Economic
Research
Service
Selected charts from
Administrative
Publication
Ag and Food Statistics
Number 121
February 2024
Charting the Essentials
2024
Contents
4
Ag and Food Sectors and the Economy
6
Rural Economy
9
Land and Natural Resources
11
Farming and Farm Income
14
Agricultural Production and Prices
17
Agricultural Trade
20
Food Consumption and Availability
22
Food Prices and Spending
25
Food Security and Nutrition Assistance
On October 29, 2024, the chart entitled “Change in all-food
CPI, intermediate foods and feeds PPI, and field crop prices,
2003-22” was updated with the correct annual percent change in
field crop prices for 2022. No other changes were made.
USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) conducts high-
quality, objective economic research to inform and enhance
public and private decision making on emerging issues in
agriculture, food, the environment, and rural America.
Ag and Food Statistics: Charting the Essentials covers key
food and agricultural indicators and illustrates the scope of
ERS’s work through a series of charts and maps. This booklet
provides a sample of those maps and charts available on the
ERS website at ers.usda.gov/essentials.
Organized into nine topics, Charting the Essentials provides
answers for questions such as: How much do agriculture
and related industries contribute to the U.S. economy?
What economic forces are shaping rural areas of the United
States? What are the top destinations for U.S. agricultural
exports? What percent of income do U.S. households spend
on food?
Charting the Essentials provides a resource for public
officials, researchers, educators, students, journalists, and
anyone looking for current information on these topics to
inform decision-making.
Visit the ERS website where you can view and download
these charts and maps, as well as a variety of reports and
other products, such as Charts of Note and Amber Waves
online magazine.
Selected charts from Ag and Food Statistics: Charting the Essentials, February 2024
Ag and Food Sectors and
the Economy
The U.S. agriculture sector extends beyond the farm to include
restaurants, food manufacturers, and food stores.
Agriculture and its related industries provide 10.4 percent of U.S. employment…
U.S. employment in agriculture, food, and related industries, 2022
22.1 million jobs*
(10.4 percent of U.S. employment)
Farms
(1.2%)
Forestry, fishing,
2.6
and related activities
(0.5%)
Food services, eating
1.0
and drinking places Food, beverage,
(6.0% of U.S. and tobacco
employment) 2.1 manufacturing
(1.0%)
0.4
12.7 million jobs Textile, apparel, and
leather manufacturing
3.3 (0.2%)
Food and
beverage stores
(1.6%)
*Full- and part-time jobs. Categories may not sum to total because of rounding.
Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using data from U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of
Economic Analysis (SAEMP25N), as of September 29, 2023.
4
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USDA, Economic Research Service www.ers.usda.gov
…and 5.5 percent of U.S. gross domestic product (GDP).
Value added to U.S. GDP by agriculture and related industries, 2017–22
Billion dollars
1,500
Food services, eating
1,250
and drinking places
Food and beverage
1,000 stores
Textile, apparel, and
750 leather manufacturing
Food, beverage, and
tobacco manufacturing
500
Forestry, fishing, and
related activities
250
Farms
0
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
GDP = Gross domestic product.
Note: Values are not adjusted for inflation.
Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using data from U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of
Economic Analysis, Value Added by Industry, as of September 28, 2023.
Food ranked third behind housing and transportation in U.S. households’ expenditures in 2022.
Share of U.S. household consumer expenditures by major categories, 2022
Apparel, 2.7%
Other, 3.1%
Education, reading, 2.0%
Savings, 3.8%
Entertainment, alcoholic
beverages, 5.5%
Housing, 33.3%
Healthcare, 8.0%
Personal insurance,
pensions, 12.0%
Transportation, 16.8%
Food, 12.8%
Note: “Other” includes personal care products, tobacco, and miscellaneous expenditures.
Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor
Statistics, 2022 Consumer Expenditure Survey data.
5
Selected charts from Ag and Food Statistics: Charting the Essentials, February 2024
Rural Economy
Although rural and urban unemployment rates were similar during the
Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, poverty rates remained higher in
rural areas. Despite overall rural population growth from 2020 to 2022,
population change varied across rural counties of the United States.
