Household Food Security in the United 

States in 2021

Alisha Coleman-Jensen 

Matthew P. Rabbitt 

Christian A. Gregory 

Anita Singh

Economic

Research

Service

Economic

Research

Report

Number 309

September 2022
Economic Research Service 

www.ers.usda.gov

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Recommended citation format for this publication:

Coleman-Jensen, Alisha, Matthew P. Rabbitt, Christian A. Gregory, Anita Singh, September 

2022. Household Food Security in the United States in 2021, ERR-309, U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
Economic

Research

Service

Economic

Research

Report

Number 309

September 2022

Abstract

This report provides statistics on food security in U.S. households throughout 2021 based on the Current 

Population Survey Food Security Supplement data collected in December 2021. An estimated 89.8 percent 

of U.S. households were food secure throughout the entire year in 2021, with access at all times to enough 

food for an active, healthy life for all household members. The remaining households (10.2 percent, not significantly different from the 10.5 percent in 2020 and 2019) were food insecure at least some time during 

the year, including 3.8 percent with very low food security (not significantly different from the 3.9 percent 

in 2020 or 4.1 percent in 2019). Very low food security is the more severe range of food insecurity where 

one or more household members experienced reduced food intake and disrupted eating patterns at times 

during the year because of limited money and other resources for obtaining food. Although the prevalence 

of food insecurity for all households was not significantly different from 2020, some subgroups experienced statistically significant changes in food insecurity. Food insecurity increased significantly from 2020 

for households with no children, especially for women living alone, and increased for elderly people living 

alone. Food insecurity declined from 2020 for households with children and with children under age 6, 

married couples with children, and single mothers with children, for households with Black, non-Hispanic 

reference persons (an adult household member in whose name the housing unit is owned or rented), for all 

low-income households (with incomes below 185 percent of the Federal poverty threshold), and for households in the South. Among children, food insecurity declined from 2020. Children and adults were food 

insecure at times during 2021 in 6.2 percent of U.S. households with children, down from 7.6 percent in 

2020 and not significantly different from the 6.5 percent in 2019. In 2021, very low food security among 

children was 0.7 percent (not significantly different from the 0.8 percent in 2020). In 2021, the typical 

food-secure household spent 16 percent more on food than the typical food-insecure household of the same 

size and household composition. About 56 percent of food-insecure households participated in one or more 

of the three largest Federal nutrition assistance programs: the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program 

(SNAP); the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); and the 

National School Lunch Program during the month prior to the 2021 survey.

Keywords: food security, food insecurity, food spending, food pantry, soup kitchen, emergency kitchen, 

material well-being, material hardship, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, SNAP, National 

School Lunch Program, Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, 

WIC, COVID-19, coronavirus pandemic

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Reem Hashad, Michele Ver Ploeg, Debbie Rubas, and Jay Variyam of USDA, ERS for 

their reviews. The authors also thank two external reviewers, Colleen Heflin of Syracuse University, New 

York, and Hilary Seligman of the University of California, San Francisco, for their insightful feedback. 

Thanks also to USDA, ERS editors Jeff Chaltas, Christopher Whitney, and Grant Wall and USDA, ERS 

designer Jeremy Bell for their work in producing the report.

About the Authors

Alisha Coleman-Jensen is a sociologist, and Matthew P. Rabbitt and Christian A. Gregory are economists 

in the USDA, Economic Research Service (ERS), Food Economics Division, Food Assistance Branch. 

Anita Singh is chief of the SNAP Evaluation Branch in the USDA, Food and Nutrition Service, SNAP 

Research and Analysis Division. 

Household Food Security in the United 

States in 2021

Alisha Coleman-Jensen, Matthew P. Rabbitt, Christian A. 

Gregory, Anita Singh
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Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Household Food Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Methods .....................................................................2

Prevalence of Food Insecurity by Selected Household Characteristics ......................16

Prevalence of Food Insecurity by State .............................................23

Household Spending on Food . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

Methods ....................................................................28

Food Expenditures by Selected Household Characteristics ..............................29

Food Expenditures and Household Food Security ....................................32

Federal Nutrition Assistance Programs and Food Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

Methods ....................................................................35

Food Security of Households That Received Nutrition Assistance .........................36

Participation in Federal Nutrition Assistance Programs by Food-Insecure Households .........38

References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40

Contents
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List of Tables

Table 1A—Households and individuals by food security status of household, 1998–2021. . . . . . 10

Table 1B—Households with children by food security status and children by food security status of 

household, 1998–2021. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Table 2—Households by food security status and selected household characteristics, 2021. . . . . . 17

Table 3—Prevalence of food security and food insecurity in households with children by selected 

household characteristics, 2021. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Table 4—Prevalence of household food insecurity and very low food security by State, average 2019–

21. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Table 5—Change in prevalence of household food insecurity and very low food security by State: 

2019–21 (average), 2016–18 (average), and 2009–11 (average)1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Table 6—Weekly household food spending per person and relative to the household cost of the Thrifty 

Food Plan (TFP), 2021. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Table 7—Weekly household food spending per person and relative to the cost of the Thrifty Food Plan 

(TFP) by food security status, 2021. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Table 8—Percentage of households by food security status and participation in selected Federal nutrition assistance programs, 2021. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Table 9—Participation of food-insecure households in selected Federal nutrition assistance programs, 

2021. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Additional tables are available in: Coleman-Jensen, Alisha, Matthew P. Rabbitt, Christian A. 

Gregory, and Anita Singh. 2022. Statistical Supplement to Household Food Security in the United 

States in 2021, AP-105, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service
Household Food Security in the United 

States in 2021

Alisha Coleman-Jensen 

Matthew P. Rabbitt 

Christian A. Gregory 

Anita Singh

Economic 

Research 

Service

Economic 

Research 

Report 

Number 309

September 2022

What Is the Issue?

Most U.S. households have consistent, dependable access to enough food for active, healthy living—they are food secure. However, some households experience 

food insecurity at times during the year, meaning their ability to acquire adequate 

food is limited by a lack of money and other resources. The U.S. Department of 

Agriculture’s (USDA) food and nutrition assistance programs aim to increase food 

security by providing low-income households access to food for a healthful diet, 

as well as nutrition education. USDA monitors the extent and severity of food 

insecurity in U.S. households through an annual, nationally representative survey 

sponsored and analyzed by USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS). This 

report presents statistics from the survey that cover household food security, food 

expenditures, and the use of Federal nutrition assistance programs in 2021. The 

prevalence of food insecurity is determined by many factors, including household 

circumstances, the economy, and Federal, State, and local policies. This report does not provide an analysis of possible causal explanations for prevalence or trends in food insecurity. 

What Did the Study Find?

• In 2021, 89.8 percent of U.S. households were food secure. The remaining 10.2 percent (13.5 million 

households) were food insecure. Food-insecure households (those with low and very low food security) had 

difficulty at some time during the year providing enough food for all their members because of a lack of 

resources. The 2021 prevalence of food insecurity was not significantly different from the 10.5 percent 

recorded in 2020 (13.8 million households) and 2019 (13.7 million households).

• In 2021, 3.8 percent of U.S. households (5.1 million households) had very low food security, not significantly 

different from the 3.9 percent in 2020 or 4.1 percent in 2019. In this more severe range of food insecurity, 

the food intake of some household members was reduced, and normal eating patterns were disrupted at times 

during the year because of limited resources.

Findings for households with children: 

• Children were food insecure at times during 2021 in 6.2 percent of U.S. households with children (2.3 

million households), down from 7.6 percent in 2020 and not significantly different from the 6.5 percent in 

2019. These households with food insecurity among children were unable at times to provide adequate, nutritious food for their children. 

A report summary from the Economic Research Service September 2022

Household Food Security in the United States in 

2021

Alisha Coleman-Jensen, Matthew P. Rabbitt, Christian A. Gregory, 

Anita Singh

www.ers.usda.gov
www.ers.usda.gov

• While children are usually shielded from the disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake that characterize 

very low food security, in 2021, children along with adults suffered instances of very low food security in 0.7 percent of households with children (274,000 households), not significantly different from the 0.8 percent in 2020. 

These households with very low food security among children reported that children were hungry, skipped a meal, 

or did not eat for a whole day because there was not enough money for food. 

Findings for specific population subgroups that experienced significant changes in food insecurity: 

• The prevalence of food insecurity increased from 2020 to 2021 for households with no children, especially for 

women living alone. Food insecurity also increased for elderly people living alone. 

• The prevalence of food insecurity declined from 2020 to 2021 for a few population subgroups, including households with children under age 18 and with children under age 6, married couples with children, and single mothers with children. Food insecurity also declined for households with Black, non-Hispanic reference persons (an 

adult household member in whose name the housing unit is owned or rented), all low-income households, and 

households in the South. 

Findings for food spending and Federal nutrition assistance participation:

• The typical (median) food-secure household spent 16 percent more for food than the typical food-insecure household of the same size and composition. These estimates include food purchases made with Supplemental Nutrition 

Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

• About 56 percent of food-insecure households in the survey reported that in the previous month, they participated 

in one or more of the three largest Federal nutrition assistance programs: SNAP; the Special Supplemental Nutrition 

Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); and the National School Lunch Program. 

How Was the Study Conducted?

Data for the USDA, ERS food security reports come from an annual survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census as the December supplement to the monthly Current Population Survey. USDA, ERS sponsors 

the annual Food Security Supplement and compiles and analyzes the responses. The 2021 Food Security Supplement survey 

included 30,343 households that comprise a representative sample of the U.S. civilian population of about 132 million households. The food security survey asked one adult respondent per household about experiences and behaviors that indicate food 

insecurity during calendar year 2021, such as being unable to afford balanced meals, cutting the size of meals, or being hungry 

because of too little money for food. The food security status of the household was assigned based on the number of foodinsecure conditions reported.

Prevalence of food insecurity in 2021 is unchanged from 2020

 

Source: USDA, Economic Reserach Service using data from U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey Food 

Security Supplement.

www.ers.usda.gov
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Introduction

Since 1995, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has collected information annually on food access and 

adequacy, food spending, and sources of food assistance for the U.S. population. The information is collected in 

an annual survey, the Food Security Supplement, conducted by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of 

the Census as a supplement to the nationally representative Current Population Survey (CPS).1 A major impetus for this data collection is to provide information about the prevalence and severity of food insecurity in U.S. 

households. Annual monitoring of food security contributes to the effective operation of Federal nutrition assistance programs as well as private food assistance programs and other government initiatives aimed at reducing 

food insecurity. Previous reports in the series are available on the USDA, ERS website.

This report updates national statistics on food security in calendar year 2021, household food spending, and the 

use of Federal nutrition assistance by food-insecure households. It uses data collected in the December 2021 

Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement (CPS-FSS)—the 27th annual survey in the Nation’s food 

security monitoring system. Additional statistics—including the prevalence of food insecurity during the 30 days 

prior to the food security survey by household characteristics, the frequency of food-insecure conditions, and use 

of food pantries and emergency kitchens—are available in the Statistical Supplement to this report (ColemanJensen et al., 2022). 

Statistics in this report reflect household experiences of food hardship, or food insecurity, throughout 2021. The 

Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic began in the United States in 2020 and continued in 2021. Public health 

and economic effects of the pandemic, as well as some pandemic-related changes to assistance programs, continued in 2021. The prevalence of food insecurity is determined by many factors, including the economy, Federal, 

State, and local policies, and household circumstances. This report does not provide an analysis of possible causal 

explanations for the prevalence of or trends in food insecurity.

1 See Coleman-Jensen (2015) for the history of the food security measurement project and the development of food security measures.

Household Food Security in the United 

States in 2021
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Household Food Security

Food security—access by all people at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life—is one of several 

conditions necessary for a population to be healthy and well nourished. This section provides information on 

food security and food insecurity in U.S. households throughout 2021. 

Methods

Statistics presented in this report are based on data collected in the Food Security Supplement to the CPS 

conducted in December 2021.2 The CPS includes about 50,000 households and is representative of the civilian, 

noninstitutionalized population of the United States at State and national levels.3 In December 2021, 42,949 

households completed the monthly CPS, and of those, 30,343 households completed the Food Security Supplement (FSS), and the remaining households were unable or unwilling to do so. Therefore, in 2021, 70.6 percent 

(30,343 households) of households that completed the monthly December CPS also completed the FSS, and 

29.4 percent of households that responded to the monthly December CPS did not complete the FSS.4 The Census Bureau calculates survey sample weights for the FSS to indicate how many households were represented by 

each household that responded to the survey. Reweighting of the FSS considers income and other information 

about households that completed the labor-force portion of the monthly CPS survey but not the FSS. This corrects, to some extent, biases that could result from nonresponse to the Supplement by households that completed 

only the labor-force part of the survey. All statistics in this report were calculated by applying the FSS weights to 

responses by the surveyed households, so the statistics are nationally representative. 

Unless otherwise noted, statistical differences described in this report are significant at the 90-percent confidence level. Standard errors of estimates were calculated using balanced repeated replication (BRR) methods 

based on replicate weights computed for the CPS-FSS by the Census Bureau.5 Statistical significance depends both on the size of the difference of the estimates and the precision of the estimates—or the size of the 

standard error of the estimates. Standard errors vary across population subgroups. This report uses the phrase 

“essentially unchanged” or “not significantly different” to describe differences between estimates of a statistic 

for 2 years that are not statistically significant at the 90-percent confidence level. 

The methods used to measure the extent and severity of food insecurity here are described in detail in several 

studies (Hamilton et al., 1997a, 1997b; Andrews et al.,1998; Bickel et al., 1998; Carlson et al., 1999; Bickel 

et al., 2000; Nord and Bickel, 2002). See also the assessment of the measurement methods by a panel of the 

Committee on National Statistics (National Research Council, 2006).6 Household food security statistics 

2 The food security survey was conducted December 12‒21, 2021. Respondents are reminded in the survey to answer about their 

food situation “in the last 12 months, since December of last year.” 

