Overview

• Fast food prices have climbed 47% over the past decade, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
• WalletHub compared the combined cost of a burger, pizza and fried chicken sandwich against median monthly incomes across all 50 states.
• Mississippi and New Mexico residents shoulder the heaviest burden at 0.47% of their median monthly income.
• Alabama ranks seventh highest, spending 0.43% of median income on fast food, while Massachusetts and New Jersey spend the least at about 0.29%.
• The gap between the highest and lowest state fast-food burdens is 1.6-fold, with lower-income states generally paying a larger share of earnings.