State-by-State Estimates of Food Insufficiency and Insecurity
In the U.S., food insecurity is more than two times what it was prior to COVID-19
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Volunteers arrive to distribute food at the San Antonio Food Bank in Texas.
The COVID-19 crisis has not impacted everywhere in the U.S. equally, and to evaluate this as demonstrated by disparate food insecurity rates by state. The Census’s Household Pulse Survey (CHHPS) contains respondents from all 50 states, so we can do the same exercise of translating food insufficiency into food insecurity in all 50 states using an analogous conditional means approach with the CPS-FSS.
In the U.S. overall, according to the CPS-FSS, food insecurity during COVID-19 is 2.12 times what it was prior to the onset of the national health emergency. (See the complete table below.)
We find that food insecurity rates are dramatically elevated in every state, though there is substantial heterogeneity. Mississippi and Louisiana have the highest estimates of food insecurity during COVID-19, at 31.6% and 30.1%, respectively. Vermont, with 14.1% food insecure, is the only state with a food insecurity rate below 15%. Vermont and Oklahoma saw the smallest increases in food insecurity so far during COVID-19, both with less than a 50% increase (though from very different base levels). In two states, food insecurity more than tripled: Georgia and Rhode Island.
Column (5) in the table below reports the share of households responding that they received free food from any source over the prior 7 days—e.g., from food pantries, a school or children’s program, from neighbors, and so on. Across the U.S., 7.3% of households reported receiving free food in the prior week. More than 1 in 10 households reported receiving free food in Hawaii and New Mexico.
Food Insecurity and Emergency Food Use, by State and District of Columbia
|
|
Food Insecurity: Dec. 2018 |
Predicted Food Insecurity: Feb. 2020 |
Food Insecurity: April–May 2020 |
Ratio: |
Received Free Food, Prior 7 Days |
|
(1) |
(2) |
(3) |
(4) |
(5) |
|
|
U.S. Total |
11.1% |
10.8% |
23.0% |
2.12 |
7.3% |
|
Alabama |
14.2% |
13.4% |
24.1% |
1.80 |
6.5% |
|
Alaska |
11.6% |
11.1% |
18.1% |
1.63 |
6.6% |
|
Arizona |
11.4% |
11.2% |
24.1% |
2.16 |
5.8% |
|
Arkansas |
11.9% |
12.1% |
25.9% |
2.15 |
9.5% |
|
California |
10.2% |
9.1% |
21.8% |
2.40 |
8.6% |
|
Colorado |
10.0% |
9.6% |
20.1% |
2.09 |
6.0% |
|
Connecticut |
13.5% |
13.4% |
22.8% |
1.70 |
6.4% |
|
Delaware |
9.2% |
10.2% |
21.6% |
2.13 |
4.6% |
|
D.C. |
10.8% |
8.8% |
21.1% |
2.39 |
5.8% |
|
Florida |
10.5% |
10.2% |
24.6% |
2.42 |
7.3% |
|
Georgia |
7.9% |
7.1% |
23.6% |
3.32 |
5.4% |
|
Hawaii |
7.8% |
8.0% |
18.4% |
2.30 |
12.5% |
|
Idaho |
9.0% |
9.4% |
16.6% |
1.76 |
8.3% |
|
Illinois |
9.0% |
8.2% |
24.0% |
2.92 |
6.3% |
|
Indiana |
14.8% |
14.4% |
22.6% |
1.57 |
7.4% |
|
Iowa |
6.6% |
7.0% |
19.2% |
2.73 |
6.8% |
|
Kansas |
12.5% |
13.1% |
20.8% |
1.59 |
7.9% |
|
Kentucky |
14.6% |
15.3% |
25.8% |
1.69 |
8.3% |
|
Louisiana |
13.6% |
12.5% |
30.1% |
2.41 |
9.3% |
|
Maine |
13.1% |
13.1% |
22.0% |
1.68 |
6.2% |
|
Maryland |
10.5% |
9.7% |
21.8% |
2.24 |
6.1% |
|
Massachusetts |
8.1% |
8.3% |
20.0% |
2.41 |
5.9% |
|
Michigan |
12.1% |
11.4% |
24.4% |
2.13 |
7.1% |
|
Minnesota |
7.2% |
8.9% |
17.8% |
1.99 |
9.2% |
|
Mississippi |
15.2% |
14.3% |
31.6% |
2.21 |
8.4% |
|
Missouri |
10.1% |
10.3% |
23.3% |
2.25 |
8.6% |
|
Montana |
10.1% |
9.5% |
17.8% |
1.87 |
6.1% |
|
Nebraska |
10.1% |
10.6% |
19.4% |
1.83 |
7.8% |
|
Nevada |
13.9% |
13.2% |
25.6% |
1.93 |
7.7% |
|
New Hampshire |
6.1% |
7.0% |
16.9% |
2.41 |
5.1% |
|
New Jersey |
9.1% |
9.6% |
25.2% |
2.63 |
5.4% |
|
New Mexico |
15.7% |
14.9% |
27.6% |
1.86 |
11.6% |
|
New York |
10.5% |
10.1% |
22.9% |
2.27 |
7.1% |
|
North Carolina |
12.9% |
11.7% |
24.0% |
2.04 |
6.4% |
|
North Dakota |
8.6% |
9.7% |
17.2% |
1.77 |
8.7% |
|
Ohio |
13.9% |
12.9% |
23.0% |
1.78 |
7.7% |
|
Oklahoma |
16.8% |
16.7% |
24.0% |
1.44 |
8.6% |
|
Oregon |
8.9% |
9.3% |
19.8% |
2.14 |
7.5% |
|
Pennsylvania |
11.0% |
10.3% |
21.3% |
2.06 |
5.8% |
|
Rhode Island |
7.8% |
6.7% |
22.1% |
3.32 |
5.3% |
|
South Carolina |
11.1% |
11.1% |
22.4% |
2.02 |
9.7% |
|
South Dakota |
9.8% |
10.1% |
18.3% |
1.82 |
9.4% |
|
Tennessee |
12.5% |
12.5% |
23.1% |
1.84 |
5.9% |
|
Texas |
13.3% |
12.4% |
26.8% |
2.17 |
8.2% |
|
Utah |
8.2% |
8.4% |
17.4% |
2.07 |
8.8% |
|
Vermont |
9.7% |
9.6% |
14.1% |
1.47 |
8.5% |
|
Virginia |
9.4% |
10.0% |
22.5% |
2.25 |
5.0% |
|
Washington |
9.8% |
10.1% |
18.6% |
1.83 |
5.8% |
|
West Virginia |
16.6% |
15.5% |
24.2% |
1.57 |
6.3% |
|
Wisconsin |
8.1% |
7.9% |
16.9% |
2.14 |
8.5% |
|
Wyoming |
11.1% |
12.3% |
18.8% |
1.53 |
7.3% |
Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach is the Margaret Walker Alexander Professor and IPR Director. Abigail Pitts is a research analyst. Read the full report, "How Much Has Food Insecurity Risen? Evidence from the Census Household Pulse Survey."
Photo credit: USDA Photo by Lance Cheung
Published: June 10, 2020.