3 In 2020 and 2021, response rates for the monthly Current Population Survey (CPS) were down from previous years. This is 

believed to be an effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on data collection. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the CPS response rate for December 2021 was 73.2 percent, up from the low of 65 percent in June 2020 but down from the average response rate 

of 83 percent for the 12 months ending in February 2020 (U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2022). 

4 Supplement nonresponse was higher in 2021 (29.4 percent) than in 2020 (24.2 percent) but similar to 2019 (30.3 percent). At 

USDA, ERS’s request, the Census Bureau conducted nonresponse bias analyses of the 2015 and 2020 FSS data collections. While the 

analysis for 2015 found that the distributions of respondents and nonrespondents differ on some demographic characteristics, those 

distributional differences do not necessarily indicate a nonresponse bias problem (Farnham, 2017). Results for 2020 were similar; distributions of respondents and nonrespondents differ on some demographic characteristics, with the largest differences in response rates for 

race of reference person and income. However, weighting adjustment may minimize the impact of differences (Hoop et al., 2022). 

5 For years before 2011, standard errors of national estimates used a design factor of 1.6 based on the complex Current Population 

Survey (CPS) sample design. State-level estimates from 2010 to the present use replicate weights computed for the CPS Food Security 

Supplement. Before 2010, standard errors of State-level estimates were calculated using jackknife replication methods with “month in 

sample” groups considered as separate independent samples. Standard errors of all estimates are available from the authors by request.

6 Further details on the development of the measure are provided on the USDA, ERS website.
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presented here are based on a measure of food security calculated from responses to a series of questions about 

conditions and behaviors that characterize households when they have difficulty meeting basic food needs. 

Each question asks whether the condition or behavior occurred at any time during the previous 12 months 

and specifies the reason as a lack of money and other resources to obtain food. Voluntary fasting or dieting to 

lose weight are thereby excluded from the measure. The series includes three questions about the household’s 

food conditions as a whole and seven questions about food conditions of adults in the household. If children 

are present, an additional eight questions about their food conditions are included (see box, “Questions Used 

To Assess the Food Security of Households in the CPS Food Security Supplement,” page 4).7 

Responses to the 18 food security questions are reported in tables S-5 and S-6 of the Statistical Supplement 

(Coleman-Jensen et al., 2022). The number of food-insecure conditions and behaviors the household reports 

determine the food security status of each interviewed household.8 Households are classified as food secure if 

they report no food-insecure conditions or only one or two food-insecure conditions. (Food-insecure conditions are indicated by responses of “often” or “sometimes” to questions 1–3 and 11–13; “almost every month” 

or “some months but not every month” to questions 5, 10, and 17; and “yes” to the other questions.) They 

are classified as food insecure if they report 3 or more food-insecure conditions (based on questions 1–10 for 

households without children and questions 1–18 for households with children). Households are classified as 

having food insecurity among children or food-insecure children if they report 2 or more food-insecure conditions among the children in response to questions 11–18.9 

Food-insecure households are further classified as having either low food security or very low food security.10 

The very low food security category identifies households in which the food intake of one or more members 

was reduced and eating patterns disrupted because of insufficient money and other resources for food (see box, 

“What Is ‘Very Low Food Security’?” on page 7). Households without children are classified as having very 

low food security if they report 6 or more food-insecure conditions (based on questions 1–10). Households 

with children aged 0–17 are classified as having very low food security if they report 8 or more food-insecure 

conditions among adults and/or children (based on questions 1–18).11 They are further classified as having 

very low food security among children if they report 5 or more food-insecure conditions among the children 

(that is, if they respond affirmatively to 5 or more of questions 11–18). 

7 An official Spanish translation of the food security questions is used in the survey and available on the USDA, ERS website. 

USDA, ERS assessed the effect of interview language on Hispanics versus non-Hispanics and found no differences in the statistical 

properties of the food security measure (Rabbitt and Coleman-Jensen, 2017).

8 Analyses have been conducted to examine possible measurement error in the food security module. Findings show that overall 

model-data fit is quite good and most households have expected response patterns and strong model fit. For a small number of households, unexpected response patterns result in poor model fit that may reflect misreporting (Engelhard et al., 2018). A related potential 

source of error is the underreporting of items. Analyses have found evidence of underreporting of more severe food-insecure conditions 

but no evidence of overreporting of food-insecure conditions (Gregory, 2020).

9 Both qualitative and quantitative research studies suggested that parents’ reports of their children’s food insecurity sometimes differed from adolescents’ self-reported food insecurity and that parents were sometimes unaware of the degree to which children reduced 

their own food intake because of household food insecurity (Fram et al., 2011; Nord and Hanson, 2012). The extent to which underreporting of children’s food insecurity may exist is unknown (see pp. 9–10 in Coleman-Jensen et al. (2013) for a discussion of research 

on parent-reported and self-reported food insecurity among children). A comprehensive review of diet quality and food security found 

evidence that adults shield children from food insecurity (Hanson and Connor, 2014).

10 Before 2006, households with low food security were described as “food insecure without hunger,” and households with very low 

food security were described as “food insecure with hunger.” Changes in these descriptions were made in 2006 at the recommendation of the Committee on National Statistics (National Research Council, 2006) to distinguish the physiological state of hunger from 

indicators of food availability. The criteria by which households were classified remained unchanged.

11 Implications of differences in raw score thresholds for very low food security between households with and without children are 

discussed in Nord and Coleman-Jensen (2014), Coleman-Jensen et al. (2017), and Rabbitt et al. (2021).
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Questions Used To Assess the Food Security of Households in 

the CPS Food Security Supplement

1. “We worried whether our food would run out before we got money to buy more.” Was that often, sometimes, or 

never true for you in the last 12 months? 

2. The food that we bought just didn’t last, and we didn’t have money to get more.” Was that often, sometimes, or never 

true for you in the last 12 months?

3. “We couldn’t afford to eat balanced meals.” Was that often, sometimes, or never true for you in the last 12 months?

4. In the last 12 months, did you or other adults in the household ever cut the size of your meals or skip meals because 

there wasn’t enough money for food? (Yes/No)

5. (If yes to question 4) How often did this happen—almost every month, some months but not every month, or in 

only 1 or 2 months?

6. In the last 12 months, did you ever eat less than you felt you should because there wasn’t enough money for food? 

(Yes/No)

7. In the last 12 months, were you ever hungry, but didn’t eat, because there wasn’t enough money for food? (Yes/No)

8. In the last 12 months, did you lose weight because there wasn’t enough money for food? (Yes/No)

9. In the last 12 months, did you or other adults in your household ever not eat for a whole day because there wasn’t 

enough money for food? (Yes/No)

10. (If yes to question 9) How often did this happen—almost every month, some months but not every month, or in 

only 1 or 2 months?

(Questions 11–18 were asked only if the household included children aged 0–17) 

11. “We relied on only a few kinds of low-cost food to feed our children because we were running out of money to buy 

food.” Was that often, sometimes, or never true for you in the last 12 months? 

12. “We couldn’t feed our children a balanced meal, because we couldn’t afford that.” Was that often, sometimes, or 

never true for you in the last 12 months?

13. “The children were not eating enough because we just couldn’t afford enough food.” Was that often, sometimes, or 

never true for you in the last 12 months?

14. In the last 12 months, did you ever cut the size of any of the children’s meals because there wasn’t enough money for 

food? (Yes/No)

15. In the last 12 months, were the children ever hungry but you just couldn’t afford more food? (Yes/No)

16. In the last 12 months, did any of the children ever skip a meal because there wasn’t enough money for food? (Yes/

No) 

17. (If yes to question 16) How often did this happen—almost every month, some months but not every month, or in 

only 1 or 2 months?

18. In the last 12 months, did any of the children ever not eat for a whole day because there wasn’t enough money for 

food? (Yes/No)

Coding of Responses

Questions 1–3 and 11–13 are coded as affirmative (i.e., possibly indicating food insecurity) if the response is “often” or 

“sometimes.” Questions 5, 10, and 17 are coded as affirmative if the response is “almost every month” or “some months 

but not every month.” The remaining questions are coded as affirmative if the response is “yes.”

Assessing Food Security Status in Households Without Children

Households without children are classified as food insecure if they report 3 or more indications of food insecurity in 

response to the first 10 questions; they are classified as having very low food security if they report 6 or more food-insecure conditions out of the first 10 questions. 

Assessing Food Security Status in Households with Children Aged 0–17

Households with children are classified as food insecure if they report 3 or more indications of food insecurity in 

response to the entire set of 18 questions; they are classified as having very low food security if they report 8 or more 

food-insecure conditions in response to the entire set of 18 questions. 

The food security status of children in the household is assessed by responses to the child-referenced questions (11–18). 

Households reporting two or more of these conditions are classified as having food insecurity among children. Households reporting five or more are classified as having very low food security among children. 
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Low and very low food security differ in the extent and character of the adjustments the household makes to 

its eating patterns and food intake. Households classified as having low food security reported multiple indications of food acquisition problems and reduced diet quality but typically reported fewer, if any, indications of 

reduced food intake. Those classified as having very low food security reported multiple indications of reduced 

food intake and disrupted eating patterns because of inadequate resources for food. In most households with 

very low food security, the survey respondent responded “yes” that they were hungry at some time during the 

year but did not eat because there was not enough money for food.

To reduce the survey burden on higher income respondents, households with incomes above 185 percent of 

the Federal poverty line that do not indicate food-access or food-acquisition problems on either of the two 

preliminary screening questions are deemed to be food secure and are not asked the questions in the food 

security assessment series. The preliminary screening questions asked of all households are as follows:

“People do different things when they are running out of money for food in order to make their food 

or their food money go further. In the last 12 months, since December of last year, did you ever run 

short of money and try to make your food or your food money go further?” 

In 2021, 17.5 percent of households responded “yes,” and 82.5 percent responded “no.” A response of “no” is 

indicative of no food-access problems.

The lead-in to the second screener question specifies:

“The next questions are about the food eaten in your household in the last 12 months, since December 

of last year, and whether you were able to afford the food you need.” 

The question reads: 

“Which of these statements best describes the food eaten in your household—enough of the kinds of 

food we want to eat, enough but not always the kinds of food we want to eat, sometimes not enough 

to eat, or often not enough to eat?” 

In 2021, 81.2 percent of respondents responded “enough of the kinds of food we want to eat,” 15.5 percent 

said “enough but not always the kinds of food we want to eat,” 2.6 percent indicated “sometimes not enough 

to eat,” and 0.7 percent reported “often not enough to eat.” A response of only “enough of the kinds of food 

we want to eat” is indicative of no food-access problems.
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What Is “Very Low Food Security”?

Very low food security can be characterized in terms of 

the conditions that households in this category reported 

in the food security survey. Households without children 

classified as having very low food security reported six or 

more food-insecure conditions and households with children reported eight or more food-insecure conditions, 

including conditions among both adults and children. 

Thus, the conditions reported by respondents reflect the 

definition of “very low food security:” At times during the 

year, the food intake of household members was reduced 

and their normal eating patterns were disrupted because 

the household lacked money and other resources for food. 

In the 2021 survey, households classified as having very 

low food security (representing an estimated 5.1 million 

households nationwide) reported the following specific 

conditions:

• 98 percent reported having worried that their food 

would run out before they got money to buy more.

• 97 percent reported that the food they bought just 

did not last, and they did not have money to get 

more.

• 94 percent reported that they could not afford to 

eat balanced meals.

• 95 percent reported that an adult had cut the size 

of meals or skipped meals because there was not 

enough money for food; 87 percent reported that 

this had occurred in 3 or more months.

• 94 percent reported that they had eaten less than 

they felt they should because there was not enough 

money for food.

• 67 percent reported that they had been hungry but 

did not eat because they could not afford enough 

food.

• 47 percent reported having lost weight because 

they did not have enough money for food.

• 32 percent reported that an adult did not eat for 

a whole day because there was not enough money 

for food; 24 percent reported that this had occurred in 3 or more months.

All households without children classified as having 

very low food security reported at least six of these conditions. Most households with very low food security, 

69 percent, reported seven or more food-insecure conditions. (Conditions reported by households with children were like those without children, but the reported 

food-insecure conditions of both adults and children 

were considered.) 

Percentage of households reporting each indicator of food insecurity, by food security status, 2021

 

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using data from U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 2021 Current Population Survey 

Food Security Supplement.
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Prevalence of Food Insecurity—National Conditions and Trends

An estimated 89.8 percent of U.S. households were food secure throughout the entire year in 2021 (figure 

1, table 1A). In concept, “food secure” means that all household members had access at all times to enough 

food for an active, healthy life (Anderson, 1990). Food security statistics, as operationally measured for this 

report using survey data, are based on household responses to items about whether the household was able 

to obtain enough food to meet its needs. This operational measure does not specifically address whether the 

household members’ food intake was sufficient for active, healthy lives—the conceptual definition of food 

security. Nonetheless, research based on other data collections found survey-based measures of food security 

to be statistically associated with various outcomes involving health, nutrition, and children’s development in 

a manner that generally supports the link between the report’s survey-based measure of food security and the 

conceptual definition of food security (see Coleman-Jensen et al., 2013; Gregory and Coleman-Jensen, 2017; 

Nord, 2009a; Nord and Hopwood, 2007; Nord and Kantor, 2006).

The remaining 10.2 percent of U.S. households (13.5 million households) were food insecure at some time 

during the year in 2021. Food insecurity means that households were, at times, unable to acquire adequate 

food for one or more household members because they had insufficient money and other resources for food. 

Most food-insecure households—those classified as having low food security (but not very low food security)—avoided substantial reductions or disruptions in food intake, in some cases by relying on a few basic 

foods and reducing variety in their diets. In 2021, 6.4 percent of U.S. households (8.4 million households) 

had low food security and 3.8 percent (5.1 million households) had very low food security. Very low food 

security means that households were food insecure to the extent that eating patterns of one or more household 

members were disrupted and their food intake reduced, at least some time during the year, because they could 

not afford enough food. Research confirms that food insecurity affects both dietary quality and dietary quantity. Low-income food-insecure households spent less on food, purchased fewer calories overall, and had lower 

quality food purchases than low-income food-secure households, according to the USDA’s National Food 

Acquisition and Purchase Survey data (Gregory et al., 2019). Consumption research also shows that food 

insecurity is associated with poorer quality diets among low-income adults even when differences in income 

and other sociodemographic characteristics are accounted for (Leung et al., 2014; Leung and Tester, 2019). 