The gap between rural and urban poverty rates persists.
U.S. rural and urban poverty and unemployment rates, 2000–22
Poverty and unemployment rate (percent)
20
Rural poverty
18
16
15.4%
14
Urban poverty 12.1%
12
10
8
Rural unemployment 3.7%
6 (Rural)
4
Urban unemployment 3.6%
2
(Urban)
0
2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022
Note: Rural/urban status is based on 2013 county nonmetro/metro delineations as determined by the
Office of Management and Budget.
Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using county-level data data from U.S. Department of
Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates Program (poverty) and
and U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (unemployment).
6
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USDA, Economic Research Service www.ers.usda.gov
Losses to rural population reversed in 2021 and 2022...
U.S. population change in metro and nonmetro areas, 1978–2022
Percent change from previous year
1.6
1.2
Metro
0.8
U.S. total
0.4
Nonmetro
0.0
-0.4
1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using data from U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau
of the Census, county population estimates. Estimates of annual change for 2010–2020 are provisional
and do not reflect 2020 Census counts.
…but this varied across the United States.
U.S. nonmetro county population change, 2020–22
U.S. growth for the period was 0.54 percent
Nonmetro counties
Population decline
Population growth below 0.54 percent Urbanized areas
Population growth 0.54 percent or higher Metro counties
Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using data from U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau
of the Census, Population Estimates Program, based on 2013 county nonmetro/metro delineations as
determined by the Office of Management and Budget. 7
Selected charts from Ag and Food Statistics: Charting the Essentials, February 2024
Rural areas vary in the industries that underpin their economies.
ERS county economic typology, 2015
Urbanized areas
Metro counties
Nonmetro counties
Farming-dependent (391 counties) Federal-State government-dependent (239 counties)
Mining-dependent (184 counties) Recreation (229 counties)
Manufacturing-dependent (348 counties) Nonspecialized (585 counties)
Note: The 2015 county typologies use data from 2010-12.
Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using data from U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic
Analysis.
8
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USDA, Economic Research Service www.ers.usda.gov
Land and Natural
Resources
U.S. agricultural production relies heavily on the Nation’s land, water,
and other natural resources, and has a direct impact on the quality of
the natural environment.
Agricultural production is a major use of land, accounting for over half of the U.S. land base.
Major land uses in the United States, 1949–2012
Percent of U.S. acres
100
Other land
Urban area
Special uses (nonagricultural)*
75
Nonagricultural land
Forestland not grazed
Special uses (agricultural)*
50 Forestland grazed
Pasture and range
Agricultural land
25
Cropland
0
1949 1954 1959 1964 1969 1974 1978 1982 1987 1992 1997 2002 2007 2012
*Nonagricultural special uses include rural parks and wilderness areas, rural transportation areas, and
defense/industrial lands. Agricultural special uses include farmsteads and farm roads.
Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using data from the Major Land Uses series.
9
Selected charts from Ag and Food Statistics: Charting the Essentials, February 2024
Five States—Nebraska, California, Arkansas, Texas, and Idaho—accounted for just over half of the
Nation’s irrigated acres.
Acres of irrigated land, 2017
U.S. total = 58,013,907 acres
1 dot = 10,000 acres
Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using data from USDA, National Agricultural Statistics
Service, 2017 Census of Agriculture.
USDA’s funding for major working lands conservation programs has more than doubled over the past 25
years while funding for the Conservation Reserve Program has stayed fairly constant.
Major USDA conservation program expenditures, fiscal years 1996–2022
Billion 2021 dollars
9
Regional Conservation Partnership Program
8
Agricultural Conservation Easement Program
7
Working land programs
6
Conservation Reserve Program
5
4
3
2
1
0
1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 20082010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022
Note: Working land programs include the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, the Conservation
Stewardship Program (CSP), program-related technical assistance, and predecessor programs.
Predecessors of the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program include the Wetlands Reserve
Program, Farmland Protection Program, and part of the Grassland Reserve Program. CSP expenditures
in 2019 and 2020 reflect obligations under CSP contracts signed prior to the 2018 Farm Act that had
originally been budgeted as ongoing obligations during the term of the contract. Data for 2022 reflect
enacted spending. Values adjusted to 2021 dollars using the Gross Domestic Product Implicit Price
Deflator.
Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using budget summary data from USDA, Office of Budget
and Program Analysis.
10
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USDA, Economic Research Service www.ers.usda.gov
Farming and Farm
Income
Early 20th century agriculture was labor intensive, and it took place on
many small, diversified farms. Much of today’s agricultural production
takes place on larger and more specialized farms.
The number of farms has leveled off at about 2 million.
Farms, land in farms, and average acres per farm, 1850–2022
Million farms, billion acres, or 100 acres per farm
7
Farms (million)
6
Average farm size
5
(100 acres per farm)
4.46
4
3
2 2.00
1 .893
Land in farms (billion acres)
0
1850 1890 1925 1945 1964 1982 2002 2022
1870 1910 1935 1954 1974 1992 2012
Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using data from USDA, National Agricultural Statistics
Service, Census of Agriculture (through 2017) and Farms and Land in Farms: 2022 Summary
(February 2023).
11
Selected charts from Ag and Food Statistics: Charting the Essentials, February 2024
Agricultural output has grown, driven primarily by total factor productivity change.
U.S. agricultural output, inputs, and total factor productivity, 1948–2019
Index, 1948 = 1
3.0
Total agricultural output
2.5
2.0
Total factor productivity
1.5
Total farm inputs
1.0
0.5
0.0
1948 1958 1968 1978 1988 1998 2008 2019
Source: USDA, Economic Research Service, Agricultural Productivity in the U.S. data series. Data as of
January 2022.
Net farm sector income reached a record high in 2022…
U.S. gross farm income, production expenses, and net farm income, 2002–23F
Billion dollars (2023)
700
Gross farm income
600
500
400
Production expenses
300
Net farm income
200
100
0
2002 2005 2008 2011 2014 2017 2020 2023F
Note: F = forecast. Values are adjusted for inflation using the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau
of Economic Analysis, Gross Domestic Product Price Index (BEA API series code: A191RG) rebased to
2023 by USDA, Economic Research Service.
Source: USDA, Economic Research Service, Farm Income and Wealth Statistics.
Data as of November 30, 2023.
12
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USDA, Economic Research Service www.ers.usda.gov
…while off-farm income continues to be important to total farm household income, especially among
small-scale producers.
Median income of farm households, by income source and farm type, 2022
Median income (dollars per household) Income from farming
550,000 Income from off-farm sources
Total household income
450,000 All-farm median household
income ($95,418)
350,000
U.S. median household
income ($74,580)
250,000
150,000
50,000
-50,000
Small Midsize Large-scale
(GCFI less than (GCFI $350,000 to (GCFI $1 million
$350,000) $999,999) or more)
Note: Farm type reflects annual gross cash farm income (GCFI), which includes sales of crops and
livestock, Federal Government payments, and other farm-related income, including fees received by
operators from production contracts.
Source: USDA, Economic Research Service and USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service, Ag-
ricultural Resource Management Survey and U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census,
Current Population Reports. Data as of November 30, 2023.
13
Selected charts from Ag and Food Statistics: Charting the Essentials, February 2024
Agricultural Production
and Prices
Markets for major agricultural commodities are typically analyzed
by looking at supply-and-use conditions and the implications for
prices. Many interactions and relationships exist between and among
different commodities. For example, corn production and prices
affect feed costs in the livestock sector.
Corn and soybean acreage has increased since the 1990s, while fewer acres are planted with wheat.
U.S. planted area: Corn, wheat, soybeans, and upland cotton, 1993–2023
Million acres
100
90
Corn
80
Soybeans
70
60
Wheat
50
40
30
20 Upland Cotton
10
0
1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 2021
1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023
Source: USDA, Economic Research Service, Agricultural Baseline Database.
14
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USDA, Economic Research Service www.ers.usda.gov
U.S. crop production is concentrated in California and the Midwest, while livestock production is more spread
out across the country.
