PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Have you noticed an uptick in the cost of dining out? A new report says Oregon is one of the top 20 states with restaurant inflation in the U.S.
The price of eating out has grown by almost 10% nationwide over six months, but national news site USA Today used data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey to determine which states have been hit the hardest.
Colorado, Arizona, Arkansas, Nevada and Wisconsin were the top five states with the highest restaurant inflation, with dining costs in Colorado rising by 24% from November 2022 to June of this year.
Oregon was the 16th state with a hike in restaurant spending. According to the analysis, residents spent $96.75 on dining out across a two-week period in June. That’s a 14% increase from last November, when the total was $85.02.
Washington followed closely after at No. 20, with a rise from $103 in restaurant costs in November to $115.89 in June.
USA Today attributed the increasing cost of dining to the increasing cost of goods. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says restaurant food has already risen by 6% this year.
“However the number of people going to restaurants is down 1% nationwide in the last six months, according to data from restaurant reservation website OpenTable,” USA Today said. “In short, people are going out to eat less but when they do, it’s taking a bigger bite out of their budgets. “
The news site also found that people between the ages of 40 to 54 spend the most at restaurants over a two-week period, at $129.14 per person. The consumers that spend the least are over the age of 65.
The states with the lowest restaurant spending were Vermont, Maine, Wyoming, Iowa and Montana, with $81.50 being the cheapest amount.
