New Report Confirms What We Knew: New Yorkers are Paying More for Everyday Essentials
HUDSON VALLEY, NY — The August Consumer Price Index, published last week, reveals that New York families are paying more for everyday essentials, including:
Since June 2025, over 400,000 New Yorkers have lost their healthcare coverage.
Since January of 2025, New Yorkers are spending $310 more on groceries.
In June of 2026 alone, over 22,000 New Yorkers lost their food stamp benefits.
New York families are spending $521 more on gas.
Utility costs are up 10 % in New York in the last year.
“As a retiree on a teachers’ pension, every day feels more and more expensive, and I won’t be able to keep up much longer,” said Dee from Peekskill. “And while I am worried about tightening my own budget, I can’t begin to imagine how much harder it is for a mom to afford to cool her home on these hot summer days and feed her family, or for my neighbors to pay for doctor’s visits after their Medicaid was cut. We need relief soon.”
In sum, the average New York Household is spending $5,000 more because of legislation like the Republican Tax Law, which cut Medicaid and SNAP benefits, and tariffs that are raising the cost of everyday items—policies Congressman Mike Lawler has supported.
To learn more about Empire State Voices, contact press@empirestatevoices.org.
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Empire State Voices is a multi-year campaign dedicated to amplifying the voices of everyday working New Yorkers. We are fighting for economic policies that make life more affordable for constituents and holding members of Congress across the state accountable when they fail to do the same. To learn more about Empire State Voices, contact press@empirestatevoices.org