Market value of crops sold in 2017
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USDA, Economic Research Service www.ers.usda.gov
Agricultural Trade
The leading U.S. agricultural exports are grains and feeds, soybeans,
livestock products, tree nuts, fruits, vegetables, and other horticultural
products. The leading U.S. imports are horticultural and tropical
products. China, Mexico, Canada, the European Union, and Japan are
major U.S. trade partners.
The United States typically exports more agricultural goods by value than it imports, but the value of
imports have grown more rapidly than exports over the past decade.
U.S. agricultural trade, 2001–23
Billion dollars
250
Trade balance Exports Imports
200
150
100
50
0
-50
2 0
01
2 0 0
3
2 0 0
5
2 0
07
2 0 0
9
2
011
2
013
2
015
2
017
2
019
2 0
21
2 0 2
3
Fiscal year
Note: Values are not adjusted for inflation. The trade balance is equal to the value of exports minus the
value of imports. When the balance is negative, imports exceed exports.
Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using data from U.S. Department of Commerce,
Bureau of the Census.
17
Selected charts from Ag and Food Statistics: Charting the Essentials, February 2024
The value of U.S. agricultural exports, not adjusting for inflation, peaked in 2022 before declining into 2023.
Much of the decrease was from lower export values of corn, wheat, tree nuts, and beef.
U.S. agricultural exports, 2001–23
Billion dollars
200
175
All other
150 Sugar and tropical
products
125 Animals, meats, and
products
100
Horticultural
75 products
Oilseeds and
50 products
Grains and feeds
25
0
2 0
01
2 0 0
3
2 0 0
5
2 0
07
2 0 0
9
2
011
2
013
2
015
2
017
2
019
2 0
21
2 0 2
3
Fiscal year
Note: Values are not adjusted for inflation.
Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using data from U.S. Department of Commerce,
Bureau of the Census.
China, Mexico, and Canada were top destinations for U.S. agricultural exports in 2023.
Top five markets for U.S. agricultural exports, 2001–23
Billion dollars
200
175
150
125 European
Union-27
100
Japan
75 Canada
Mexico
50
China
25 Other
0
2 0
01
2 0 0
3
2 0 0
5
2 0
07
2 0 0
9
2
011
2
013
2
015
2
017
2
019
2 0
21
2 0 2
3
Fiscal year
Note: Values are not adjusted for inflation.
Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using data from U.S. Department of Commerce,
Bureau of the Census.
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USDA, Economic Research Service www.ers.usda.gov
Exports account for 40 percent or more of the total market value for U.S. fruits and tree nuts, oilseeds, and
food grains such as rice and wheat.
Export value share of production, 2013–22
Food grains
Grain and oilseed milling products
Oilseeds
Fruits and tree nuts
Meat products
Feed grains
Vegetables and melons
Preserved fruit and vegetables
Dairy products
Sugar and confections
Beverages
Bakery products
Sweeteners
Livestock
0 20 40 60 80
Percent share
Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using data from U.S. Department of Commerce,
Bureau of the Census.
Increasing imports of horticultural products, particularly fresh fruits, have driven total growth in the value
of U.S. agricultural imports over the past two decades.
U.S. agricultural imports, 2001–23
Billion dollars
200
175
All other
150 Sugar and tropical
products
125 Animals, meats, and
products
100
Horticultural
75 products
Oilseeds and
50 products
Grains and feeds
25
0
2 0
01
2 0 0
3
2 0 0
5
2 0
07
2 0 0
9
2
011
2
013
2
015
2
017
2
019
2 0
21
2 0 2
3
Fiscal year
Note: Values are not adjusted for inflation.
Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using data from U.S. Department of Commerce,
Bureau of the Census.
19
Selected charts from Ag and Food Statistics: Charting the Essentials, February 2024
Food Consumption and
Availability
ERS’s Food Availability Data estimate the amount of food available for
human consumption in the United States by measuring the supply of
foods moving through the U.S. marketing system. Food availability data
track changes in U.S. diets over time.
Per capita availability of caloric sweeteners in the United States trended down over the last two decades—
led by a steady decline in corn sweeteners consumption.
