In This State, Fast Food Takes a Big Bite Out of Paychecks

Fast food may still be quick, but it's not as cheap as it once was, especially depending on your ZIP code. A new WalletHub analysis finds that menu prices from casual eateries are up about 60% since 2014, far outpacing inflation, and the hit to your wallet varies sharply by state. The study compared the cost of a burger, small pizza, and fried chicken sandwich to median household income in all 50 states. Mississippi tops the list for fast-food burden: The cost of that trio of items eats up 0.48% of the typical monthly paycheck, nearly double New Jersey's 0.27%. The twist: Mississippi's prices aren't the highest—its incomes are just the lowest, at a median $56,447. Here, the 10 states where folks fork over a greater percentage of their take-home for their fast-food fix, as well as the 10 states where they pay the least:

Most Money Spent on Fast Food

1. Mississippi
2. Arkansas
3. Louisiana
4. New Mexico
5. West Virginia
6. Alabama
7. Montana
8. Kentucky
9. Oklahoma
10. Florida

Least Money Spend on Fast Food

41. Washington
42. Colorado
43. Virginia
44. Minnesota
45. New Hampshire
46. Connecticut
47. Utah
48. Massachusetts
49. Maryland
50. New Jersey

See how other states fared on their fast-food fare here. (Perhaps related: America's most and least healthy states.)