Food Insecurity by state

Across the South, 11% of adults reported their households went hungry in September. In LA and MS, it was 15%.

Food Insecurity

Percentage of adults who report their household sometimes or often went hungry in the last 7 days
Sep 15 - 27, 2021

Source: Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey

Putting food on the table has been a problem throughout the pandemic as low-wage workers suffered heavy job losses.¹ In addition, grocery prices rose 4.5% over the last year (Sept 2020 to Sept 2021), with the largest increase in meat, poultry, fish, and eggs (10.5%).² Food prices are expected to continue to rise through the end of 2021 due to supply chain breakdowns.³

More than 1 in 10 Southern adults reported their families didn’t have enough to eat in September. In Louisiana and Mississippi, nearly 1 in 5 adults reported their families went hungry. Historical data shows a persistent racial disparity, with Black and Hispanic households going hungry at rates twice that of white households.⁴

1. “Low-wage, low-hour workers were hit hardest in the COVID-19 recession”. Gould, Kassa. Economic Policy Institute. May, 2021. https://www.epi.org/publication/swa-2020-employment-report/

2. “Consumer Price Index — September 2021”. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. October, 2021. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cpi.pdf

3. “Here’s why grocery prices keep going up”. Reiley, Fowers. The Washington Post. September, 2021. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/09/15/food-inflation-faq/ 

4. “Examining the Impact of Structural Racism on Food Insecurity: Implications for Addressing Racial/Ethnic Disparities.” Odoms-Young, Bruce. Family & Community Health. April, 2020. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5823283/