Research has also confirmed that skipping meals is associated with food insecurity as adults in food-insecure 

households consume fewer meals than adults in food-secure households (Zizza et al., 2008).
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Figure 1 

U.S. households by food security status, 2021

Food-secure 

households–89.8%

Households with low 

food security–6.4%

Households with very 

low food security–3.8%

Food-insecure households–10.2%

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using data from U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 2021 Current 

Population Survey Food Security Supplement.

Among U.S. households with children under age 18, 87.5 percent were food secure in 2021. The remaining 

12.5 percent of households with children (4.6 million households) were food insecure at some time in 2021 

(figure 2, table 1B). Parents and caregivers often can maintain normal or near-normal diets and meal patterns for their children, even when the parents themselves are food insecure. In about half of food-insecure 

households with children in 2021, only adults were food insecure (6.3 percent of households with children). 

However, both children and adults were food insecure in 6.2 percent of households with children (2.3 million households) in 2021. In 0.7 percent of households with children (274,000 households), food insecurity 

among children was so severe that caregivers reported that children were hungry, skipped a meal, or did not 

eat for a whole day because there was not enough money for food. These households are described as having 

very low food security among children. Sometimes older children in such households suffer the more severe 

effects of food insecurity, while caregivers and other family members seek to protect younger children from 

those effects (Coleman-Jensen et al., 2013; Nord, 2009a).
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Figure 2 

U.S. households with children by food security status of adults and children, 2021

Food-secure households–87.5% 

Food-insecure adults only–6.3%

Low food security 

among children–5.5%

Very low food security 

among children–0.7% 

Food-insecure households–12.5% 

Food-insecure 

children and 

adults–6.2%

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using data from U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 2021 Current 

Population Survey Food Security Supplement.

The food security survey is designed to measure food security status at the household level. While it is informative to examine the number of persons living in food-insecure households, these statistics should be 

interpreted carefully. Within a food-insecure household, each household member may be affected differently 

by the household’s food insecurity. Some members—particularly young children—may experience only mild 

or no effects, while adults are more severely affected. It is more precise to describe these statistics as representing “persons living in food-insecure households” rather than as representing “food-insecure persons.” Similarly, 

“persons living in households with very low food security” is a more precise description than “persons with 

very low food security.”

In 2021, 33.8 million people lived in food-insecure households (table 1A, middle panel). They constituted 

10.4 percent of the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population and included 24.6 million adults (table 1A, 

bottom panel) and 9.3 million children (table 1B, bottom panel). About 5.0 million children (6.8 percent of 

children) lived in households where at least one child was food insecure. About 8.6 million adults (3.4 percent 

of adults) lived in households with very low food security (table 1A, bottom panel), and 521,000 children (0.7 

percent of children) lived in households with very low food security among children (table 1B, bottom panel).
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Table 1A

Households and individuals by food security status of household, 1998–2021

Food insecure

Category and year Total1 Food secure All

With low

food security

With very low

food security

1,000 1,000 Percent 1,000 Percent 1,000 Percent 1,000 Percent

Households

 2021 132,043 118,533 89.8 13,510 10.2 8,428 6.4 5,082 3.8

 2020 130,459 116,705 89.5 13,754 10.5 8,613 6.6 5,141 3.9

 2019 129,621 115,959 89.5 13,662 10.5 8,340 6.4 5,322 4.1

 2018 129,245 114,934 88.9 14,311 11.1 8,730 6.8 5,581 4.3

 2017 127,272 112,254 88.2 15,018 11.8 9,261 7.3 5,757 4.5

 2016 126,401 110,850 87.7 15,551 12.3 9,413 7.4 6,138 4.9

 2015 125,164 109,315 87.3 15,849 12.7 9,540 7.7 6,309 5.0

 2014 124,044 106,618 86.0 17,426 14.0 10,488 8.4 6,938 5.6

 2013 122,579 105,070 85.7 17,509 14.3 10,664 8.7 6,845 5.6

 2012 121,546 103,914 85.5 17,632 14.5 10,679 8.8 6,953 5.7

 2011 119,484 101,631 85.1 17,853 14.9 11,014 9.2 6,839 5.7

 2010 118,756 101,527 85.5 17,229 14.5 10,872 9.1 6,357 5.4

 2009 118,174 100,820 85.3 17,354 14.7 10,601 9.0 6,753 5.7

 2008 117,565 100,416 85.4 17,149 14.6 10,426 8.9 6,723 5.7

 2007 117,100 104,089 88.9 13,011 11.1 8,262 7.0 4,749 4.1

 2006 115,609 102,961 89.1 12,648 10.9 8,031 6.9 4,617 4.0

 2005 114,437 101,851 89.0 12,586 11.0 8,158 7.1 4,428 3.9

 2004 112,967 99,473 88.1 13,494 11.9 9,045 8.0 4,449 3.9

 2003 112,214 99,631 88.8 12,583 11.2 8,663 7.7 3,920 3.5

 2002 108,601 96,543 88.9 12,058 11.1 8,259 7.6 3,799 3.5

 2001 107,824 96,303 89.3 11,521 10.7 8,010 7.4 3,511 3.3

 2000 106,043 94,942 89.5 11,101 10.5 7,786 7.3 3,315 3.1

 1999 104,684 94,154 89.9 10,529 10.1 7,420 7.1 3,109 3.0

 1998 103,309 91,121 88.2 12,188 11.8 8,353 8.1 3,835 3.7

All individuals (by food security status of household)2

 2021 325,508 291,664 89.6 33,844 10.4 22,726 7.0 11,118 3.4

 2020 324,790 286,503 88.2 38,287 11.8 25,874 8.0 12,413 3.8 

 2019 324,235 289,028 89.1 35,207 10.9 23,362 7.2 11,845 3.7

 2018 323,005 285,778 88.5 37,227 11.5 24,577 7.6 12,650 3.9

 2017 320,418 280,374 87.5 40,044 12.5 27,159 8.5 12,885 4.0

 2016 319,029 277,825 87.1 41,204 12.9 26,556 8.3 14,648 4.6

 2015 316,161 273,923 86.6 42,238 13.4 27,605 8.7 14,633 4.6

 2014 313,305 265,170 84.6 48,135 15.4 30,922 9.9 17,213 5.5

 2013 310,853 261,775 84.2 49,078 15.8 31,974 10.3 17,104 5.5

 2012 308,361 259,395 84.1 48,966 15.9 31,787 10.3 17,179 5.6

 2011 305,893 255,773 83.6 50,120 16.4 33,232 10.9 16,888 5.5

 2010 304,034 255,202 83.9 48,832 16.1 32,777 10.8 16,055 5.3

 2009 301,750 251,588 83.4 50,162 16.6 32,499 10.8 17,663 5.9

 2008 299,567 250,459 83.6 49,108 16.4 31,824 10.6 17,284 5.8

 2007 297,042 260,813 87.8 36,229 12.2 24,287 8.2 11,942 4.0

 2006 294,010 258,495 87.9 35,515 12.1 24,395 8.3 11,120 3.8

 2005 291,501 256,373 87.9 35,128 12.1 24,349 8.4 10,779 3.7

 2004 288,603 250,407 86.8 38,196 13.2 27,535 9.5 10,661 3.7

 2003 286,410 250,155 87.3 36,255 12.7 26,622 9.3 9,633 3.4

 2002 279,035 244,133 87.5 34,902 12.5 25,517 9.1 9,385 3.4

 2001 276,661 243,019 87.8 33,642 12.2 24,628 8.9 9,014 3.3

 2000 273,685 240,454 87.9 33,231 12.1 24,708 9.0 8,523 3.1

 1999 270,318 239,304 88.5 31,015 11.5 23,237 8.6 7,779 2.9

 1998 268,366 232,219 86.5 36,147 13.5 26,290 9.8 9,857 3.7

Table 1A Continued on page 11
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Table 1A

Households and individuals by food security status of household, 1998–2021 

Continued from page 12

Food insecure

Category and year Total1 Food secure All

With low

food security

With very low

food security

1,000 1,000 Percent 1,000 Percent 1,000 Percent 1,000 Percent

Adults (by food security status of household)2

 2021 253,092 228,510 90.3 24,582 9.7 16,007 6.3 8,575 3.4

 2020 251,953 225,388 89.5 26,565 10.5 17,174 6.8 9,391 3.7

 2019 250,956 226,481 90.2 24,475 9.8 15,495 6.2 8,980 3.6

 2018 249,443 223,390 89.6 26,053 10.4 16,576 6.6 9,477 3.8

 2017 246,517 219,013 88.8 27,504 11.2 17,796 7.2 9,708 3.9

 2016 245,200 216,934 88.5 28,266 11.5 17,498 7.1 10,768 4.4

 2015 242,706 213,586 88.0 29,120 12.0 18,235 7.5 10,885 4.5

 2014 239,937 207,125 86.3 32,812 13.7 20,425 8.5 12,387 5.2

 2013 237,219 203,913 86.0 33,306 14.0 21,115 8.9 12,191 5.1

 2012 234,730 201,662 85.9 33,068 14.1 20,708 8.8 12,359 5.3

 2011 231,385 197,923 85.5 33,462 14.5 21,371 9.2 12,091 5.2

 2010 229,129 196,505 85.8 32,624 14.2 21,357 9.3 11,267 4.9

 2009 227,543 194,579 85.5 32,964 14.5 20,741 9.1 12,223 5.4

 2008 225,461 193,026 85.6 32,435 14.4 20,320 9.0 12,115 5.4

 2007 223,467 199,672 89.4 23,795 10.6 15,602 7.0 8,193 3.7

 2006 220,423 197,536 89.6 22,887 10.4 15,193 6.9 7,694 3.5

 2005 217,897 195,172 89.6 22,725 10.4 15,146 7.0 7,579 3.5

 2004 215,564 191,236 88.7 24,328 11.3 16,946 7.9 7,382 3.4

 2003 213,441 190,451 89.2 22,990 10.8 16,358 7.7 6,632 3.1

 2002 206,493 184,718 89.5 21,775 10.5 15,486 7.5 6,289 3.0

 2001 204,340 183,398 89.8 20,942 10.2 14,879 7.3 6,063 3.0

 2000 201,922 181,586 89.9 20,336 10.1 14,763 7.3 5,573 2.8

 1999 198,900 179,960 90.5 18,941 9.5 13,869 7.0 5,072 2.5

 1998 197,084 174,964 88.8 22,120 11.2 15,632 7.9 6,488 3.3

1 Totals exclude households for which food security status is unknown because household respondents did not give a valid response 

to any of the questions in the food security scale. In 2021, these exclusions represented 204,000 households (0.2 percent of all 

households).

2 The food security survey measures food security status at the household level. Not all individuals residing in food-insecure households were directly affected by the households’ food insecurity. Similarly, not all individuals in households classified as having very 

low food security were subject to the reductions in food intake and disruptions in eating patterns that characterize this condition. 

Young children are often protected from effects of the households’ food insecurity.

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using data from U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey Food Security Supplements.
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Table 1B

Households with children by food security status and children by food security status of household, 

1998–2021

Category and year Total1

Food-secure 

households

Food-insecure 

households2

Households with 

food-insecure 

children3

Households with 

very low food 

security among 

children

1,000 1,000 Percent 1,000 Percent 1,000 Percent 1,000 Percent

Households with children

 2021 36,765 32,170 87.5 4,595 12.5 2,290 6.2 274 0.7

 2020 37,903 32,280 85.2 5,623 14.8 2,870 7.6 322 0.8

 2019 37,614 32,480 86.4 5,134 13.6 2,434 6.5 213 0.6 

 2018 37,612 32,369 86.1 5,243 13.9 2,658 7.1 220 0.6

 2017 37,942 31,975 84.3 5,967 15.7 2,926 7.7 250 0.7

 2016 38,400 32,058 83.5 6,342 16.5 3,069 8.0 298 0.8

 2015 38,978 32,519 83.4 6,459 16.6 3,022 7.8 274 0.7

 2014 39,079 31,590 80.8 7,489 19.2 3,665 9.4 422 1.1

 2013 38,486 30,978 80.5 7,508 19.5 3,814 9.9 360 0.9

 2012 39,201 31,354 80.0 7,847 20.0 3,910 10.0 463 1.2

 2011 38,803 30,814 79.4 7,989 20.6 3,862 10.0 374 1.0

 2010 39,419 31,447 79.8 7,972 20.2 3,861 9.8 386 1.0

 2009 39,525 31,114 78.7 8,411 21.3 4,208 10.6 469 1.2

 2008 39,699 31,364 79.0 8,335 21.0 4,361 11.0 506 1.3

 2007 39,390 33,160 84.2 6,230 15.8 3,273 8.3 323 0.8

 2006 39,436 33,279 84.4 6,157 15.6 3,312 8.4 221 0.6

 2005 39,601 33,404 84.4 6,197 15.6 3,244 8.2 270 0.7

 2004 39,990 32,967 82.4 7,023 17.6 3,808 9.5 274 0.7

 2003 40,286 33,575 83.3 6,711 16.7 3,606 9.0 207 0.5

 2002 38,647 32,267 83.5 6,380 16.5 3,456 8.9 265 0.7

 2001 38,330 32,141 83.9 6,189 16.1 3,225 8.4 211 0.6

 2000 38,113 31,942 83.8 6,171 16.2 3,282 8.6 255 0.7

 1999 37,884 32,290 85.2 5,594 14.8 3,089 8.2 219 0.6

 1998 38,036 31,335 82.4 6,701 17.6 3,627 9.5 331 0.9

Children (by food security status of household)4

 2021 72,416 63,154 87.2 9,262 12.8 4,959 6.8 521 0.7

 2020 72,837 61,115 83.9 11,722 16.1 6,142 8.4 584 0.8

 2019 73,279 62,547 85.4 10,732 14.6 5,332 7.3 361 0.5

 2018 73,562 62,388 84.8 11,174 15.2 5,999 8.2 540 0.7

 2017 73,901 61,361 83.0 12,540 17.0 6,541 8.9 540 0.7

 2016 73,829 60,891 82.5 12,938 17.5 6,519 8.8 703 1.0

 2015 73,455 60,337 82.1 13,118 17.9 6,377 8.7 541 0.7

 2014 73,368 58,045 79.1 15,323 20.9 7,949 10.8 914 1.2

 2013 73,634 57,862 78.6 15,772 21.4 8,585 11.7 765 1.0

 2012 73,631 57,733 78.4 15,898 21.6 8,290 11.3 977 1.3

 2011 74,508 57,850 77.6 16,658 22.4 8,565 11.5 845 1.1

 2010 74,905 58,697 78.4 16,208 21.6 8,458 11.3 976 1.3

 2009 74,207 57,010 76.8 17,197 23.2 8,957 12.1 988 1.3

 2008 74,106 57,433 77.5 16,673 22.5 9,098 12.3 1,077 1.5

 2007 73,575 61,140 83.1 12,435 16.9 6,766 9.2 691 0.9

 2006 73,587 60,959 82.8 12,628 17.2 7,065 9.6 430 0.6

 2005 73,604 61,201 83.1 12,403 16.9 6,718 9.1 606 0.8

 2004 73,039 59,171 81.0 13,868 19.0 7,823 10.7 545 0.7

 2003 72,969 59,704 81.8 13,265 18.2 7,388 10.1 420 0.6

 2002 72,542 59,415 81.9 13,127 18.1 7,397 10.2 567 0.8

 2001 72,321 59,620 82.4 12,701 17.6 6,866 9.5 467 0.6

 2000 71,763 58,867 82.0 12,896 18.0 7,018 9.8 562 0.8

 1999 71,418 59,344 83.1 12,074 16.9 6,996 9.8 511 0.7

 1998 71,282 57,255 80.3 14,027 19.7 7,840 11.0 716 1.0

1 Totals exclude households for which food security status is unknown because the households did not give a valid response to any 

