Household Wine and Cheese Spending

by Trends Staff

According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Washingtonians really do like their wine and cheese. Maptitude has created a map of the Average Annual Household Wine and Cheese Spending by state, and Washington places second for the western states, only behind Colorado. In 2022, Washington placed sixth in the country for spending on these pairings, at $323. This put the state in a tie with Minnesota ($323), and behind Colorado ($324), New Jersey ($328), Connecticut ($335), Massachusetts ($345), and New Hampshire ($351).   
 
The map shows the household spending for each state, and colors the states in a warm gradient from less spending in a pale yellow, to more spending in a deep wine-red color. The least spending on wine and cheese was mostly in the southern U.S., while the northeast leads the nation.  
 
Because the statistic combines both cheese and wine spending, we can only assume which of the two makes up the larger portion of the total spending. Places with higher spending like California may be attributed to the large number of wineries in the state, or like the large amount of dairy and cheese production in Minnesota and nearby Wisconsin. The coastal states largely outspending the landlocked states may, however, be more indicative of different lifestyles and spending habits of the different regions. 
 
Washington state has seen a growing number of wineries in recent years, and dairy continues to be a major industry, so it’s no surprise that our state would place near the top of the list. Chelan and Douglas Counties in particular sport a growing wine industry, which drives the market for more cheese sales as well.   
 
For more information about wine, cheese, and other agriculture in Chelan and Douglas counties, visit our site at Chelan-Douglas Trends.