The States That Spend the Most Going Out, Adjusted for Price Differences - Voronoi
Oct 19, 2025
The States That Spend the Most Going Out, Adjusted for Price Differences
Key Takeaways
A Colorado resident spends about $5,600 each year eating out or staying in hotel accommodations, the highest in the country, after adjusting for price differences between states.
Despite the cost accounting, wealthier states still spend more, suggesting that states with higher incomes have greater discretionary spending.
For example, most of the poorer southern states spend less, with West Virginians only allocating $3,000 to outside food services per year.
Note: regions are based off the Census Bureau's categories. Missouri is considered culturally South, and DC is generally regarded as the Northeast.
🤔 How Was this Metric Calculated?
Data are 2024 per-capita personal consumption expenditures (PCE) for food services & accommodations from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA).
To compare states on a like-for-like price basis, we divide each state’s figure by BEA’s 2023 Regional Price Parity (RPP) for “Other services” (U.S.=100), expressing results in 2024 dollars at the national price level.
RPPs measure price levels across places and the BEA classifies food services & accommodations under “Other services.”
2024 category RPPs are not yet published, so 2023 is used as a proxy as year-to-year changes in relative price levels are typically small.
What Does “Food services & Accommodations” include?
Accommodation: Establishments like hotels, motels, resorts, bed and breakfasts, and campgrounds.
Food Services: Businesses that prepare and serve meals, snacks, and beverages for immediate consumption, both on and off the premises.
