Some 10.5 million households lack the money or other resources to have an adequate food supply, says a Census Bureau housing survey that included questions about food security for the first time. Renters were three times more likely than homeowners to be food insecure.
Minority households and households with a person with a disability were more than twice as likely to be food insecure, according to the American Housing Survey, conducted every other year. The survey asked respondents if, during the previous month, they were unable to afford balanced meals, reduced meal size because of lack of money or went hungry.
The food insecurity rate calculated by the Census Bureau, 8.9 percent, was lower than the 13.3 percent indicated by a USDA report in September. The surveys looked at different time periods; the Census report asked about the previous month, the USDA survey asked about food shortages, poor diet, missed meals or weight loss during the previous year. The USDA report said food insecurity was lowest since the 2008-09 recession.