of the questions in the food security scale. In 2021, these exclusions represented 27,000 households with children (0.1 percent of all 

households with children). Children are defined as ages 0–17. 

2 Food-insecure households are those with low or very low food security among adults or children or both.

3 In some food-insecure households with children, only adults were food insecure. Households with food-insecure children are those 

with low or very low food security among children. 

4 The food security survey measures food security status at the household level. Not all children residing in food-insecure households were directly affected by the households’ food insecurity. Similarly, not all children in households classified as having very low 

food security among children were subject to the reductions in food intake and disruptions in eating patterns that characterize this 

condition. Young children are often protected from effects of the households’ food insecurity.

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using data from U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey Food Security Supplements.
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Statistical Supplement tables S-2 and S-3 present estimates of the number of people and the number of children in households in each food security status and household type (Coleman-Jensen et al., 2022). 

When interpreting food security statistics in this report, readers should remember that households were classified as having low or very low food security based on their experiencing the conditions indicated in the survey 

questions at any time during the previous 12 months. The prevalence of these conditions on any given day is 

far below the corresponding annual prevalence. For example, the prevalence of very low food security during 

the 30 days before the December 2021 survey is 2.2 percent (table S-4 in Coleman-Jensen et al., 2022). Most 

households that reported experiencing food-insecure conditions during the previous 30 days reported experiencing the conditions between 1 to 7 days during the month (see table S-9 in Coleman-Jensen et al., 2022; 

and box, “When Food Insecurity Occurs in U.S. Households, It Is Usually Recurrent But Not Constant” on 

page 14).12 

12 The USDA, Economic Research Service no longer provides an estimated average daily prevalence of very low food security because of a change in Census processing of continuous variables. Beginning with the 2019 CPS FSS data, all continuous variables for the 

number of days out of the previous 30 days that food-insecure conditions occurred are only released after being categorized into ranges 

of number of days to reduce the risk of disclosure related to a small number of households reporting a single value. Those categorical 

variables result in less precise estimates of the average daily prevalence of food insecurity. See table S-9 in the online Statistical Supplement for the percent of households reporting each of the food-insecure conditions in increments of 1 to 7 days, 8 to 14 days, and 15 to 

30 days (Coleman-Jensen et al., 2022). 
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When households experience very low food security in 

the United States, the resulting instances of reduced food 

intake and disrupted eating patterns are usually occasional or episodic but not usually constant. The food security 

measurement methods used in this report are designed 

to register these occasional or episodic occurrences. The 

questions used to assess households’ food security status 

ask whether a condition, experience, or behavior occurred 

at any time in the past 12 months, and households can 

be classified as having very low food security based on a 

single, severe episode during the year. Readers should remember this when interpreting food insecurity statistics. 

Analyses of additional information collected in the food 

security survey on how frequently various food-insecure 

conditions occurred during the year, whether they occurred during the 30 days prior to the survey (conducted 

December 12–21, 2021), and, if so, in how many days, 

provide insight into the frequency and duration of food 

insecurity in U.S. households. These analyses reveal that 

in 2021:

• About one-fourth of U.S. households with very 

low food security at any time during the year 

experienced the associated conditions rarely or 

occasionally—in only 1 or 2 months of the year. 

About three-fourths of respondent households experienced the conditions recurrently in 3 or more 

months of the year.

• About one-fourth of food-insecure households 

and one-third of those with very low food 

security experienced the associated conditions 

frequently or chronically. That is, the conditions 

occurred often or almost every month.

• On average, households that were food insecure 

at some time during the year were food insecure 

in 7 months during the year. During the 30-day 

period ending in mid-December 2021, 7.2 million households (5.5 percent of all households) 

were food insecure—about 53 percent of the 

number that were food insecure at any time during the year (see Statistical Supplement table S-4, 

Coleman-Jensen et al., 2022). 

• Similarly, households with very low food security 

at some time during the year experienced the 

associated conditions, on average, in 7 months 

during the year. During the 30-day period ending 

in mid-December 2021, 2.9 million households 

(2.2 percent of all households) had very low food 

security—about 57 percent of the number with 

very low food security at some time during the 

year (see Statistical Supplement table S-4). 

• Most households that had very low food security 

at some time during a month experienced the associated conditions in 1 to 7 days of the month. 

• The omission of homeless families and individuals 

from these frequency statistics biases the statistics 

downward, and the bias may be substantial relative to the estimates, especially for the most severe 

conditions.

Statistical Supplement tables S-7 to S-9 (ColemanJensen et al., 2022) provide information on how often conditions indicating food insecurity occurred, as 

reported by respondents to the December 2021 Food 

Security Supplement. See Nord et al. (2000) for more 

information about the frequency of food insecurity. 

See Ryu and Bartfeld (2012) and Wilde et al. (2010) 

for more information about longer term patterns of 

food insecurity.

Prevalence of food insecurity and very low food 

security, by reference period (2021)

 

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using data from U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 2021 Current Population 

Survey Food Security Supplement.

When Food Insecurity Occurs in U.S. Households, 

It Is Usually Recurrent but Not Constant
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The prevalence of food insecurity in 2021 (10.2 percent) was not significantly different from the 2020 and 

2019 prevalence of 10.5 percent (figure 3, table 1A). Regarding earlier trends, a statistically significant decline 

in the prevalence of food insecurity from 11.1 percent in 2018 to 10.5 percent occurred in 2019 (figure 3, 

table 1A). For the first time, in 2019, food insecurity was statistically significantly below the 11.1 percent 

pre-recession level of 2007. Year-to-year declines in food insecurity from 2014–15, 2016‒17, and 2017–18 

were also statistically significant. Some year-to-year changes were not statistically significant; that is, there was 

no real change or the changes were within the range that could occur from sampling variation. The cumulative 

decline from 2011 (14.9 percent) to 2014 (14.0 percent) was statistically significant. In the previous decade, 

food insecurity increased from 10.7 percent in 2001 to 11.9 percent in 2004, declined to about 11 percent in 

2005‒07, then increased significantly in 2008 (to 14.6 percent), and remained essentially unchanged (that is, 

the difference was not statistically significant) at that level in 2009 and 2010.

Figure 3

Trends in the prevalence of food insecurity and very low food security in U.S. households, 2001–21

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

Percent of households

Food insecurity 

(including low and very low food security)

Very low food security

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using data from U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey Food Security Supplements.

The prevalence of very low food security in 2021 (3.8 percent) was not significantly different from the prevalence in 2020 (3.9 percent) or 2019 (4.1 percent; table 1A). The prevalence of very low food security in 2021 

was significantly lower than the prevalence in 2018 (4.3 percent). Statistically significant year-to-year declines 

in very low food security occurred from 2014–15 and 2016–17. The prevalence of very low food security was 

essentially unchanged from 2011 (5.7 percent) through 2014. The prevalence of very low food security was 

also 5.7 percent in 2008 and 2009. Before 2008, the prevalence of very low food security increased from 3.3 

percent in 2001 to 3.9 percent in 2004 and remained essentially unchanged through 2007 (4.1 percent). 

The prevalence of food insecurity in households with children was lower in 2021 (12.5 percent) than in 2020 

(14.8 percent), a difference that is statistically significant (figure 4, table 1B). The 2021 prevalence of food 

insecurity in households with children was also significantly lower than the 2019 prevalence of 13.6 percent. 

The percentage of households with food insecurity among children in 2021 (6.2 percent) was down significantly from the 2020 prevalence (7.6 percent) but was not significantly different from the 2019 prevalence 

(6.5 percent). The prevalence of food insecurity among children in 2021 was significantly lower than the 

prevalence in 2018 (7.1 percent). The percentage of households with very low food security among children in 

2021 (0.7 percent) was not significantly different from the prevalence from 2015‒20 but down significantly 

from the 2014 prevalence (1.1 percent). 
16

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Figure 4 

Trends in the prevalence of food insecurity in households with children, 2001–21

 

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using data from U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey Food Security Supplements.

Prevalence of Food Insecurity by Selected Household Characteristics

The prevalence of food insecurity varied considerably in 2021 among households with different demographic 

and economic characteristics (table 2). Differences in food security across demographic and geographic groups 

partly reflect differences in income across those groups; although no adjustment is made for income in the statistics presented in this report, food insecurity was strongly associated with income. For example, 32.1 percent of 

households with annual incomes below the official poverty line (household income-to-poverty ratio under 1.00) 

were food insecure, compared with just 5.0 percent of those with incomes at or above 185 percent of the poverty 

line.13 (Table S-1 in the Statistical Supplement (Coleman-Jensen et al., 2022) shows food insecurity by selected 

household characteristics for households with annual income below 130 percent of the poverty line.)

Rates of food insecurity were significantly below the national average of 10.2 percent for the following groups 

(all differences described in the bulleted sections below are statistically significant): 

• Married couples with children (7.4 percent);14 

• Households with no children (9.4 percent), especially those with more than one adult and no children (6.9 percent); 

• Households with elderly persons (7.1 percent);15 

• Households with White, non-Hispanic adult reference persons (the survey reference person is an 

adult household member in whose name the housing unit is owned or rented; 7.0 percent);16 and 

• Households with incomes at or above 185 percent of poverty (5.0 percent). 

13 The Federal poverty line was $27,479 for a family of four (two adults and two children) in 2021.

14 Beginning with the 2020 Current Population Survey, same-sex partners are identified in the data. The married couple category 

includes same-sex married partners.

15 “Elderly” in this report refers to persons aged 65 and older.

16 The “householder” or “household reference person” refers to the person in whose name the housing unit sampled is owned or 

rented. If the house is owned or rented jointly by a married couple, the household reference person may be either spouse. Previously the 

household reference person was referred to as the household head.
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Table 2

Households by food security status and selected household characteristics, 2021

Food insecure

Category Total1 Food secure All

With low food 

security

With very low 

food security

1,000 1,000 Percent 1,000 Percent 1,000 Percent 1,000 Percent

All households 132,043 118,533 89.8 13,510 10.2 8,428 6.4 5,082 3.8

Household composition

 With children < 18 years 36,765 32,170 87.5 4,595 12.5 3,277 8.9 1,318 3.6

 With children < 6 years 15,406 13,418 87.1 1,988 12.9 1,473 9.6 515 3.3

 Married-couple families 23,849 22,088 92.6 1,761 7.4 1,344 5.7 417 1.7

 Female head, no spouse 9,197 6,965 75.7 2,232 24.3 1,497 16.3 735 8.0

 Male head, no spouse 3,194 2,678 83.8 516 16.2 374 11.8 142 4.4

 Other household with child2 524 438 83.6 86 16.4 NA NA NA NA

 With no children < 18 years 95,278 86,364 90.6 8,914 9.4 5,150 5.4 3,764 4.0

 More than one adult 56,113 52,215 93.1 3,898 6.9 2,458 4.3 1,440 2.6

 Women living alone 21,641 18,781 86.8 2,860 13.2 1,568 7.2 1,292 6.0

 Men living alone 17,524 15,367 87.7 2,157 12.3 1,125 6.4 1,032 5.9

 With elderly 42,501 39,473 92.9 3,028 7.1 1,858 4.3 1,170 2.8

 Elderly living alone 16,056 14,530 90.5 1,526 9.5 798 5.0 728 4.5

Race/ethnicity of household reference persons

 White, non-Hispanic 85,866 79,843 93.0 6,023 7.0 3,754 4.4 2,269 2.6

 Black, non-Hispanic 16,951 13,597 80.2 3,354 19.8 2,019 11.9 1,335 7.9

 Hispanic3 19,082 15,983 83.8 3,099 16.2 2,059 10.7 1,040 5.5

 Other, non-Hispanic 10,144 9,112 89.8 1,032 10.2 595 5.9 437 4.3

Household income-to-poverty ratio

 Under 1.00 11,920 8,092 67.9 3,828 32.1 2,187 18.3 1,641 13.8

 Under 1.30 16,994 11,722 69.0 5,272 31.0 3,127 18.4 2,145 12.6

 Under 1.85 26,506 19,470 73.5 7,036 26.5 4,320 16.3 2,716 10.2

 1.85 and over 71,721 68,135 95.0 3,586 5.0 2,328 3.2 1,258 1.8

 Income unknown 33,816 30,929 91.5 2,887 8.5 1,779 5.2 1,108 3.3

Area of residence4

 Inside metropolitan area 113,842 102,295 89.9 11,547 10.1 7,219 6.3 4,328 3.8

 In principal cities5 38,360 33,684 87.8 4,676 12.2 2,899 7.6 1,777 4.6

 Not in principal cities 58,118 53,029 91.2 5,089 8.8 3,228 5.6 1,861 3.2

 Outside metropolitan area 18,201 16,240 89.2 1,961 10.8 1,208 6.7 753 4.1

Census geographic region

 Northeast 22,516 20,525 91.2 1,991 8.8 1,263 5.6 728 3.2

 Midwest 28,301 25,505 90.1 2,796 9.9 1,737 6.2 1,059 3.7

 South 51,183 45,373 88.6 5,810 11.4 3,605 7.1 2,205 4.3

 West 30,044 27,132 90.3 2,912 9.7 1,822 6.1 1,090 3.6

NA = Not reported; fewer than 10 households in the survey with this characteristic had very low food security.

