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What is Food Insecurity?

Food insecurity is the lack of consistent access to enough food for everyone in a household. Although food insecurity is often associated with poverty, those who are food insecure are not necessarily living below the poverty line. The majority of households that are food insecure are unable to receive help from federal food assistance programs, forcing them to seek assistance from food banks, food pantries, and other programs.

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Households with low food security make up the majority of food-insecure households. These households manage to get enough to eat but reduce the quality, variety, or desirability of their meals to do so. Members of these households are at elevated risk for a number of problematic health and developmental conditions, but because they do not substantially reduce the amount of food they eat, they are not likely to suffer from hunger in the sense of the uneasy or painful sensation caused by lack of food.

Households with very low food security - the more severe condition—make up slightly more than one-third of food-insecure households. In these households, at least some members (usually only adults) reduce the amount of food they eat below usual levels and below the amount they consider appropriate. In most of these households, the adult respondent reports that in the past 12 months he or she was hungry and did not eat because there wasn't enough money for food. If these conditions extend to children along with adults, the household is classified as having very low food security among children, the most severe range of food insecurity reported by USDA. Link

Definitions of Food-Secure and Food-Insecure

Facts and Figures

47 million

Face food insecurity

100%

Hunger exists in U.S. counties

1 in 5 children

(13 million) don’t have enough food to grow strong

50+ million

Turned to food banks and
pantries for help

Causes of Food Insecurity

U.S. Households by Food Security Status, 2023

86.5% of U.S. households were food secure throughout 2023, down from 87.2% in 2022. While that may not seem drastic, that is a decrease from 115.8 to 114.6 million households.

Food security levels

At times during the year, these households were uncertain of having or unable to acquire enough food to meet the needs of all their members because they had insufficient money or other resources for food. Food-insecure households include those with low food security and very low food security.

13.5 percent (18.0 million) of U.S. households were food insecure at some time during 2023.
The 2023 prevalence of food insecurity was statistically significantly higher than the 12.8 percent (17.0 million) in 2022.

These food-insecure households obtained enough food to avoid substantially disrupting their eating patterns or reducing food intake by using a variety of coping strategies, such as eating less varied diets, participating in Federal food assistance programs, or getting food from community food pantries.

8.4 percent (11.2 million) of U.S. households had low food security in 2023.
The 2023 prevalence of low food security was statistically significantly higher than 7.7 percent (10.2 million) in 2022.

In these food-insecure households, normal eating patterns of one or more household members were disrupted and food intake was reduced at times during the year because they had insufficient money or other resources for food.

5.1 percent (6.8 million) of U.S. households had very low food security at some time during 2023.
The 2023 prevalence of very low food security was unchanged from the 5.1 percent (6.8 million) in 2022. Link

In 2023:

47.4 million people lived in food-insecure households.
12.2 million adults lived in households with very low food security.
7.2 million children lived in food-insecure households in which children, along with adults, were food insecure.
841,000 children (1.2 percent of the Nation's children) lived in households in which one or more child experienced very low food security.

The 2023 prevalence of food insecurity (13.5 percent) was statistically significantly higher than the 2022 prevalence of 12.8 percent and significantly higher than the food insecurity prevalence observed from 2015 through 2022 and statistically lower than the levels observed from 2010 through 2014.

State-Level Prevalence of Food Insecurity

Prevalence rates of food insecurity varied considerably from State to State. Data for 3 years, 2021–2023, were combined to provide more reliable statistics at the State level. Estimated prevalence rates of food insecurity during this 3-year period ranged from 7.4 percent in New Hampshire to 18.9 percent in Arkansas; estimated prevalence rates of very low food security ranged from 3.2 percent in Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and North Dakota to 7.0 percent in South Carolina.

State of California Food Insecurity Statistics

As of September 2024, 22% of households (approximately three million) in California experience food insecurity. Six months prior, that figure was 20%.

27% of these households (approximately one million) contain children. Six months prior, that figure was 24%.

Resources

What is Food Insecurity?

Food-secure

Food-insecure

Households with low food security

Households with very low food security

Definitions of Food-Secure and Food-Insecure

Facts and Figures

47 million

100%

1 in 5 children

50+ million

Causes of Food Insecurity

Income-related factors

High cost of living

Community factors

Health-related factors

Systemic barriers to opportunity

U.S. Households by Food Security Status, 2023

86.5% of U.S. households were food secure throughout 2023, down from 87.2% in 2022. While that may not seem drastic, that is a decrease from 115.8 to 114.6 million households.

Food security levels

Food insecure

Low food security

Very low food security

In 2023:

State-Level Prevalence of Food Insecurity

State of California Food Insecurity Statistics

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