U.S. per capita caloric sweetener availability, 1970–2021
Pounds per person, dry-weight
160
140
Total
120
100 Refined cane and beet sugars
80
60
40
Corn sweeteners
20
Honeyand edible syrups
0
1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020
Note: Corn sweeteners include high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), glucose syrup, and dextrose.
Edible syrups include sorgo (sweet sorghum), maple and sugarcane syrup, edible molasses, and
edible refiners’ syrup.
Source: USDA, Economic Research Service, Food Availability Data.
20
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USDA, Economic Research Service www.ers.usda.gov
U.S. per capita availability of chicken has outpaced pork since 1996 and beef since 2010.
U.S. per capita availability of beef, pork, chicken, and f ish/shellfish, 1910–2021
Pounds per person1
100
Beef Pork Chicken Fish andshellfish*
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020
1Calculated on the basis of raw and edible meat in boneless, trimmed (edible) weight. Excludes
edible offals, bones, viscera, and game from red meat. Includes skin, neck, and giblets from chicken.
Excludes use of chicken for commercially prepared pet food.
*Fish and shellfish data are only available through 2019.
Source: USDA, Economic Research Service, Food Availability Data.
Potatoes and tomatoes are consistently the individual vegetables with the highest U.S. per capita availability
over the 2001–20 period.
U.S. per capita vegetable availability, 2001–20
Pounds per person
450
350
250
150
50
2 0 01 2 0 0 3 2 0 0 5 2 0 07 2 0 0 9 2 011 2 013 2 015 2 017 2 019
Legumes Dark green Other vegetables Red and orange, excl. tomatoes
Tomatoes Starchy, excluding potatoes Potatoes
Note: Legumes: dry edible beans, dry peas. Dark green: broccoli, collard greens, escarole, kale,
mustard greens, romaine and leaf lettuce, spinach, turnip greens. Other vegetables: artichokes, aspar-
agus, beets, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers, eggplant, garlic, head lettuce,
okra, onions, radishes, snap beans, squash. Red and orange, excluding tomatoes: bell peppers,
carrots, chili peppers, pumpkin, sweet potatoes. Starchy, excluding potatoes: green peas, lima beans,
sweet corn.
21
Source: USDA, Economic Research Service, Food Availability Data.
Selected charts from Ag and Food Statistics: Charting the Essentials, February 2024
Food Prices and
Spending
Retail food prices partially reflect farm-level commodity prices, but
other costs of bringing food to the market (such as processing and
retailing) have a greater role in determining prices on supermarket
shelves and restaurant menus.
Even large swings in farm commodity prices result in modest changes in food prices…
Change in all-food CPI, intermediate foods and feeds PPI, and field crop
prices, 2003–22
Annual percent change
90
80 All-food CPI
Intermediate foods and feeds PPI
70 Field crop prices*
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
-10
-20
-30
4 6 8 0 2 4 6 8 0 2
2 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 2 01 2 01 2 01 2 01 2 01 2 0 2 2 0 2
*Calendar year, production-weighted average for corn, wheat, and soybeans.
CPI = Consumer Price Index. PPI = Producer Price Index.
Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service data;
and U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Last updated: November 29, 2023.
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USDA, Economic Research Service www.ers.usda.gov
…as much of U.S. consumers’ retail food dollar pays for processing, retailing, and foodservice costs.
2022 Food Dollar Series’ industry group dollar, nominal
Packaging, 2.7¢ Transportation, 3.5¢ Food services, 34.1¢
Wholesale trade, 10.7¢
Retail trade, 12.4¢ Other, 3.9¢
Food processing, 14.4¢ Energy, 3.8¢
Farm production, 7.9¢ Finance and insurance, 3.2¢
Advertising, 3.4¢
Note: The food dollar estimates provide the average industry group shares of each nominal, or unad-
justed for inflation, dollar spent on domestically produced food in a year. Other includes Agribusiness
(2.1 cents) and Legal and accounting (1.8 cents).
Source: USDA, Economic Research Service, Food Dollar Series.
Spending on food-away-from-home continued to outpace food-at-home spending in 2022.
