Fast food prices are rising faster than the inflation rate, and Los Angeles has emerged as the city with the highest income-to-fast-food purchasing burden among major cities in Southern California.
According to a recent report by personal finance company WalletHub, which compared the prices of hamburgers, fried chicken sandwiches, and small pizzas across the top 100 cities nationwide, LA ranked 18th in the country for fast food purchasing burden, the highest in Southern California.
In Los Angeles, purchasing these three items individually accounts for 0.45% of the median monthly household income. Long Beach followed closely in 30th place (0.42%), and Glendale ranked 39th (0.40%).
Southern California and Statewide Fast Food Cost Rankings
In Orange County, Garden Grove recorded the highest burden at 48th place (0.38%), followed by Santa Ana at 52nd (0.37%), and Anaheim at 54th (0.37%). In San Diego County, Chula Vista and San Diego recorded 76th (0.32%) and 77th (0.32%) place, respectively.
Conversely, Huntington Beach (86th, 0.29%) and Santa Clarita (87th, 0.29%) experienced relatively lower financial pressure. Irvine recorded the lowest rank among Southern California cities surveyed, placing 96th nationwide (0.26%).
Expanding the scope to the entire state of California, Bakersfield ranked 29th (0.42%), Sacramento 46th (0.39%), and Oakland 55th (0.37%). Meanwhile, major Northern California cities concentrated in the lower ranks. San Jose ranked 93rd (0.27%), San Francisco 95th (0.27%), and Fremont took 100th place, recording the lowest income-to-fast-food price burden in the nation.
National Comparison and Income Disparities
Nationwide, Detroit, Michigan claimed the top spot. The cost of purchasing the three food items in Detroit reached 0.73% of the median monthly household income. Cleveland, Ohio followed in second place (0.70%), and Buffalo, New York ranked third (0.60%). On the other hand, Plano, Texas (99th, 0.24%) and Gilbert, Arizona (98th, 0.24%) were positioned at the bottom of the list.
WalletHub analyzed that even when fast food prices are similar, significant differences arise in actual household burdens depending on regional income levels. Notably, Detroit recorded the lowest median household income among surveyed cities at $39,938 per year, which magnified the price burden on residents.
