The FRED Blog has made deep dives into food prices before, bringing a bounty of data treasures to the surface: For example, we’ve shown trends, seasonal patterns, and the impact of distinct economic shocks on the cost of assembling a nutritious meal. Today, we use more food-related data to see what different regions spend specifically on fish and seafood.

The FRED graph above shows the dollar amounts spent on fish and seafood by consumers in each of the four Census regions. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics collects these data for its Consumer Expenditure Surveys. Let’s dive in:

• Consumers in the Northeast and West Census regions consistently spend the most money of all regions in buying the fruits of the sea.
• This FRED graph shows that, as a fraction of total food expenditures, consumers in the South Census region are not far behind the other two coastal regions.
• Consumers in the Midwest, perhaps because they’re largely landlocked, spend the least amount on fish and seafood, both in dollars and as a fraction of their overall food expenditures.

FRED doesn’t currently have regional prices on food items, so we can’t say whether Midwest consumers shy away from a relatively pricier type of meal or if their relatively smaller spending on seafood is strictly a matter of taste.

Either way, keep a line in the water of the FRED Blog. We’ll keep swimming among our data series to try to haul in a good catch of insights for you.

How this graph was created: First, cast your net in FRED by searching for “Expenditures: Fish and Seafood by Region: Residence in the Northeast Census Region.” Select the series and click “Edit Graph” at the top right corner. Then navigate to the “Add Line” tab, where you can search for the three other regional Census data series; select each by clicking “Add data series.”

Suggested by Diego Mendez-Carbajo.