ECON3 Food insecurity: Percentage of children ages 0–17 in food-insecure households by selected characteristics and severity of food insecurity, selected years 1995–2022

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Characteristic 1995a 1999 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
All children
In food-insecure householdsb 19.4 16.9 17.6 18.1 18.2 19.0 16.9 17.2 16.9 22.5 23.2 21.6 22.4 21.6 21.4 20.9 17.9 17.5 17.0 15.2 14.6 16.1 12.8 18.5
In households with very low food security among childrenc 1.3 0.7 0.6 0.8 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.6 0.9 1.5 1.3 1.3 1.1 1.3 1.0 1.2 0.7 1.0 0.7 0.7 0.5 0.8 0.7 1.1
Poverty status
Below 100% poverty
In food-insecure householdsb 44.4 44.0 45.9 45.6 45.2 47.1 42.5 43.6 42.9 51.5 51.2 43.7 46.0 45.8 46.4 45.1 43.5 42.1 43.4 39.0 36.5 40.6 31.9 43.5
In households with very low food security among childrenc 3.4 2.2 2.6 2.4 2.0 2.5 2.9 2.1 3.0 4.3 4.2 3.3 3.0 3.4 2.4 3.8 2.1 3.3 2.8 2.3 1.1 1.8 3.4 3.2
100–199% poverty
In food-insecure householdsb 25.4 23.4 27.1 28.4 29.6 28.0 26.4 26.7 27.5 33.7 34.5 32.3 31.7 32.1 32.3 30.4 27.5 25.7 26.0 25.2 24.5 28.5 23.8 31.0
In households with very low food security among childrenc 1.4 0.9 0.8 1.2 0.9 1.1 0.8 0.8 1.2 2.1 1.8 1.3 1.4 2.2 1.2 1.1 1.0 0.8 1.2 0.9 1.1 1.2 0.8 1.8
200% poverty and above
In food-insecure householdsb 4.8 5.2 5.5 6.0 6.2 6.2 6.0 6.1 6.1 8.9 9.1 8.6 7.0 7.7 6.8 6.8 5.5 5.6 5.5 6.0 5.5 5.4 4.9 7.6
In households with very low food security among childrenc 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.5 0.2 0.3 ‡ 0.2 ‡ ‡ ‡ 0.3 ‡ ‡ ‡ 0.3
Race and Hispanic origind
White, non-Hispanic
In food-insecure householdsb 14.0 11.0 11.9 12.6 12.0 13.0 12.2 11.8 11.9 16.0 16.7 14.9 16.0 16.9 15.4 15.0 13.7 13.2 12.4 11.5 11.0 10.4 8.1 13.4
In households with very low food security among childrenc 0.8 0.4 0.2 0.4 0.2 0.4 0.5 0.3 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.5 0.6 0.8 0.6 0.8 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.8
Black, non-Hispanic
In food-insecure householdsb 30.6 28.6 29.6 29.4 30.8 31.2 29.2 29.3 26.1 34.0 34.6 34.8 32.0 31.5 36.1 34.4 26.9 25.6 27.0 25.8 24.1 30.1 22.4 28.9
In households with very low food security among childrenc 2.3 1.0 1.4 1.3 1.0 1.3 1.9 1.5 1.8 3.2 2.3 2.6 2.2 2.5 2.4 2.1 1.1 2.1 1.5 1.8 1.2 1.4 1.9 1.1
Hispanic
In food-insecure householdsb 33.9 29.2 28.6 29.2 30.8 29.6 23.7 26.0 26.7 33.9 34.9 32.5 34.5 28.7 29.5 28.8 23.8 24.3 23.2 18.1 19.2 23.3 18.5 25.6
In households with very low food security among childrenc 2.6 1.3 1.3 1.6 1.6 1.2 1.2 0.7 1.9 2.7 2.5 2.5 2.0 1.9 1.5 1.8 1.3 1.4 0.8 1.2 ‡ 1.8 1.0 1.9
Regione
Northeast
In food-insecure householdsb 16.8 13.9 13.2 15.2 15.9 14.7 14.1 14.3 14.6 19.7 19.5 18.0 19.9 17.9 18.8 19.3 16.1 15.2 14.9 13.6 14.3 13.7 10.0 14.6
In households with very low food security among childrenc 0.8 0.3 0.8 0.7 0.5 0.5 1.0 0.5 0.7 1.3 1.8 0.9 0.9 1.2 0.9 1.0 0.6 0.8 ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡
South
In food-insecure householdsb 20.5 17.9 19.9 20.2 19.3 20.2 18.0 19.3 18.3 24.3 25.1 22.9 23.7 23.8 24.8 23.4 19.0 19.6 19.1 16.4 14.8 18.2 13.9 21.1
In households with very low food security among childrenc 1.3 0.7 0.6 0.9 0.7 0.9 0.7 0.6 0.9 1.3 1.2 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.2 1.3 0.7 1.1 0.8 0.5 0.5 0.9 0.6 1.2
Midwest
In food-insecure householdsb 16.2 14.2 14.0 15.8 16.5 17.6 15.8 16.5 15.4 21.1 21.7 20.0 18.5 20.5 18.6 19.3 16.7 16.0 16.4 16.6 15.1 15.2 12.3 19.0
