Some 47.4 million Americans — roughly one of every seven — were food insecure during 2023, meaning they were unable at times to acquire enough food, said the Agriculture Department on Wednesday. It was a 40-percent increase in two years, and while the report did not suggest factors behind the rise, it coincided with the end of pandemic-era food assistance.
The number of food insecure Americans was the highest since 48.1 million in 2014. After years of improvement, the total reached a low of 33.8 million in 2021, during the pandemic, when SNAP benefits were increased and school meals were available for free to all students. The total has climbed by about 13.5 million since then.
Food insecurity is defined as having difficulty at some point during the year in obtaining enough food due to a lack of money or other resources. The USDA report is based on a Census Bureau survey of households in December. Respondents were asked if they could afford balanced meals or if they had to reduce or skip meals for lack of money or went hungry for a day, and how often.
“Without greater investments in anti-poverty and anti-hunger programs, hunger in this country will continue to climb,” said Crystal FitzSimons of the Food Research & Action Center, an anti-hunger group. “The findings in USDA’s report highlight the need to make significant investments in and expand proven programs like SNAP, healthy school meals for all, and the child tax credit. We have the tools to end hunger in America.”
About 58 percent of food insecure households took part in at least one of the USDA’s major public nutrition programs — SNAP, WIC, and school lunch — said the agency’s annual Household Food Security in the United States report. The report was first published in 1995.
“In 2023, the typical food secure household spent 16 percent more on food than the typical food insecure household of the same size and composition,” said the Economic Research Service report.
In percentage terms, 14.3 percent of individuals and 13.5 percent of households were food insecure during 2023. For households with children, the rate was 17.9 percent.
The food insecurity rate was highest in single-parent households with children, especially with women as the head of household, where it was 34.7 percent. That was followed by Black and Hispanic households, each above 21 percent; low-income households; households in the South; and households in rural areas and “principal cities,” each above 15 percent.
Rates were lowest among married couples, with or without children; white households; suburban households; and households in the Northeast.