1 Totals exclude households for which food security status is unknown because household respondents did not give a valid response 

to any of the questions in the food security scale. In 2021, these exclusions represented 204,000 households (0.2 percent of all 

households).

2 Households with children in complex living arrangements, e.g., children of other relatives or unrelated roommate or boarder.

3 Hispanics may be of any race.

4 Metropolitan area residence is based on 2013 Office of Management and Budget delineation. Prevalence rates by area of residence 

are comparable with those for 2014 and later but are not precisely comparable with those of earlier years. 

5 Households within incorporated areas of the largest cities in each metropolitan area. Residence inside or outside of principal cities 

is not identified for about 15 percent of households in metropolitan statistical areas.

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using data from U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 2021 Current 

Population Survey Food Security Supplement.
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Rates of food insecurity in 2021 were significantly higher than the national average (10.2 percent) for the following groups: 

• All households with children (12.5 percent);17

• Households with children under age 6 (12.9 percent);

• Households with children headed by a single female (i.e., single mothers, labeled “Female head, no 

spouse” in table; 24.3 percent) or a single male (i.e., single fathers, labeled “Male head, no spouse” in 

table; 16.2 percent);18 

• Women living alone (13.2 percent) and men living alone (12.3 percent);

• Households with Black, non-Hispanic (19.8 percent) and Hispanic (16.2 percent) household 

reference persons;19 and

• Households with incomes below 185 percent of the poverty threshold (26.5 percent).

Food insecurity was significantly lower in metropolitan areas outside principal cities (suburbs; 8.8 percent) 

than in principal cities in metropolitan areas (urban; 12.2 percent) and nonmetropolitan areas (rural; 10.8 

percent).20 The prevalence of food insecurity in rural areas was significantly lower than in principal cities of 

urban areas. Compared with the national average, food insecurity was significantly higher in principal cities 

and significantly lower in suburban areas outside principal cities. Regionally, the prevalence of food insecurity 

in the Northeast (8.8 percent), Midwest (9.9 percent), and West (9.7) was significantly lower than the prevalence in the South (11.4 percent, table 2). Compared with the national average, food insecurity was significantly lower in the Northeast and significantly higher in the South. 

Statistics in table 2 can also be used to calculate the share that each demographic group contributes to the 

population of food-insecure households. Among all food-insecure households in 2021, 34.0 percent were 

households with children, which included 16.5 percent that were female-headed households with children 

(labeled “Female head, no spouse” in table 2) and 13.0 percent that were married-couple households with 

17 About 41 percent of the difference in food insecurity between households with and without children results from a difference in 

the measures applied to the two types of households. Responses to questions about children and adults are considered in assessing the 

food security status of households with children. However, for both types of households, a total of three indications of food insecurity 

is required for classification as food insecure. In 2021, even with the child-referenced questions omitted from the scale, 10.7 percent 

of households with children would be classified as food insecure (that is, as having food insecurity among adults), compared with 9.4 

percent for households without children. Comparisons of very low food security are not biased substantially by this measurement issue 

because a higher threshold is applied to households with children, consistent with the larger number of questions taken into consideration (Nord and Coleman-Jensen, 2014). See Coleman-Jensen et al. (2017) for a discussion of a comparable classification method for 

households with and without children.

18 Some households with children headed by a single woman or a single man as classified for these analyses included other adults, 

who may have been parents, siblings, cohabiting partners, adult children, other relatives of the reference person, or unrelated roomers or 

boarders.

19 The “Other, non-Hispanic” category for race/ethnicity of household reference person includes non-Hispanic adults that identify 

as multiple races, American Indian, Alaskan Native, Asian, Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander. There are not sufficient respondents in the 

CPS supplement to present reliable estimates for these individual groups for all outcomes, so they are grouped together into the “Other, 

non-Hispanic” category. 

20 Here we use “rural” to refer to nonmetropolitan counties, “urban” to refer to the principal cities of a metropolitan statistical area 

(MSA), and “suburbs” to refer to metropolitan locations outside of principal cities. Principal cities include the incorporated areas of the 

largest city in each MSA and other cities in the MSA that meet specified criteria based on population size and commuting patterns. 

Nonmetropolitan areas are counties outside MSAs. Revised MSAs and principal cities within them were delineated by the Office of 

Management and Budget in 2013, based on revised standards developed by the Census Bureau in collaboration with other Federal 

agencies. The Census Bureau implemented the revised delineations beginning with the 2014 Current Population Survey Food Security 

Supplement. Food security prevalence statistics by area of residence for 2014 and later are not precisely comparable with corresponding 

statistics from earlier years.
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children.21 Among all food-insecure households in 2021, 66.0 percent were households with no children. 

About 22.4 percent of all food-insecure households included elderly adults. Households with reported incomes below 185 percent of the poverty threshold made up most food-insecure households (52.1 percent). 

Households with reported incomes at or above 185 percent of the poverty threshold made up 26.5 percent of 

all food-insecure households, and households with unknown income made up the remaining 21.4 percent of 

all food-insecure households in 2021. 

The prevalence of very low food security in various types of households followed a pattern like that observed 

for food insecurity (table 2). Percentages were significantly lower than the 2021 national average of 3.8 percent for the following groups: 

• Married couples with children (1.7 percent);

• Multiple-adult households with no children (2.6 percent);

• Households with elderly persons (2.8 percent);

• Households with White, non-Hispanic reference persons (2.6 percent);

• Households with incomes at or above 185 percent of the poverty line (1.8 percent);

• Households in suburbs outside principal cities within metropolitan areas (3.2 percent); and

• Households in the Northeast (3.2 percent).

The prevalence of very low food security was significantly higher than the national average (3.8 percent) for 

the following groups: 

• Households with children headed by a single female (8.0 percent); 

• Women living alone (6.0 percent) and men living alone (5.9 percent);

• Households with reference persons who are Black, non-Hispanic (7.9 percent) and Hispanic (5.5 

percent);

• Households with incomes below 185 percent of the poverty line (10.2 percent); and

• Households located in principal cities (4.6 percent). 

In 6.2 percent of households with children, one or more child was food insecure in 2021 (table 3).22 Among 

household categories, the percentage of households with food-insecure children was significantly lower in 

married-couple households (3.8 percent); households with a White, non-Hispanic reference person (3.4 

percent); households with incomes at or above 185 percent of the poverty line (2.2 percent); and households 

in the Northeast (4.4 percent). The percentage of households with food-insecure children was significantly 

higher for female-headed households (12.1 percent); households with a Black, non-Hispanic reference person 

(12.0 percent) or Hispanic reference person (9.7 percent); households with incomes below 185 percent of the 

poverty line (14.5 percent); and households in principal cities (7.7 percent).

21 The share of food-insecure households that are female-headed households with children can be calculated as (2,232/13,510) = 

0.165. Similarly, the share of food-insecure households that are married-couple households with children is (1,761/13,510) = 0.130.

22 Households are classified as having food insecurity among children if they report two or more food-insecure conditions among 

children in response to questions 11-18 in the box on page 4.
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Table 3

Prevalence of food security and food insecurity in households with children by selected household 

characteristics, 2021

Category Total1

Food-secure 

households

Food-insecure 

households2

Households with 

food-insecure 

children3

Households with 

very low food 

security among 

children

1,000 1,000 Percent 1,000 Percent 1,000 Percent 1,000 Percent

All households with 

children 36,765 32,170 87.5 4,595 12.5 2,290 6.2 274 0.7

Household composition

 With children < 6 years 15,406 13,418 87.1 1,988 12.9 997 6.5 77 0.5

 Married-couple families 23,849 22,088 92.6 1,761 7.4 909 3.8 92 0.4

 Female head, no spouse 9,197 6,965 75.7 2,232 24.3 1,114 12.1 162 1.8

 Male head, no spouse 3,194 2,678 83.8 516 16.2 239 7.5 NA NA

 Other household with 

 child4 524 438 83.6 86 16.4 NA NA NA NA

Race/ethnicity of household reference persons

 White, non-Hispanic 20,215 18,619 92.1 1,596 7.9 689 3.4 47 0.2

 Black, non-Hispanic 5,047 3,903 77.3 1,144 22.7 606 12.0 107 2.1

 Hispanic5 8,235 6,755 82.0 1,480 18.0 797 9.7 92 1.1

 Other, non-Hispanic 3,268 2,893 88.5 375 11.5 199 6.1 NA NA

Household income-to-poverty ratio

 Under 1.00 4,017 2,694 67.1 1,323 32.9 679 16.9 137 3.4

 Under 1.30 6,082 4,092 67.3 1,990 32.7 1,020 16.8 162 2.7

 Under 1.85 9,111 6,472 71.0 2,639 29.0 1,321 14.5 176 1.9

 1.85 and over 19,522 18,509 94.8 1,013 5.2 438 2.2 60 0.3

 Income unknown 8,131 7,189 88.4 942 11.6 532 6.5 NA NA

Area of residence6

 Inside metropolitan area 31,887 27,959 87.7 3,928 12.3 1,976 6.2 232 0.7

 In principal cities7 9,773 8,325 85.2 1,448 14.8 749 7.7 116 1.2

 Not in principal cities 17,638 15,776 89.4 1,862 10.6 938 5.3 97 0.5

 Outside metropolitan 

 area 4,878 4,211 86.3 667 13.7 314 6.4 41 0.8

Census geographic region

 Northeast 5,882 5,276 89.7 606 10.3 256 4.4 NA NA

 Midwest 7,528 6,584 87.5 944 12.5 472 6.3 NA NA

 South 14,673 12,708 86.6 1,965 13.4 935 6.4 124 0.8

 West 8,682 7,602 87.6 1,080 12.4 627 7.2 77 0.9

NA = Not reported; fewer than 10 households in the survey with this characteristic had food insecurity among children or very low 

food security among children.

1 Totals exclude households for which food security status is unknown because the households did not give a valid response to any 

of the questions in the food security scale. In 2021, these exclusions represented 27,000 households with children (0.1 percent of all 

households with children). 

2 Food-insecure households are those with low or very low food security among adults or children or both.

3 In some food-insecure households with children, only adults were food insecure. Households with food-insecure children are those 

with low or very low food security among children.

4 Households with children in complex living arrangements, e.g., children of other relatives or unrelated roommate or boarder.

5 Hispanics may be of any race. 

6 Metropolitan area residence is based on 2013 Office of Management and Budget delineation. Prevalence rates by area of residence 

are comparable with those for 2014 and later but are not precisely comparable with those of earlier years. 

7 Households within incorporated areas of the largest cities in each metropolitan area. Residence inside or outside of principal cities 

is not identified for about 14 percent of households with children in metropolitan statistical areas.

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using data from U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 2021 Current 

Population Survey Food Security Supplement.
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Compared with the prevalence for all households with children in 2021 (0.7 percent), very low food security 

among children was significantly less prevalent in married-couple households (0.4 percent); households with a 

White, non-Hispanic reference person (0.2 percent); and households with incomes at or above 185 percent of 

the poverty line (0.3 percent). Very low food security among children in 2021 was significantly more prevalent in households headed by a single female (1.8 percent); households with a Black, non-Hispanic reference 

person (2.1 percent); and households with incomes below 185 percent of the poverty line (1.9 percent). 

The prevalence of household food insecurity in 2021 is statistically different from the prevalence in 2020 

for some population subgroups (figure 5).23 The prevalence of food insecurity increased for households with 

no children (8.8 percent in 2020 to 9.4 percent in 2021), especially for women living alone (11.0 percent 

in 2020 to 13.2 percent in 2021). Food insecurity also increased for elderly people living alone (8.3 percent 

in 2020 to 9.5 percent in 2021). The prevalence of food insecurity declined from 2020 to 2021 for a few 

population subgroups. Food insecurity declined significantly for all households with children (14.8 percent in 

2020 to 12.5 percent in 2021), households with children under age 6 (15.3 percent in 2020 to 12.9 percent 

in 2021), married couples with children (9.5 percent in 2020 to 7.4 percent in 2021), and single mothers 

with children (27.7 percent in 2020 to 24.3 percent in 2021). Food insecurity also declined significantly for 

households with Black, non-Hispanic reference persons (21.7 percent in 2020 to 19.8 percent in 2021), all 

low-income households (28.6 percent in 2020 to 26.5 percent in 2021 for households with incomes below 

185 percent of the Federal poverty line), and households in the South (12.3 percent in 2020 to 11.4 percent 

in 2021). 

