In this country, we waste about 30-40% of our food supply every year. It might be easy to point fingers, but the Escoffier School of Culinary Arts put together a report on food waste in the United States, and which states are the biggest perpetrators.
Using state-reported food waste levels from a 2025 study, individually reported household food waste levels from a 2023 study, data for food waste from restaurants, and more, Escoffier created a point system and scored every single state.
The state of Washington ended up with an impressive zero points, making it the least wasteful state, but every other state scored an actual number.
Curious to see where yours falls? Here are the states that waste the most food in the country, starting with the most wasteful state.
1. Arizona
Score: 100.00
Foof. That’s tough, Arizona. This is probably the only time you don’t want to get 100% on a test. According to Escoffier’s report, Arizona not only had the most waste based on its population size and density of restaurants and grocery stores, but it also had the weakest infrastructure to deal with waste. This means less food banks, composting facilities, and more.
The 2025 food waste study that Escoffier drew on claims Arizona wastes a whopping 1,025 pounds of food per person, annually. While the report acknowledges that since the report was gathered a state level (allowing for variations in the way this data is gathered across different sources), it may not be as dire as it seems, especially with contributions from tourists. Either way, Arizona has first place locked down pretty securely.
2. Maryland
Score: 87.89
3. Arkansas
Score: 81.06
4. Kentucky
Score: 79.14
Hoping to cut down on your own waste? Check out these tips to cut food waste and save money.
5. Illinois
Score: 78.60
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6. Alabama
Score: 74.41
7. Tennessee
Score: 73.92
8. Mississippi
Score: 71.39
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9. Georgia
Score: 68.56
10. Nevada
Score: 67.40
11. Oklahoma
Score: 66.45
12. New Mexico
Score: 65.39
13. South Carolina
Score: 64.77
14. Texas
Score: 64.59
15. North Carolina
Score: 60.22
16. Louisiana
Score: 59.86
17. West Virginia
Score: 59.28
18. Florida
Score: 58.69
19. Indiana
Score: 56.77
20. Pennsylvania
Score: 55.72
21. Kansas
Score: 55.37
22. Virginia
Score: 53.53
23. Rhode Island
Score: 49.06
24. New Hampshire
Score: 48.68
25. Massachusetts
Score: 48.58
26. Michigan
Score: 48.31
27. Colorado
Score: 47.90
28. Nebraska
Score: 45.44
29. New Jersey
Score: 45.24
30. Alaska
Score: 44.88
31. Ohio
Score: 44.24
32. Hawaii
Score: 44.19
33. Delaware
Score: 42.35
34. Connecticut
Score: 42.18
35. North Dakota
Score: 41.25
36. Minnesota
Score: 39.71
37. Missouri
Score: 38.25
38. Wisconsin
Score: 38.01
39. Wyoming
Score: 37.70
40. Utah
Score: 34.21
41. Iowa
Score: 31.84
42. Vermont
Score: 26.24
43. Montana
Score: 26.18
44. California
Score: 25.10
45. New York
Score: 22.02
46. South Dakota
Score: 20.82
47. Oregon
Score: 17.23
48. Maine
Score: 15.98
49. Idaho
Score: 10.72
50. Washington
Score: 0.00
Incredible work here, Washington. Everybody should be high-fiving in the street for this one. I’ve got half a mind to fly up there and start giving out high-fives myself. As reported in Escoffier’s study, Washington’s “measured and self-reported food waste levels on the low end, but they were also well below what would be anticipated given the state’s population size and food infrastructure.”
Washington’s food waste program is incredibly strong as well, with policies estimated to reduce food waste by 14.13%, the highest in the country. The Pacific Northwest is beautiful, and with Oregon at number 47, it seems like there might be a connection.
