New York may own the dining-out reputation, but household spending tells a different story. Federal data show several metro areas put far more money toward food away from home each year, and some outspend New York by hundreds of dollars. This ranks actual spending by metro area, not menu prices or city limits.
San Francisco Puts Nearly Half Its Food Dollars Away From Home
San Francisco-area households spent an average of $7,143 a year on food away from home in 2023–24. That was 48.7% of their total food spending. By comparison, the national share was 39.1%.
Seattle Keeps Food-Away Spending High
Seattle-area households averaged $6,041 a year on food away from home. That represented 44.3% of their food spending. Food as a whole accounted for 12.5% of the household budget there, slightly below the 12.9% national share.
Washington Directs a Large Share Toward Food Away
Washington-area households spent $5,905 on food away from home. That came to 45.7% of their total food spending. Food accounted for 11.9% of the area’s household budget, below the national share.
Honolulu Devotes More of the Budget to Food
Honolulu-area households averaged $5,668 on food away from home. That was 40.0% of their food spending. Food overall took 16.4% of the household budget, compared with 12.9% nationally.
Boston Pairs High Spending With a Bigger Grocery Bill
Boston-area households spent $5,522 on food away from home and $7,993 on food at home. Food away from home accounted for 40.9% of the area’s total food spending.
Los Angeles Sends a Large Share Away From Home
Los Angeles-area households averaged $5,312 on food away from home. That was 44.8% of their food spending. BLS also reported $6,546 in food-at-home spending, bringing the area’s total annual food spending to $11,858.
Baltimore Lands Above New York
Baltimore-area households spent $5,290 on food away from home. That represented 38.9% of their food spending, just below the national 39.1% share. Food overall accounted for 14.2% of the household budget.
Minneapolis Outspends New York by $380
Minneapolis-area households averaged $5,059 on food away from home, $380 more than New York-area households. That was 44.6% of total food spending. Food overall accounted for 11.5% of the household budget.
Philadelphia Clears the $5,000 Mark
Philadelphia-area households spent $5,032 on food away from home. That represented 41.7% of their food spending. Food accounted for 13.1% of the household budget, close to the 12.9% national share.
Denver Comes in Just Under $5,000
Denver-area households averaged $4,903 on food away from home. That was 41.2% of their food spending. Food overall accounted for 11.6% of the household budget.
New York Takes the Eleventh Spot
New York-area households spent $4,679 on food away from home. That represented 40.0% of their food spending. Households also averaged $7,033 on food at home.
What the Spending Numbers Really Show
These figures work best as a look at household spending patterns, not as a scoreboard for restaurant prices. BLS notes that metro differences can reflect cost of living, consumer preferences, household size, age, and income. That makes the ranking useful for seeing how food spending fits into a household budget while leaving room for the many reasons those totals differ from one metro to another.