In households with very low food security among childrenc 0.8 0.6 0.5 0.3 0.3 0.7 0.6 0.6 0.9 1.1 0.6 0.9 1.0 1.5 0.9 0.9 0.8 0.7 1.0 1.1 ‡ 1.2 ‡ 1.2
West
In food-insecure householdsb 23.2 20.3 20.9 19.5 19.8 21.7 18.1 16.7 17.7 23.0 23.9 23.6 25.3 21.5 20.5 19.5 18.2 17.1 15.4 13.1 14.3 15.0 13.1 16.1
In households with very low food security among childrenc 2.1 1.2 0.7 1.1 0.6 0.8 1.1 0.6 1.2 2.1 1.9 1.6 0.9 1.1 1.0 1.7 0.9 0.9 0.3 0.9 0.5 0.4 1.0 1.1
Parental education
Parent or guardian with highest education less than high school or GED
In food-insecure householdsb 41.8 40.5 37.6 41.4 37.7 39.8 37.3 39.2 38.2 46.2 42.6 41.8 42.5 41.3 38.9 37.3 33.1 37.1 33.4 27.1 34.7 32.0 33.4 44.9
In households with very low food security among childrenc 3.0 2.0 1.1 1.8 1.4 1.2 1.4 2.3 2.4 2.8 3.2 3.2 2.8 2.8 1.6 3.4 ‡ 5.9 ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ 3.5
Parent or guardian with highest education high school or GED
In food-insecure householdsb 24.9 24.2 25.9 25.1 26.7 27.7 25.1 25.2 23.7 33.6 34.2 29.4 33.4 30.0 34.5 32.5 29.0 27.2 26.7 25.7 24.0 28.7 19.3 29.7
In households with very low food security among childrenc 1.2 0.7 1.1 1.2 0.8 1.3 0.9 0.8 1.6 2.6 2.0 1.8 1.3 2.0 1.7 2.2 0.8 1.1 1.1 1.2 0.7 1.7 0.9 1.9
Parent or guardian with highest education some college, including vocational/technical or associate's degree
In food-insecure householdsb 18.9 15.6 17.5 18.8 19.2 20.7 18.3 19.3 18.7 25.6 27.0 26.6 25.9 26.7 26.6 27.6 23.4 22.3 22.4 20.1 19.1 21.2 18.3 25.4
In households with very low food security among childrenc 1.5 0.9 0.5 0.8 0.7 0.9 1.1 0.5 1.0 1.6 1.6 1.4 1.6 1.5 1.3 1.3 1.1 0.9 1.1 1.0 0.9 0.7 0.9 1.4
Parent or guardian with highest education bachelor's degree or higher
In food-insecure householdsb 5.1 4.4 5.3 5.6 6.1 5.5 4.9 4.7 5.8 7.4 9.0 8.3 8.8 9.2 7.9 7.6 6.6 6.9 6.9 6.3 6.0 6.1 4.9 7.9
In households with very low food security among childrenc 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.3 0.5 0.3 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.2 0.3 ‡ ‡ 0.4 0.3 0.4
Family structure
Married-couple household
In food-insecure householdsb 13.3 11.5 12.6 12.0 12.3 13.0 11.3 11.5 11.8 15.8 17.1 15.4 15.6 14.5 14.7 14.0 11.4 11.0 10.6 9.5 8.6 10.7 7.8 11.7
In households with very low food security among childrenc 0.8 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.2 0.5 0.5 0.2 0.6 0.8 0.9 0.9 0.8 0.8 0.7 0.7 0.4 0.6 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.4 0.3 0.4
Female-headed household, no spouse
In food-insecure householdsb 38.6 33.4 33.5 35.5 34.5 35.8 32.8 33.3 31.8 39.9 38.4 36.9 39.6 38.0 37.1 38.7 33.4 33.1 33.4 30.5 30.4 30.0 25.2 35.5
In households with very low food security among childrenc 2.8 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.8 1.5 1.7 1.6 2.0 3.2 2.7 2.3 1.9 2.5 2.0 2.5 1.5 2.0 1.9 2.2 1.5 1.7 1.8 2.8
Male-headed household, no spouse
In food-insecure householdsb 21.0 18.8 17.1 23.0 24.3 24.0 18.4 19.5 20.5 30.0 28.6 27.6 26.3 26.0 25.5 22.5 22.3 23.1 20.4 16.8 16.5 17.9 16.4 23.1
In households with very low food security among childrenc 1.1 0.8 0.9 1.1 0.7 1.0 0.7 0.6 0.6 2.0 1.0 ‡ ‡ 1.6 ‡ 2.3 ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ 1.2
‡ Reporting standards not met; fewer than 10 households in the survey with this characteristic had very low food security among children.
