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# GRAPHIC: Americans spent less money on food during the pandemic
- URL: https://www.investigatemidwest.org/graphic-americans-spent-less-money-on-food-during-the-pandemic/
- Published: 2021-07-07T18:59:31.000Z
- Updated: 2021-07-07T18:59:31.000Z
- Author: Amanda Perez Pintado, Investigate Midwest/Report for America
- Tags: Data Harvest, Coronavirus, TP::Explainer, USDA, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-06-18 04:56

In a historic low, U.S. consumers spent 8.6% of their disposable income on food last year, a 10.1% decrease from 2019, according to the [U.S. Department of Agriculture](https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/chart-gallery/gallery/chart-detail/?chartId=101555&ref=investigatemidwest.org).

Between 1960 and 2000, the percentage of disposable income — the amount of money consumers have left after paying taxes — spent on food [dropped](https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2020/november/average-share-of-income-spent-on-food-in-the-united-states-remained-relatively-steady-from-2000-to-2019/?ref=investigatemidwest.org) from 17% to 9.9%. But for the last 20 years, the percentage had been steady, remaining around 10%.

Consumers in 2019 spent an average of 9.58% of their income on food, with 4.94% going towards food cooked at home and 4.65% towards dining out. In 2020, Americans spent 1.4% more of their incomes on food at home and spent 22.2% less on eating out.

An analysis by the USDA’s Environmental Research Service attributes the changes in food spending, in part, to coronavirus-related closures and restrictions, and to the largest annual [increase](https://www.bea.gov/news/2020/personal-income-and-outlays-april-2020?ref=investigatemidwest.org) in disposable personal income in 20 years due to additional government financial aid during the pandemic.

*Amanda Perez Pintado is a corps member with* [*Report for America*](https://www.reportforamerica.org/?ref=investigatemidwest.org)*, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms.*