The state with the most expensive milk is Hawaii, where a gallon of milk costs $5.98.
The state with the cheapest milk is Arizona, where a gallon of milk costs only $2.46.
The average American drinks 18 gallons of milk per year.
The U.S. dairy market has a market size of $98.04 billion. in 2023.
Got milk?
For many milk is a grocery staple. However, depending on where you live, the cost can fluctuate dramatically. According to the USDA, the average gallon of whole milk is $3.04 a gallon.
Keep reading to see how your state stacks up– and how we determined this.
Where Milk Is Most Expensive
All of the 10 states pay over $3 for a gallon of milk. In fact, Hawaii, the most expensive state, comes in at over 5 bucks.
Where Milk Is Cheapest
The 10 states above all have milk prices below $3. Midwestern states seem to have a slight edge when it comes to milk prices.
How We Determined This — And What It Means
The data featured in the article comes from Milk Pick.
Milk Pick compared the prices of whole milk at over 4,500 stores across the US.
The table below provides complete data on the cost of one gallon of milk in each of the states. Unless otherwise noted, all prices reflect the cost of one gallon of whole milk.
Since certain areas or within a state may be more expensive than others, this price may not reflect the price you see at the cash register.
Ultimately, this is not a good dataset for determining personal expenses. After all, you know very well how much a gallon of milk costs you. For that matter, you may not drink whole milk, or milk at all.
However, it is useful to see- from the top down- general trends.
Average Price Of Milk In Every State
| State | Cost |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $3.29 |
| Alaska | $4.02 |
| Arizona | $2.46 |
| Arkansas | $3.35 |
| California | $3.50 |
| Colorado | $3.09 |
| Connecticut | $2.81 |
| Delaware | $2.67 |
| Florida | $3.05 |
| Georgia | $2.93 |
| Hawaii | $5.98 |
| Idaho | $2.96 |
| Illinois | $2.67 |
| Indiana | $2.57 |
| Iowa | $2.74 |
| Kansas | $3.20 |
| Kentucky | $2.70 |
| Louisiana | $3.84 |
| Maine | $4.08 |
| Maryland | $2.64 |
| Massachusetts | $2.80 |
| Michigan | $2.64 |
| Minnesota | $2.73 |
| Mississippi | $3.47 |
| Missouri | $3.67 |
| Montana | $3.12 |
| Nebraska | $2.55 |
| Nevada | $2.84 |
| New Hampshire | $2.77 |
| New Jersey | $3.82 |
| New Mexico | $2.82 |
| New York | $2.73 |
| North Carolina | $2.87 |
| North Dakota | $3.53 |
| Ohio | $2.60 |
| Oklahoma | $3.16 |
| Oregon | $3.31 |
| Pennsylvania | $4.28 |
| Rhode Island | $2.77 |
| South Carolina | $2.80 |
| South Dakota | $2.92 |
| Tennessee | $3.05 |
| Texas | $2.81 |
| Utah | $2.55 |
| Vermont | $2.88 |
| Virginia | $2.99 |
| Washington | $3.07 |
| West Virginia | $2.62 |
| Wisconsin | $2.72 |
| Wyoming | $3.07 |
Author
Kathy is the head of content at Zippia with a knack for engaging audiences. Prior to joining Zippia, Kathy worked at Gateway Blend growing audiences across diverse brands. She graduated from Troy University with a degree in Social Science Education.