23 Estimates of food insecurity and very low food security for 2020 were published in Household Food Security in the United States in 

2020 (Coleman-Jensen et al., 2021).
22

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Figure 5 

Prevalence of food insecurity, 2020 and 2021

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45

All households

Household composition:

 With children < 18 years

 With children < 6 years

 Married-couple families

 Female head, no spouse

 Male head, no spouse

 With no children < 18 years

 More than one adult

 Women living alone

 Men living alone

 With elderly

 Elderly living alone

Race/ethnicity of household reference persons:

 White, non-Hispanic

 Black, non-Hispanic

 Hispanic

 Other, non-Hispanic

Household income-to-poverty ratio:

 Under 1.00

 Under 1.30

 Under 1.85

 1.85 and over

Area of residence:

 Inside metropolitan area

 In principal cities

 Not in principal cities

 Outside metropolitan area

Census geographic region:

 Northeast

 Midwest

 South

 West

Percent of households

2020

2021

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

* Change from 2020 to 2021 was statistically significant, with 90-percent confidence (t > 1.645).

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using data from U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 2020 and 2021 

Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement.

The prevalence of very low food security (figure 6) increased significantly for elderly persons living alone, from 

3.4 percent in 2020 to 4.5 percent in 2021. The prevalence of very low food security declined significantly 

from 2020 to 2021 for households with more than one adult and no children (from 3.0 percent in 2020 to 

2.6 percent in 2021) and for households with White, non-Hispanic reference persons (from 3.0 percent in 

2020 to 2.6 percent in 2021). 
23

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Figure 6

Prevalence of very low food security, 2020 and 2021

0 5 10 15 20

All households

Household composition:

 With children < 18 years

 With children < 6 years

 Married-couple families

 Female head, no spouse

 Male head, no spouse

 With no children < 18 years

 More than one adult

 Women living alone

 Men living alone

 With elderly

 Elderly living alone

Race/ethnicity of household reference persons:

 White, non-Hispanic

 Black, non-Hispanic

 Hispanic

 Other, non-Hispanic

Household income-to-poverty ratio:

 Under 1.00

 Under 1.30

 Under 1.85

 1.85 and over

Area of residence:

 Inside metropolitan area

 In principal cities

 Not in principal cities

 Outside metropolitan area

Census geographic region:

 Northeast

 Midwest

 South

 West

Percent of households

2020

2021

*

*

*

* Change from 2020 to 2021 was statistically significant with 90-percent confidence (t > 1.645).

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using data from U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 2020 and 2021 

Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement.

Prevalence of Food Insecurity by State 

The prevalence of food insecurity varies considerably by State. In addition to household-level characteristics 

such as income, employment, and household structure, the prevalence of food insecurity is also affected by 

State-level characteristics such as average wages, cost of housing, unemployment, and State-level policies that 

affect access to unemployment insurance, the State Earned Income Tax Credit, and nutrition assistance programs (Bartfeld et al., 2006; Bartfeld and Men, 2017). State-level estimates were obtained by averaging 3 years 

of data (2019‒21) to generate a larger sample size in each State to provide more reliable statistics that allowed 
24

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more precise estimates and more power to detect differences across States. Using single-year food insecurity 

estimates for States would make it more difficult to detect those States statistically above or below the national 

average, especially for smaller States. Estimated prevalence rates of food insecurity during this 3-year period 

ranged from 5.4 percent in New Hampshire to 15.3 percent in Mississippi; estimated prevalence rates of very 

low food security ranged from 1.8 percent in North Dakota to 6.3 percent in Arkansas (table 4).24

The margin of error for State food insecurity rates should be considered when interpreting these statistics, 

especially when comparing prevalence rates across States. The margin of error reflects sampling variation—the 

uncertainty associated with estimates that are based on information from a limited number of households 

in each State.25 The margins of error presented in table 4 indicate the range of values (above or below the 

estimated prevalence rate) where, in repeated sampling, we expect to see the true prevalence rate 90 percent of 

the time. For example, considering the margins of error, it is not certain that the prevalence of very low food 

security was higher in Arkansas than in six other States.

Taking into account margins of error of the State and U.S. estimates for the 3-year period of 2019–21, the 

prevalence of food insecurity was higher (i.e., statistically significantly higher) than the national average in 9 

States (AL, AR, KY, LA, MS, OK, SC, TX, and WV) and lower than the national average in the District of 

Columbia and 14 States (CA, IA, MA, MD, MN, ND, NH, NJ, PA, RI, SD, VA, VT, and WA).26 In the 

remaining 27 States, differences from the national average were not statistically significant. The prevalence of 

very low food security was higher than the national average in 7 States (AR, LA, MO, MS, SC, TX, and WV), 

lower than the national average in the District of Columbia and 11 States (CA, IA, MD, MN, ND, NH, NJ, 

RI, VA, VT, and WA), and not significantly different from the national average in 32 States.

24 A map of the States showing the prevalence of food insecurity for 2019–21 can be downloaded from the USDA, ERS website.

25 Margin of error is calculated as 1.645 times the standard error of the estimated prevalence rate. Standard errors were estimated 

using balanced repeated replication (BRR) methods based on replicate weights for the Current Population Survey Food Security 

Supplement.

26 Standard error of difference assumes that there is no correlation between national and individual State estimates.
25

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Table 4

Prevalence of household food insecurity and very low food security by State, average 2019–21 

Number of households

Food insecurity 

(low or very low food security) Very low food security

State

Average 

2019–211 Interviewed Prevalence Margin of error2 Prevalence

Margin of 

error2

Number Number Percent Percentage points Percent

Percentage 

points

U.S. 130,708,000 98,794 10.4 0.19 4.0 0.13

AK 269,000 1,203 9.5 1.93 4.0 1.35

AL 2,039,000 1,764 13.1* 2.12 4.6 1.15

AR 1,289,000 1,728 15.0* 1.86 6.3* 1.05

AZ 2,929,000 1,624 10.1 1.77 3.1 0.86

CA 14,165,000 8,100 9.6* 0.55 3.5* 0.40

CO 2,345,000 1,034 10.5 1.96 3.8 1.12

CT 1,441,000 837 9.6 2.03 4.2 1.30

DC 342,000 2,019 9.0* 1.27 2.8* 0.75

DE 387,000 1,016 11.2 2.23 4.1 1.34

FL 9,274,000 4,079 9.9 0.93 3.8 0.55

GA 4,179,000 2,075 9.9 1.37 3.9 1.00

HI 487,000 1,331 9.1 1.53 3.1 0.93

IA 1,316,000 1,204 7.0* 1.75 2.3* 0.99

ID 695,000 1,795 9.8 1.31 3.9 0.85

IL 5,015,000 2,789 9.4 1.08 4.0 0.74

IN 2,757,000 1,728 9.7 1.33 4.5 0.93

KS 1,157,000 1,297 10.2 1.44 4.2 1.12

KY 1,867,000 1,196 12.3* 1.80 4.4 1.18

LA 1,880,000 2,181 14.5* 1.57 5.7* 0.87

MA 2,812,000 1,879 8.4* 1.20 3.2 0.77

MD 2,301,000 1,214 8.7* 1.53 2.9* 0.93

ME 571,000 911 9.5 1.70 4.5 0.77

MI 4,142,000 2,307 11.4 1.50 4.6 0.79

MN 2,303,000 1,428 7.4* 1.62 2.8* 1.02

MO 2,503,000 1,607 12.0 1.87 5.6* 1.22

MS 1,174,000 2,061 15.3* 2.04 5.5* 1.06

MT 474,000 1,997 10.4 1.53 4.7 0.96

NC 4,450,000 2,125 10.9 1.45 3.6 0.71

ND 331,000 1,641 7.7* 1.25 1.8* 0.64

NE 792,000 1,123 10.6 1.63 4.6 1.17

NH 554,000 1,431 5.4* 1.21 2.0* 0.71

NJ 3,426,000 1,963 8.3* 1.26 2.7* 0.84

NM 865,000 1,886 11.5 2.71 4.5 1.74

NV 1,220,000 1,410 10.2 1.45 4.2 1.04

NY 7,774,000 3,690 10.3 0.99 3.5 0.62

OH 4,816,000 2,605 10.8 1.21 4.6 0.96

OK 1,591,000 1,449 13.8* 2.00 4.4 0.91

OR 1,761,000 1,805 10.3 1.45 3.9 0.89

PA 5,063,000 2,643 9.2* 1.09 3.8 0.60

RI 430,000 925 8.4* 1.82 2.6* 0.87

SC 2,180,000 1,510 12.6* 1.52 5.9* 1.28

SD 367,000 1,174 8.7* 1.43 3.7 1.00

TN 2,826,000 2,081 11.2 1.19 4.5 0.73

TX 10,766,000 5,141 13.7* 0.91 5.0* 0.58

UT 1,139,000 1,329 11.2 1.49 3.9 1.16

VA 3,412,000 1,838 7.8* 1.24 3.1* 0.72

VT 279,000 1,553 7.9* 1.23 2.8* 0.81

WA 3,096,000 1,960 7.9* 1.05 3.0* 0.68

WI 2,483,000 1,628 9.9 1.74 3.1 0.90

WV 740,000 1,974 14.0* 3.04 5.2* 1.02

WY 233,000 1,506 11.2 1.46 4.7 0.91

*Difference from U.S. average was statistically significant with 90-percent confidence (t > 1.645). Standard error of differences assumes no correlation between national and individual State estimates.

1 Totals exclude households for which food security status is unknown because household respondents did not give a valid response 

to any of the questions in the food security scale. These exclusions represented about 0.2 percent of all households in 2019, 0.2 

percent in 2020, and 0.2 percent in 2021.

2 Margin of error with 90-percent confidence (1.645 times the standard error of the estimated prevalence rate). Standard errors were 

estimated using balanced repeated replication (BRR) methods based on replicate weights for the Current Population Survey Food 

Security Supplement.

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using data from U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 2019, 2020, and 

2021 Current Population Survey Food Security Supplements.
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State-level rates of food insecurity and very low food security for 2019‒21 are compared with 2016‒18 and 

2009‒11 averages in table 5. Prevalence rates for the preceding 3-year period of 2016–18 are from Household 

Food Security in the United States in 2018 (Coleman-Jensen et al., 2019). The 2009‒11 rates are from Household Food Security in the United States in 2011 (Coleman-Jensen et al., 2012) and are presented as a baseline to 

assess changes in State-level food security conditions over the past decade.27 

No statistically significant increases in the State-level prevalence of food insecurity occurred from the periods 2016–18 to 2019–21, while food insecurity declined significantly in 14 States (AZ, CA, FL, IN, KS, 

ME, NC, NH, NM, NV, OH, PA, VA, and WA; table 5). During the same period, a statistically significant 

increase occurred in the prevalence of very low food security in 1 State (SC), while very low food security 

declined significantly in the District of Columbia and 10 States (AL, AZ, IA, KS, MD, NC, ND, OK, RI, 

and VA). 

Across the decade, there were no statistically significant percentage-point increases in the prevalence of food 

insecurity from the periods 2009‒11 to 2019‒21. There were statistically significant declines in 41 States and 

the District of Columbia (see table 5). The prevalence of very low food security increased significantly from 

the periods 2009‒11 to 2019‒21 in one State (SC), with statistically significant declines in 29 States and the 

District of Columbia. Changes not marked as statistically significant (*) in table 5 were within ranges that 

could have resulted from sampling variation (that is, a non-zero difference between sample estimates, based 

on the households that happen to be chosen for the sample, which is consistent with no actual change in food 

security in the State’s general population). 

27 Prevalence rates for 1996–98 reported in Prevalence of Food Insecurity and Hunger, by State, 1996–1998 (Nord et al., 1999) are 

not directly comparable with the rates reported here because of differences in screening procedures in the CPS Food Security Supplements from 1995 to 1998. Statistics for 1996–98, adjusted to be comparable with those for recent years, are presented in Statistical 

Supplement to Food Security in the United States in 2010, table S-4 (Coleman-Jensen et al., 2011). Standard errors of State-level estimates 

for 2009–11 were calculated using jackknife replication methods with “month-in-sample” groups considered as separate independent 

samples (see Nord et al., 1999).
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Table 5

Change in prevalence of household food insecurity and very low food security by State: 2019–21 

(average), 2016–18 (average), and 2009–11 (average)1

Food insecurity (low or very low food security) Very low food security

State

Average 

2019–21

Average 

2016–18

Average 

2009–11

Change 

2016–18 to 

2019–21

Change 

2009–11 to 

2019–21

Average 

2019–21

Average 

2016–18

Average 

2009–11

Change 

2016–18 to 

2019–21

Change 

2009–11 to 

2019–21

----------------Percent--------------- Percentage points -----------Percent---------- Percentage points

