WHY Would Illinois Waste The Most Food In America?!

In this country, we waste a large amount of food—but some states waste more than others. Illinois, for example, wastes more than many other Midwestern states. In fact, it ranks among the top five most wasteful states.

fun fact from Cheapism: 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. 

The scoring is out of 100... the higher is worse. Cheapism stated,

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.

Obviously, as humans, we're going to waste food no matter what. Illinois just happens to be in the top five most wasteful.

Read More: 3 Illinois Restaurant Menu Tricks That Could Cost You Money

Top 5 States That Waste the Most Food

1. Arizona - Yikes they are at 100! 

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. 

2. Maryland - A bit lower, but still rough 87.89

3. Arkansas - 80.06

4. Kentucky - In at 79.14

Illinois is the next state on the list.

Illinois Is the 5th Most Wasteful State

The score came in at 78.60.Cheapism went on to say,

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.