Has the price of groceries increased 20% since Joe Biden became president?
By Tom Kertscher
View this fact brief on Wisconsin Watch
Copy link
Copy featured image
YES
The price of groceries increased more than 20% during President Joe Biden’s first three years in office and exceeded wage growth.
The Consumer Price Index for “food at home” rose from 252.7 on Jan. 1, 2021, to 305 in December 2023 — an increase of 20.7%.
The index for average hourly wages increased 14.7% — from 29.9 to 34.3.
During the first three years of President Donald Trump’s administration, the grocery index rose from 237 in January 2017 to 243 in December 2019 — an increase of 2.5%.
The wage index increased 9.1% — from 26 in January 2017 to 28.37 in December 2019.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
US Bureau of Labor Statistics Glossary : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
FRED (Federal Reserve Bank Of St. Louis) January 2021 to December 2023: Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Food at Home in U.S. City Average
FRED (Federal Reserve Bank Of St. Louis) January 2021 to December 2023: Average Hourly Earnings of All Employees, Total Private
FRED (Federal Reserve Bank Of St. Louis) January 2017 to December 2019: Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Food at Home in U.S. City Average
FRED (Federal Reserve Bank Of St. Louis) January 2017 to December 2019: Average Hourly Earnings of All Employees, Total Private
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