U.S. 10.4 11.7 14.7 -1.3* -4.3* 4.0 4.6 5.6 -0.6* -1.6*

AK 9.5 10.8 13.9 -1.3 -4.4* 4.0 4.3 4.8 -0.3 -0.8

AL 13.1 14.7 18.2 -1.6 -5.1* 4.6 6.8 7.1 -2.2* -2.5*

AR 15.0 15.1 19.2 -0.1 -4.2* 6.3 6.1 7.6 0.2 -1.3

AZ 10.1 12.4 15.8 -2.3* -5.7* 3.1 5.1 6.2 -2.0* -3.1*

CA 9.6 10.6 16.2 -1.0* -6.6* 3.5 3.9 5.8 -0.4 -2.3*

CO 10.5 9.1 13.4 1.4 -2.9* 3.8 3.6 5.4 0.2 -1.6*

CT 9.6 12.4 11.9 -2.8 -2.3* 4.2 4.2 4.7 0.0 -0.5

DC 9.0 10.6 12.6 -1.6 -3.6* 2.8 4.5 4.4 -1.7* -1.6*

DE 11.2 10.5 10.9 0.7 0.3 4.1 4.5 4.3 -0.4 -0.2

FL 9.9 11.7 15.4 -1.8* -5.5* 3.8 4.2 6.3 -0.4 -2.5*

GA 9.9 11.3 17.4 -1.4 -7.5* 3.9 3.8 6.4 0.1 -2.5*

HI 9.1 8.0 13.8 1.1 -4.7* 3.1 3.2 5.6 -0.1 -2.5*

IA 7.0 9.2 12.0 -2.2 -5.0* 2.3 3.9 4.7 -1.6* -2.4*

ID 9.8 9.8 13.7 0.0 -3.9* 3.9 3.3 5.0 0.6 -1.1

IL 9.4 10.7 13.3 -1.3 -3.9* 4.0 4.4 4.5 -0.4 -0.5

IN 9.7 13.5 13.2 -3.8* -3.5* 4.5 4.8 5.4 -0.3 -0.9

KS 10.2 13.8 14.5 -3.6* -4.3* 4.2 6.2 5.2 -2.0* -1.0

KY 12.3 14.7 16.4 -2.4 -4.1* 4.4 5.7 6.6 -1.3 -2.2*

LA 14.5 15.8 14.1 -1.3 0.4 5.7 6.8 4.4 -1.1 1.3

MA 8.4 9.3 11.9 -0.9 -3.5* 3.2 3.2 4.5 0.0 -1.3

MD 8.7 11.1 12.5 -2.4 -3.8* 2.9 5.2 5.6 -2.3* -2.7*

ME 9.5 13.6 14.7 -4.1* -5.2* 4.5 5.9 6.5 -1.4 -2.0*

MI 11.4 12.9 14.2 -1.5 -2.8* 4.6 5.3 5.6 -0.7 -1.0

MN 7.4 8.6 10.2 -1.2 -2.8* 2.8 3.3 4.3 -0.5 -1.5*

MO 12.0 12.0 16.0 0.0 -4.0* 5.6 4.4 6.7 1.2 -1.1

MS 15.3 15.9 19.2 -0.6 -3.9* 5.5 6.3 7.1 -0.8 -1.6

MT 10.4 10.3 14.5 0.1 -4.1* 4.7 3.9 5.4 0.8 -0.7

NC 10.9 13.9 17.1 -3.0* -6.2* 3.6 5.5 5.8 -1.9* -2.2*

ND 7.7 8.8 7.8 -1.1 -0.1 1.8 3.6 3.1 -1.8* -1.3*

NE 10.6 11.4 13.3 -0.8 -2.7* 4.6 4.7 4.9 -0.1 -0.3

NH 5.4 7.8 9.6 -2.4* -4.2* 2.0 2.8 4.0 -0.8 -2.0*

NJ 8.3 8.5 12.3 -0.2 -4.0* 2.7 3.1 4.5 -0.4 -1.8*

NM 11.5 16.8 16.5 -5.3* -5.0* 4.5 5.8 6.3 -1.3 -1.8

NV 10.2 12.9 15.3 -2.7* -5.1* 4.2 5.4 6.0 -1.2 -1.8*

NY 10.3 10.5 13.3 -0.2 -3.0* 3.5 3.8 5.1 -0.3 -1.6*

OH 10.8 13.2 15.5 -2.4* -4.7* 4.6 5.8 6.4 -1.2 -1.8*

OK 13.8 15.6 14.7 -1.8 -0.9 4.4 6.1 7.0 -1.7* -2.6*

OR 10.3 11.1 13.6 -0.8 -3.3* 3.9 4.8 5.9 -0.9 -2.0*

PA 9.2 11.1 12.5 -1.9* -3.3* 3.8 4.2 5.0 -0.4 -1.2*

RI 8.4 11.0 15.5 -2.6 -7.1* 2.6 4.7 6.0 -2.1* -3.4*

SC 12.6 11.0 14.8 1.6 -2.2 5.9 4.0 4.4 1.9* 1.5*

SD 8.7 10.9 12.7 -2.2 -4.0* 3.7 4.8 5.3 -1.1 -1.6*

TN 11.2 12.4 15.2 -1.2 -4.0* 4.5 5.2 6.4 -0.7 -1.9*

TX 13.7 14.0 18.5 -0.3 -4.8* 5.0 5.4 6.5 -0.4 -1.5*

UT 11.2 9.8 14.6 1.4 -3.4* 3.9 3.2 5.2 0.7 -1.3

VA 7.8 10.1 9.1 -2.3* -1.3 3.1 4.8 3.2 -1.7* -0.1

VT 7.9 9.6 12.8 -1.7 -4.9* 2.8 3.3 5.4 -0.5 -2.6*

WA 7.9 10.3 15.4 -2.4* -7.5* 3.0 4.0 6.2 -1.0 -3.2*

WI 9.9 8.9 11.3 1.0 -1.4 3.1 3.4 4.7 -0.3 -1.6*

WV 14.0 15.7 14.1 -1.7 -0.1 5.2 5.9 5.1 -0.7 0.1

WY 11.2 12.6 12.7 -1.4 -1.5 4.7 5.0 4.8 -0.3 -0.1

*Change was statistically significant, with 90-percent confidence (t > 1.645). 

1 Percentages exclude households for which food security status is unknown because household respondents did not give a valid 

response to any of the questions in the food security scale.

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using data from U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey Food Security Supplements.
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Household Spending on Food

Food insecurity arises from a lack of money and other resources to acquire food. Most households purchase 

much of their food from supermarkets or grocery stores; some food also comes from cafeterias, restaurants, 

vending machines, or other types of stores. Families with children may also get food from schools and childcare. The amount of money a household spends on food is one indicator for how adequately the household 

is meeting its food needs.28 When a household reduces food spending below a minimum level, such as those 

defined in USDA’s Thrifty Food Plan (TFP), because of constrained resources, disrupted eating patterns and 

reduced food intake may result. This section provides information on how much households spent on food, as 

reported in the December 2021 Food Security Supplement. 

Methods

The household food expenditure statistics in this report are based on usual weekly spending for food, as reported by respondents after reflecting on the household’s actual food spending during the previous week. Respondents were first asked to report the amounts of money their households spent on food in the week before 

the interview, including purchases made with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits at:

• Supermarkets and grocery stores; 

• Stores other than supermarkets and grocery stores, such as meat markets, produce stands, bakeries, 

warehouse clubs, and convenience stores;

• Restaurants, fast-food places, cafeterias, and vending machines; and

• “...Any other kind of place.”29 

Total spending for food, based on responses to this series of questions, was verified with the respondent. The 

respondent was then asked how much the household usually spent on food during a week.30 USDA, Economic Research Service (ERS) analyses showed that usual food expenditures estimated from data collected by this 

method were consistent with estimates from the Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES)—the principal source 

of data on U.S. household expenditures for goods and services (Oliveira and Rose, 1996; Nord, 2009b). 

Usual food spending was adjusted for household size and composition in two ways. First, researchers divided 

each household’s usual weekly food expenditure by the number of household members, yielding the “usual 

weekly food spending per person” for that household. The second adjustment more precisely accounts for the 

different food needs of households by comparing each household’s usual food spending with the estimated 

28 Food spending is only an indirect indicator of food consumption. It understates food consumption in households that receive 

food from in-kind programs such as the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs, WIC, meal programs for children 

in childcare and for the elderly, and private charitable organizations such as food pantries. Purchases with SNAP benefits, however, 

are counted as food spending in the Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement. Food spending in 2021 likely included 

Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT), though it was not specifically mentioned because it was delivered similarly to regular 

SNAP benefits. Food spending also understates food consumption in households that acquire a substantial part of their food supply 

through gardening, hunting, or fishing, as well as in households that obtain groceries from friends or relatives or eat more meals at 

friends’ or relatives’ homes than they provide to friends or relatives. Food spending also understates food consumption in geographical 

areas with relatively low food prices and overstates consumption in areas with relatively high food prices.

29 For spending in the first two categories of stores, respondents were also asked how much of the amount was for “nonfood items, 

such as pet food, paper products, alcohol, detergents, or cleaning supplies.” These amounts are subtracted from total spending at each of 

these stores to arrive at spending for food.

30 Beginning with the 2015 Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement, food-spending amounts are categorized in 

public-use data. Categorizing the dollar amounts reduces the risk of disclosure and is now standard for data collected by the Census 

Bureau. USDA, ERS analysis suggests this change has little effect on the estimates of median food spending reported in the annual 

food security reports. The tables presented in this section are based on the categorical food-spending data. 
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cost of the USDA’s TFP for that household in December 2021.31 The TFP serves as a national standard for 

a nutritious, practical, cost-effective diet. It represents a set of “market baskets” of foods and beverages that 

people in specific age and sex categories could commonly consume at home that are lower in price and of 

higher nutritional quality to maintain a healthful diet that meets current dietary standards, taking into account the food consumption patterns of U.S. households. The TFP, in addition to its use as a research tool, 

is used as a basis for setting the maximum SNAP benefit amounts (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2021). 

Each household’s reported usual weekly food spending was divided by the household-specific cost of the TFP, 

based on the age- and gender-specific cost of the TFP for each household member and the number of persons 

in the household (U.S. Department of Agriculture, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, 2022).32

The medians of each of the two food-spending measures (spending per person per week and total weekly 

spending relative to the cost of the December 2021 TFP) were estimated at the national level and for households in various categories. Medians are reported rather than averages (means) because medians are less 

affected by the few unexpectedly high values of usual food spending that are believed to be reporting or dataentry errors. Thus, the median better reflects what a typical household spent. 

The TFP was revised significantly in 2021 due to a reevaluation by USDA as required by the 2018 Farm Bill. 

The reevaluation was based on current food prices, food composition data, consumption patterns, and dietary 

guidance. Prior updates to the TFP were constrained in not allowing changes of the cost of the TFP beyond 

adjustments for inflation. The current reevaluation did not have that cost constraint. The resulting 2021 TFP 

is a 21-percent increase in cost from the previous version after adjusting for current prices (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2021). In December 2020, the weekly cost of the TFP for a family of four (two adults 

aged 19–50 and two children aged 6–8 and 9–11) was $154.90 (U.S. Department of Agriculture, Center 

for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, 2021). By comparison, after the reevaluation, in December 2021, the 

weekly cost of the TFP for a family of four (two adults aged 19–50 and two children aged 6–8 and 9–11) was 

$199.20 (U.S. Department of Agriculture, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, 2022). Because of this 

change in the TFP, estimates of household spending relative to the cost of the TFP for 2021 shown here are 

not comparable with prior years. In practical terms, the ratio of household spending relative to the cost of the 

TFP will differ based on the change in the 2021 cost of the TFP, even if households’ actual spending did not 

change significantly. Median food expenditures per person reported here are not affected by the TFP change 

and remain comparable across years. 

About 6.8 percent of households interviewed in the CPS-FSS did not respond to the food-spending questions 

(or reported zero usual food spending) and were excluded from the analysis. As a result, the total number of 

households represented in tables 6 and 7 is smaller than in tables 1 and 2. Food-spending estimates may not 

be fully representative of all households in the United States.33

Food Expenditures by Selected Household Characteristics

In 2021, the typical U.S. household spent $62.50 per person weekly for food (table 6). Median household 

food spending relative to the cost of the TFP—which adjusts for food price inflation and adjusts more precisely for the food needs of persons in different age-gender categories—was 1.15 (a ratio of household food 

spending relative to the TFP that is above 1.0 indicates the household spends more than the cost of the TFP; 

31 The cost of the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) is revised each month to account for inflation in food prices and was revised significantly in 2021 (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2021). For this report, TFP costs are estimated by USDA, ERS separately for Alaska and 

Hawaii, using adjustment factors calculated from SNAP fiscal year 2022 maximum monthly allotments for those States.

32 The cost of a TFP for a household is calculated under the assumption that all food purchased by household members is shared. 

33 Households that were unable or unwilling to report food spending were less likely to be food insecure than those that did report 

food spending (9.0 percent compared with 10.3 percent). Food spending may, therefore, be slightly underestimated from these data.
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a ratio below 1.0 means the household spends less than the cost of the TFP). That is, in 2021, the typical 

household spent 15 percent more on food than the cost of the TFP for that household. To illustrate what that 

means, we use an example household. In December 2021, the weekly cost of the TFP for a family of four that 

included two adults aged 19–50 and two children aged 6–8 and 9–11 was $199.20. If a sampled household 

in the CPS-FSS with those same characteristics (family of four composed of two adults aged 19–50 and two 

children aged 6–8 and 9–11) reported weekly food spending that was 15 percent more than the TFP, they 

would be spending about $30 more on food for their household for the week than the cost of the TFP, or a 

total of $229.20. 

Households with children under the age of 18 generally spent less for food, relative to the household cost 

of the TFP, than those without children. Put differently, households with children spent less relative to the 

estimated needed food spending for their household size and composition, based on USDA’s TFP. The typical 

household with children spent 1 percent more than the cost of the TFP on food, while the typical household 

with no children spent 22 percent more. Median household food expenditures relative to the cost of the TFP 

were lower for households with children headed by single women (ratio of 0.98) and single men (ratio of 

0.94) than for married couples with children (ratio of 1.04). Median food expenditures relative to the cost of 

the TFP were highest for men living alone (ratio of 1.35).

Median food expenditures relative to the cost of the TFP were lower for households with Black, non-Hispanic 

(ratio of 1.01) and Hispanic reference persons (ratio of 1.04) than for households with a White, non-Hispanic 

reference person (ratio of 1.18). This pattern is consistent with the lower average incomes and higher prevalence rates of food insecurity for these racial and ethnic groups.

As expected, households with higher incomes spent more money on food than did lower income households.34 The typical household with income below the poverty line spent about 8 percent less than the cost of 

the TFP, while the typical household with income at or above 185 percent of the poverty line spent 24 percent 

more than the cost of the TFP. 

Median food spending relative to the cost of the TFP was lower for households in nonmetropolitan areas 

(ratio of 0.99) and higher for those in principal cities (ratio of 1.22) or in metropolitan areas outside principal 

cities (ratio of 1.18). Regionally, median spending on food relative to the cost of the TFP was lower in the 

Midwest (ratio of 1.10).

