Amanda Feltz // Shutterstock

Strawberries, navel oranges, and other groceries that rose in price in the South last month

After more than a year of historical inflation, grocery prices are finally falling.

The overall cost of groceries fell over the course of March and April for the first time since September 2020.

Urban grocery prices fell by about 0.2% from March to April, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. The drop over the past couple of months has largely been fueled by decreases in eggs—which had previously risen dramatically over a short period of time—as well as meats, fruits and vegetables, and dairy products.

Still, inflation continued to plague shoppers. The overall cost of groceries in April remained up 7.1% from 2022—the result of historically high inflation in the past couple years following a series of major social and economic events including the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, labor disruptions, and heightened consumer demand. Overall, inflation has cooled some, but still hasn’t reached pre-pandemic levels.

Despite the overall monthly lull, groceries in some categories continued to climb. Stacker used monthly data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to find the grocery items that experienced the largest price increases over the last month in the South, using year-over-year changes as a tiebreaker where needed. For this analysis, the South includes Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Washington, D.C., Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. Stacker excluded some hyper-specific meat categories in order to better understand grocery price fluctuations more broadly.

Canva

#11. Lemons (per lb.)

– One-month increase in cost: +0.3%
– Annual change in cost: +2.8%
– April 2023 cost: $2.3

Canva

#11. Spaghetti and macaroni (per lb.)

– One-month increase in cost: +0.3%
– Annual change in cost: +35.2%
– April 2023 cost: $1.18

Africa Studio // Shutterstock

#10. Whole chicken (per lb.)

– One-month increase in cost: +0.8%
– Annual change in cost: +10.3%
– April 2023 cost: $1.76

The Toidi // Shutterstock

#9. American processed cheese (per lb.)

– One-month increase in cost: +0.9%
– Annual change in cost: +19.9%
– April 2023 cost: $4.84

Canva

#8. Beef steaks (per lb.)

– One-month increase in cost: +1.0%
– Annual change in cost: +2.1%
– April 2023 cost: $9.45

Suriyawut Suriya // Shutterstock

#7. White potatoes (per lb.)

– One-month increase in cost: +1.3%
– Annual change in cost: +17.2%
– April 2023 cost: $1.02

Canva

#6. White bread (per lb.)

– One-month increase in cost: +2.0%
– Annual change in cost: +27.9%
– April 2023 cost: $1.81

Sheila Fitzgerald // Shutterstock

#5. Ground beef (per lb.)

– One-month increase in cost: +2.1%
– Annual change in cost: -3.4%
– April 2023 cost: $5.13

Keith Homan // Shutterstock

#4. Frozen concentrate orange juice (per 16 oz.)

– One-month increase in cost: +2.3%
– Annual change in cost: Not available
– April 2023 cost: $2.49

Angie Yeoh // Shutterstock

#3. Potato chips (per 16 oz.)

– One-month increase in cost: +3.0%
– Annual change in cost: +26.0%
– April 2023 cost: $7.33

Canva

#2. Navel oranges (per lb.)

– One-month increase in cost: +3.9%
– Annual change in cost: +8.2%
– April 2023 cost: $1.57

Dusan Petkovic // Shutterstock

#1. Strawberries (per 12 oz.)

– One-month increase in cost: +5.8%
– Annual change in cost: +6.9%
– April 2023 cost: $2.88