Which State Wastes the Most Food in America?

When the 2026 LawnStarter study ranks states by raw tonnage, Texas ranks first, followed by California, Florida, Mississippi, and West Virginia. California generates 6.7 million tons of farm food waste yearly, more than triple any other state, though it leads the US in composting infrastructure.

Pennsylvania rounds out the top 20 with a score of 55.72. High total municipal food waste across its major cities is paired with limited state-level composting mandates to keep organic matter out of landfills.

Scoring 56.77, Indiana places nineteenth in the country. Above-average weekly household food waste across the state is paired with a modest network of food recovery and municipal composting facilities.

Florida posts a per-capita score of 58.69 and ranks third worst nationwide in total unadjusted waste volume. Massive year-round tourism and a large population drive heavy discards alongside slow organics recycling growth.

West Virginia scores 59.28 and also ranks among the five worst states in raw infrastructure rankings. Over 67 percent of its residential food waste goes directly into landfills, one of the highest household discard rates in America.

With a score of 59.86, Louisiana takes sixteenth place. Although the state performs strongly in recycling agricultural byproducts, elevated household and supermarket retail food waste keep its overall score high.

North Carolina ranks fifteenth with a score of 60.22. Rapid population growth has fueled high commercial and residential food waste volumes, while state and municipal diversion mandates remain limited.

Texas scores 64.59 on the per-capita index and ranks worst overall in total unadjusted volume according to the 2026 LawnStarter study. Its foodservice sector alone discards 1.3 million tons of food annually without a statewide organic waste ban.

South Carolina posts a waste score of 64.77 to rank thirteenth. The state struggles with low food recycling participation alongside growing volumes of uncollected retail grocery and agricultural surplus.

With a score of 65.39, New Mexico ranks twelfth nationwide. Limited cold-storage distribution and sparse recovery networks mean the state fails to repurpose or donate a large share of its edible surplus food.

Oklahoma places eleventh with a food waste score of 66.45. The state lacks sufficient commercial composting facilities and municipal food waste diversion policies to offset steady residential and retail discards.

Nevada rounds out the top 10 with a score of 67.40. Driven heavily by Las Vegas's massive hospitality, casino, and buffet industry, the state generates nearly 148 pounds of restaurant food waste per resident annually.

Scoring 68.56, Georgia ranks ninth in the nation. The state produces high volumes of both retail grocery and residential household food waste while operating with minimal state-level landfill disposal restrictions.

Mississippi records a waste score of 71.39 and also ranks fourth worst in raw volume infrastructure. High household food waste is compounded by one of the smallest networks of food-sharing programs and composting providers in the United States.

With a score of 73.92, Tennessee claims the seventh spot nationwide. Elevated consumer food waste in major metro areas is paired with limited municipal mitigation policies and few local organics diversion programs.

Alabama lands at number six with a score of 74.41. High household food discard rates across the state are worsened by a widespread lack of municipal and commercial composting infrastructure to divert organic matter from landfills.

Posting a waste score of 78.60, Illinois ranks fifth in the country. Both consumer households and grocery retail chains across the state generate substantial food waste volumes that outpace baseline expectations for its population size.

Kentucky finishes fourth nationally with a food waste score of 79.14. Elevated residential discard levels across the Bluegrass State are compounded by a limited network of statewide food recovery and donation programs.

With an overall score of 81.06, Arkansas leads the entire nation in self-reported weekly household food waste at 10.21 cups. The state also faces severe recovery bottlenecks, operating with just four food banks and a single composting facility.

Recording a waste score of 87.89, Maryland takes second place nationwide. Its ranking is driven by high self-reported household discards averaging 9.79 cups per week alongside low projected waste reductions from existing state policies.

Arizona tops the national ranking with a maximum waste score of 100.00, discarding roughly 1,025 pounds of food per resident annually. The state suffers from a limited network of composting sites and food banks relative to its rapidly growing population.