food is cheap, it can sometimes be surprisingly expensive. This is especially true with takeout ordered through a delivery service. According to Statista, the average U.S. food delivery spend per order on Uber Eats in 2022 was $33.94.

In addition, in some 20 states around the country, popular fast food items from major chains cost more than the national average. In a few cases the difference is minimal, but consumers in a dozen states pay a premium of more than 5% for their indulgences — and in one case that number rises to more than 18%. (See how fast food prices rose and fell in 2022.)

To determine the states where people pay the most (and least) for fast food, 24/7 Tempo reviewed a study of takeout food prices by NetCredit, an online loan provider, which computed the average cost of takeout food in all 50 states.

To do this, they collected menus from seven major chains — McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Subway, Burger King, KFC, Popeyes, and Taco Bell — then chose several popular items from each chain (Burger King’s Whopper, Taco Bell’s Crunchwrap Supreme, etc.) and analyzed data on their prices in some 260 cities around the nation from Grubhub. Next, they computed the average national price for the items overall and for each individual chain, then calculated how much or little prices in each state varied from that average.

Note that while fast-food-eaters in two-fifths of our states might pay a premium, people in 30 other states actually pay at least slightly less than the national average — with one lucky state getting a break of almost 10%.

Here is a list of the states where people pay the most (and least) for fast food: