Food Insecurity by state

In the South, 12% of adults reported their households went hungry in March. Four Southern states — MS, LA, AR, and FL — reported the highest rates of hunger in the U.S., topping out at 18% in MS.

Food insecurity, Mar 2-14, 2022

Percentage of adults who report their household sometimes or often went hungry in the last 7 days

In March 2022, 1 in 10 adults reported their household didn’t have enough to eat. Food insecurity was even more severe in MS, LA, AR, FL, and OK where 15% to 18% of adults reported not being able to put food on the table. As of February 2022, the cost of groceries had increased 8.6% compared to February 2021.1 Meanwhile, several Southern states including AR, FL, MS, and TN have rejected and stopped distributing emergency Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) allotments. Food banks are experiencing increased demand due to inflation and the elimination of these SNAP benefits.2,3,4,5 Yet many families cannot reach food banks because they lack access to vehicles.

Low-income residents of Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and New Orleans, Louisiana surveyed by the Southern Economic Advancement Project (SEAP) in November 2021 ranked basic needs of affordable housing, utilities, and food as the top three priorities that leaders should focus Covid recovery money on in their communities.6 State and local officials can dedicate flexible ARP funds to increase food access to marginalized communities. Meanwhile, food banks are appealing to their communities for greater donations.7 Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott made no-strings-attached “mega gifts” to dozens of food banks across the country.8

  1. “Food Price Outlook, 2022”. USDA Economic Research Service. https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-price-outlook/summary-findings/

  2. “Food banks struggle to help Texans as grocery prices increase”. Cobb. The Texas Tribune. April, 2022. https://www.texastribune.org/2022/04/13/texas-food-banks-groceries-inflation/

  3. “Local food banks see higher demand with soaring inflation”. Baez. WRAL Fayetteville. April, 2022. https://www.wral.com/coronavirus/local-food-banks-see-higher-demand-with-soaring-inflation/20233149/

  4. “Food banks see demand increase in Gainesville as prices rise nationally”. Webb. WUFT. Aprile, 2022. https://www.wuft.org/news/2022/04/12/food-banks-see-demand-increase-in-gainesville-as-prices-rise-nationally/

  5. “With emergency SNAP benefits ending, a ‘hunger cliff’ looms”. Huber. Food & Environment Reporting Network. April, 2022. https://thefern.org/2022/04/with-emergency-snap-benefits-ending-a-hunger-cliff-looms/

  6. “Two years into the pandemic, Southern families’ struggle with housing weighs heavy as lawmakers begin ARP spending plans”. The Southern Economic Advancement Project. March, 2022. https://theseap.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/ARP-Survey-Release_March_2022.pdf

  7. “Inflation takes a toll on Wiregrass Area Food Bank”. Blair. News 4. April, 2022. https://www.wtvy.com/2022/04/12/inflation-takes-toll-wiregrass-area-food-bank/

  8. “42 Food Banks Prepare to Spend Mega Gifts from Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott”. Food Bank News. February, 2021. https://foodbanknews.org/42-food-banks-prepare-to-spend-mega-gifts-from-philanthropist-mackenzie-scott/

Previous
Previous

Likelihood of eviction or foreclosure by state

Next
Next

Difficulty Paying Expenses