Food-at-home and food-away-from-home expenditures in the United States,
1960–2022
Trillion dollars
2.6
2.4
2.2
2.0
1.8
1.6
1.4
1.2
Food away
1.0 from home
0.8
0.6
0.4
Food at home
0.2
0.0
2 6 0 4 8 2 6 0 4 8 2 6 0 4 8 2
196 196 197 197 197 198 198 199 199 199 200 200 201 201 201 202
Note: Values are in nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
Source: USDA, Economic Research Service, Food Expenditure Series. 23
Selected charts from Ag and Food Statistics: Charting the Essentials, February 2024
U.S. households in the middle-income quintile spend just over 13 percent of their incomes on food, but
households in the lowest-income quintile spend about 31 percent.
Food spending and share of income spent on food across U .S. households, 2022
Average annual Percent of income
food spending, dollars spent on food
16,000 40
Spending (left axis)
14,000 35
Share (right axis)
12,000 30
10,000 25
8,000 20
6,000 15
4,000 10
2,000 5
0 0
Lowest Second Middle Fourth Highest
Income quintile
Note: U.S. households are sorted from lowest to highest household income, and then divided into five
equal groups, or quintiles.
Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statis-
tics, 2022 Consumer Expenditure Survey data.
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USDA, Economic Research Service www.ers.usda.gov
Food Security and
Nutrition Assistance
ERS monitors the food security of U.S. households through an annual,
nationally representative survey. While most U.S. households are
food secure, a minority of U.S. households are food insecure—they
struggle to afford enough food for all household members. Some
experience the more severe very low food security, where food intake
of one or more members is reduced and normal eating patterns are
disrupted.
The prevalence of food insecurity and very low food security in U.S. households has varied over time; both
increased from 2021 to 2022.
Trends in prevalence rates of food insecurity and very low food security in U.S.
households, 2001–22
Percent of U.S. households
16
12
Food insecurity (includes low and very low food security)
8
4
Very low food security
0
2 4 6 8 0 2 4 6 8 0 2
200 200 200 200 201 201 201 201 201 202 202
Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using data from U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of
the Census, Current Population Survey Food Security Supplements.
25
Selected charts from Ag and Food Statistics: Charting the Essentials, February 2024
However, the prevalence of food insecurity differs by household characteristics.
Prevalence of food insecurity by selected household characteristics, 2022
All households
Income below poverty line
Married with children
Single mothers
Single fathers
Multi-adults, no children
Women alone
Men alone Low food security
With elderly Very low food security
White, non-Hispanic
Black, non-Hispanic
Hispanic
Other, non-Hispanic
Principal cities
Suburban
Rural
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
Percent of U.S. households
Note: Food-insecure households include those with low food security and very low food security.
Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using data from U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of
the Census, 2022 Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement.
USDA administers several food and nutrition assistance programs, the largest of which is SNAP.
Inflation-adjusted USDA spending on food and nutrition assistance, f iscal years
1970–2022
Billion 2022 dollars
200
Other
180
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women,
160 Infants, and Children (WIC)
140 Child nutrition
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020
Note: Child nutrition includes the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program
(SBP), Child and Adult Care Food Program, Summer Food Service Program, Special Milk Program, and
related commodity costs; it does not include State administrative expenses. Other includes spending
not elsewhere classified, including Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer in 2020–22 and the Farmers
to Families Food Box Program in 2020–21. Inflation adjusted using the Personal Consumption Expendi-
tures Price Index. Data are as of January 2023 and subject to revision.
Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using data from USDA, Food and Nutrition Service and
USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service.
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USDA, Economic Research Service www.ers.usda.gov
Participation in SNAP varies across States, reflecting differences in need and program policies.
Percent of population receiving SNAP benefits in fiscal year 2022
NH
WA VT ME
MT ND MA
OR ID MN WI NY RI
SD MI CT
WY PA
NJ
IA
NE OH
NV IL IN DE
CA UT CO WV VA MD
KS MO KY
NC DC
TN
AZ OK AR SC
NM
GA
MS AL
TX LA
FL
HI
AK
≤ 7.9 12.0–13.9
8.0–9.9 14.0–15.9
10.0–11.9 ≥ 16.0
SNAP = Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using data from the USDA, Food and Nutrition Service and
the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census.
27
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