a Statistics for 1995 are not precisely comparable with those for more recent years, because of a change in the method of screening Current Population Survey (CPS) sample households into the food security questions. The effect on 1995 statistics (a slight downward bias) is perceptible only for the category "In food-insecure households." Statistics for 1996, 1997, 1998, and 2000 are omitted because they are not directly comparable with those for other years.
b Either adults or children or both were food insecure. At times, they were unable to acquire adequate food for active, healthy living for all household members because they had insufficient money and other resources for food.
c In these households, eating patterns of one or more children were disrupted, and their food intake was reduced below a level considered adequate by their caregiver. Prior to 2006, the category "with very low food security among children" was labeled "food insecure with hunger among children." The U.S. Department of Agriculture introduced the new label based on recommendations by the Committee on National Statistics.
d Race and Hispanic origin are those of the household reference person. From 1995 to 2002, the 1977 U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) standards for data on race and ethnicity were used to classify persons into one of the following four racial groups: White, Black, American Indian or Alaskan Native, or Asian or Pacific Islander. Beginning in 2003, the revised 1997 OMB standards were used. Persons could select one or more of five racial groups: White, Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, or Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. Included in the total but not shown separately are American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and "Two or more races." From 2003 onward, statistics for White, non-Hispanic and Black, non-Hispanic exclude persons who indicated "Two or more races." Statistics by race and ethnicity from 2003 onward are not directly comparable with statistics for earlier years, although examination of the size and food security prevalence rates of the multiple-race categories suggests that effects of the reclassification on food security prevalence statistics were small. Data on race and Hispanic origin are collected separately. Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.
e Regions: Northeast includes CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, and VT. South includes AL, AR, DC, DE, FL, GA, KY, LA, MD, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA, and WV. Midwest includes IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, OH, SD, and WI. West includes AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NM, NV, OR, UT, WA, and WY.
NOTE: The food security measure is based on data collected annually in the Food Security Supplement to the CPS. The criteria for classifying households as food insecure reflect a consensus judgment of an expert working group on food security measurement. For detailed explanations, see Bickel, G., Nord, M., Price, C., Hamilton, W., & Cook, J. (2000). Guide to measuring household food security. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service; and Coleman-Jensen, A., Rabbitt, M., Gregory, C., & Singh, A., 2022, Household food security in the United States in 2021 (Economic Research Report No. 309). U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement; tabulated by U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service and Food and Nutrition Service.

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