34 However, food spending does not rise proportionately with income, so high-income households spend a smaller proportion 

of their income on food than low-income households. In 2020, households with incomes in the lowest income quintile spent about 

$4,000 on food annually and this represented about 27 percent of their income. Meanwhile, households with incomes in the highest 

quintile spent about $12,000 on food and this represented about 7 percent of their annual income (MacLachlan and Lowe, 2021).
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Table 6 

Weekly household food spending per person and relative to the household cost of the Thrifty Food 

Plan (TFP), 2021

Median weekly food spending

Category Number of households1 Per person

Relative to household 

cost of December 

2021 TFP2

1,000 Dollars Ratio

All households 121,944 62.50 1.15

Household composition

 With children < 18 years 34,512 50.00 1.01

 At least one child < 6 years 14,552 47.50 1.05

 Married-couple families 22,392 50.00 1.04

 Female head, no spouse 8,661 50.00 0.98

 Male head, no spouse 2,979 50.00 0.94

 Other household with child3 479 50.00 0.94

 With no children < 18 years 87,432 70.00 1.22

 More than one adult 52,020 65.00 1.13

 Women living alone 19,338 80.00 1.32

 Men living alone 16,074 100.00 1.35

 With elderly 38,320 60.00 1.06

 Elderly living alone 13,979 70.00 1.15

Race/ethnicity of household reference 

persons

 White, non-Hispanic 79,914 65.00 1.18

 Black, non-Hispanic 15,286 57.50 1.01

 Hispanic4 17,444 55.00 1.04

 Other, non-Hispanic 9,300 65.00 1.14

Household income-to-poverty ratio

 Under 1.00 11,071 50.00 0.92

 Under 1.30 15,865 50.00 0.92

 Under 1.85 24,901 50.00 0.92

 1.85 and over 68,841 70.00 1.24

 Income unknown 28,201 60.00 1.06

Area of residence5

 Inside metropolitan area 104,980 65.00 1.17

 In principal cities6 35,360 66.67 1.22

 Not in principal cities 53,583 65.00 1.18

 Outside metropolitan area 16,964 55.00 0.99

Census geographic region

 Northeast 20,767 65.00 1.18

 Midwest 26,206 60.00 1.10

 South 47,174 60.00 1.12

 West 27,797 65.00 1.17

1 Totals exclude households that did not answer the questions about spending on food or reported zero usual food spending. These 

exclusions represented 8.0 percent of all households.

2 Estimates of median weekly food spending, relative to the household cost of the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) for December 2021, are 

not comparable to estimates for previous years. This is because the cost of the TFP was revised in 2021 to reflect updated data on 

food prices, food composition, and consumption patterns, and current dietary guidance. 

3 Households with children in complex living arrangements, e.g., children of other relatives or unrelated roommate or boarder.

4 Hispanics may be of any race. 

5 Metropolitan area residence is based on 2013 Office of Management and Budget delineation. 

6 Households within incorporated areas of the largest cities in each metropolitan area. Residence inside or outside of principal cities 

is not identified for about 15 percent of households in metropolitan statistical areas.

Notes: These estimates are based on categorical food spending data rather than on continuous data that were used in 2014 and earlier years. Beginning with the 2015 Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement, food spending amounts are categorized in 

public-use data. 

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using data from U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 2021 Current 

Population Survey Food Security Supplement.
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Food Expenditures and Household Food Security

Food-secure households typically spent more on food than did food-insecure households. The ratio for median food spending relative to the cost of the TFP was 1.15 among food-secure households in 2021, compared 

with 0.99 among food-insecure households (table 7). Thus, taking into account estimated food need based on 

household size and composition, the median food-secure household spent 16 percent more for food than the 

median food-insecure household (estimated as 1.15/0.99=1.16).35 Statistical Supplement table S-10 provides 

more information on food spending by food-secure and food-insecure households by household characteristics 

(Coleman-Jensen et al., 2022). 

In 2021, households with very low food security reported higher median weekly food spending than households with low food security. The difference between households with low food security and very low food security in food spending relative to the household cost was statistically significant (ratio of 0.96 compared with 

1.08). It is unclear why households with very low food security may have spent more on food than households 

with less severe levels of food insecurity. These estimates only account for household size and composition and 

do not control for all differences that may impact food spending, such as geographic differences in food prices. 

There may be other outside factors that affected both very low food security and food spending such as higher 

perceived food needs, poorer financial literacy skills, or poor health (see Millimet et al. (2018) for a discussion 

of the effects of financial capabilities on food insecurity and very low food security and Gregory and ColemanJensen (2017) for a discussion on severity of food insecurity and chronic disease). 

Table 7 

Weekly household food spending per person and relative to the cost of the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) 

by food security status, 2021

Median weekly food spending

Category

Number of 

households1 Per person

Relative to cost of 

December 2021 TFP2

1,000 Dollars Ratio

All households 121,944 62.50 1.15

Food security status

Food-secure households 109,226 65.00 1.15

Food-insecure households 12,592 53.33 0.99

Households with low food security 7,884 50.00 0.96

Households with very low food security 4,708 60.00 1.08

1 Total for all households excludes households that did not answer the questions about spending on food or that reported zero usual 

spending for food. These exclusions represented 8.0 percent of all households. Totals in the bottom section also exclude households 

that did not answer any of the questions in the food security scale.

2 Estimates of median weekly food spending, relative to the household cost of the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) for December 2021, are 

not comparable to estimates for previous years. This is because the cost of the TFP was revised in 2021 to reflect updated data on 

food prices, food composition, and consumption patterns, and current dietary guidance. 

Notes: These estimates are based on categorical food spending data rather than on continuous data that was used in 2014 and earlier years. Beginning with the 2015 Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement, food spending amounts are categorized in 

public-use data. 

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using data from U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 2021 Current 

Population Survey Food Security Supplement.

35 The pattern of higher food spending among food-secure households compared with food-insecure households was also found in 

USDA’s National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey (FoodAPS) data (Tiehen et al., 2017).
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Federal Nutrition Assistance Programs and Food Security

Households with limited resources use a variety of methods to acquire adequate food. Some participate in 

Federal food and nutrition assistance programs or obtain food from emergency providers in their communities to supplement the food they purchase. Households that turn to Federal and community food and nutrition assistance programs typically do so because they are having difficulty meeting their food needs. The use 

of such programs by low-income households provides insight into the extent of these households’ difficulties 

in obtaining enough food. The relationship between food security status and the use of food and nutrition 

assistance programs also provides insight into how low-income households cope with difficulties in acquiring 

adequate food.

This section presents information about the food security status of low-income households that participated 

in the three largest Federal nutrition assistance programs: SNAP, free or reduced-price school lunch from 

the National School Lunch Program, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, 

and Children (WIC) (see box, “Federal Nutrition Assistance Programs,” page 34). It also provides information about the extent to which food-insecure households participated in these programs. This report does 

not describe total participation in the Federal food and nutrition assistance programs, participation rates of 

eligible households in those programs, and characteristics of participants in the programs. Extensive information on those topics is available from USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS).36 The USDA implemented 

additional nutrition assistance programs and flexibilities in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and 

continued some of them in 2021; for the most updated information on these programs, see the USDA and 

USDA, FNS websites, and Jones et al. (2022; also see box, “Nutrition Assistance and the COVID-19 Pandemic,” page 35). 

Statistical Supplement tables S-11 to S-16 provide information on food spending by participants and lowincome nonparticipants in selected Federal and community food and nutrition assistance programs and on 

the extent to which households obtained assistance from community food pantries and emergency kitchens 

(Coleman-Jensen et al., 2022).

36 Additional research findings on the operations and effectiveness of these programs are available from the USDA, ERS website.
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Federal Nutrition Assistance Programs

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) administers 15 domestic nutrition assistance programs. The three largest programs are:

• The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides monthly benefits to eligible 

low-income households to purchase food items at SNAP-authorized retailers. SNAP is available 

to all individuals who meet financial and nonfinancial eligibility criteria. In an average month of 

fiscal year (FY) 2021 (October 1, 2020, through September 30, 2021), SNAP provided benefits to 

41.5 million people in the United States (about 12.5 percent of individuals). The average benefit 

was about $218 per person per month, and Federal expenditures for the program were $113.8 billion that year. In FY 2021, maximum SNAP benefits were temporarily expanded (see below), and 

at the beginning of FY 2022 (October 1, 2021), maximum SNAP benefits were permanently increased because of the revision of the Thrifty Food Plan that forms the basis for maximum SNAP 

benefits (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2021). 

• The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) operates in more than 97,000 public and nonprofit 

private schools and residential childcare institutions. All children attending participating schools 

are eligible to receive lunch, with lunches available for free to low-income children or at a reducedprice. Schools are reimbursed by the USDA for all meals served under the program on a sliding 

scale based on whether meals are free, reduced-price, or full price. Before the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, typical school lunch participation was nearly 30 million children on an average 

school day. However, it is not possible to compare the NSLP participation rate in FY 2021 with 

prior years due to how meals were served or provided to children during the school year due to 

the COVID-19 pandemic. Starting in July 2021, in addition to NSLP, schools were able to serve 

meals under the NSLP’s Seamless Summer Option to support access to nutritious meals while 

minimizing the potential exposure to COVID-19. In total, 8.4 billion meals were served across 

the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs, Child and Adult Care Food Program, and 

Summer Food Service Program. Some children may also have received Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) or temporary emergency nutrition benefits loaded on Electronic Benefits 

Transfer (EBT) cards used to purchase food. Children who would have received free or reducedprice meals, but their schools were closed or operated with reduced hours or attendance for at least 

5 consecutive days, are eligible to receive P-EBT benefits.

• The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is a federally funded nutrition program that provides grants to States to support distribution of supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education to safeguard the health of low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women; for infants in low-income families; 

and for children younger than age 5 in low-income families and who are found to be at nutritional 

risk. Most State WIC agencies have replaced paper vouchers with the WIC EBT system. Benefits 

are issued to participants on WIC EBT cards for redemption at WIC-authorized grocery stores. 

In FY 2021, WIC served about 6.2 million participants per month at an average monthly cost for 

food (after rebates to WIC from manufacturers) of about $35 per person. 
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Nutrition Assistance and the COVID-19 Pandemic

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the availability and structure of nutrition assistance programs and resulting participation is discussed at length in the USDA, Economic Research Service report 

“The Food and Nutrition Assistance Landscape: Fiscal Year 2021 Annual Report” (Jones et al., 2022). 

As summarized in that report: 

Federal food and nutrition assistance policy continued to develop throughout FY 2021. Among other legislation and changes in policy, the Federal Government passed the Continuing Appropriations 

Act, 2021, and Other Extensions Act on October 1, 2020; the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 

2021 on December 27, 2020; and the American Rescue Plan Act on March 11, 2021. Maximum 

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit levels were temporarily increased, and 

supplemental emergency allotments were expanded such that all recipient households received a 

minimum of $95 per month. States were given the option to increase the Special Supplemental 

Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) cash-value voucher for fruits and vegetables to $35 per participant. P-EBT benefits were also increased, and the program was expanded 

to cover children under age 6, additional U.S. territories, and the summer months. The Food Box 

Program ended in May 2021. Some changes also occurred at the State level, including the further 

expansion of the SNAP Online Purchasing Pilot, the end of emergency allotments in some States, 

and the approval of State P-EBT plans throughout the fiscal year. 

Detailed information on special program provisions during the COVID-19 pandemic is available on the 

USDA, FNS website. 

Methods

The December 2021 CPS-FSS included questions about the use of Federal nutrition assistance programs. 

All households with reported annual incomes below 185 percent of the Federal poverty threshold were asked 

these questions. To minimize respondent burden, households with annual incomes above that range were not 

asked the questions unless they indicated some level of difficulty in meeting their food needs on the first of the 

two preliminary screener questions asked of all households (listed in the Household Food Security Methods 

section earlier in this report). 

The questions analyzed in this section regarding SNAP participation are:

• During the past 12 months, since December of last year, did anyone in this household get SNAP or 

food stamp benefits?37 

Households that responded affirmatively were then asked:

• In which months of 2021 were SNAP or food stamp benefits received?

Households that reported participation in November, but not December, were then asked: 

• On what date in November did your household receive SNAP or food stamp benefits?

37 The Food Stamp Program was renamed the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in October 2008. The survey 

mentions both names in the question, as well as the State’s name for the program in States that used a different name.
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Information from the 3 questions was used to identify the number of months SNAP benefits were received in 

the prior year, as well as whether households received SNAP benefits in the 30 days before the survey (midNovember to mid-December 2021).38

Questions about the National School Lunch Program and WIC are also analyzed here. These questions are: 

• During the past 30 days, did any children in the household (between 5 and 18 years old) receive free 

or reduced-price lunches at school? (Only households with children between the ages of 5 and 18 

were asked this question.) 

• During the past 30 days, did any women or children in this household get food through the WIC program? (Only households with a child under age 5 or a woman aged 15-45 were asked this question.)39

Prevalence rates of food security, food insecurity, and very low food security were calculated for households 

reporting use of each nutrition assistance program and for comparison groups of nonparticipating households 

with incomes and household compositions similar to those of nutrition assistance program participants. Statistics shown in tables 8 and 9 are based on the 12-month food security measure, and sensitivity checks reported 

in the text and footnotes use the 30-day food security measure. Statistics for participating households excluded 

households with annual incomes above the ranges specified for the comparison groups.40 An income cutoff of 

less than 130 percent of the Federal poverty line includes most SNAP participants (USDA, FNS, 2021). The 

income ranges for free or reduced-price school lunch and WIC are set at 185 percent of the poverty threshold 

to match the gross income eligibility limits for those programs. The proportions of food-insecure households 

participating in each of the largest Federal nutrition assistance programs—SNAP, the National School Lunch 

Program, and WIC—were calculated, as well as the proportion that participated in any of the three programs. 

Food Security of Households That Received Nutrition Assistance

The relationship between food security and the use of food and nutrition assistance programs is complex. 

Households that report using food and nutrition assistance programs in a one-time survey can either be more 

food secure or less food secure than low-income households not using those programs. Since the programs 

provide food and other resources to reduce the severity of food insecurity, households are expected to be more 

food secure after receiving program benefits than they were before. On the other hand, more food-insecure 

households—those having greater difficulty meeting their food needs—seek assistance from the programs. 

Numerous studies confirm this self-selection into nutrition assistance programs and that, when adequately ac38 The Current Population Survey household does not always match the SNAP unit. In some households, only some members are 

eligible for SNAP (Czajka et al., 2012; Scherpf et al., 2015).

39 Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and school closures, students learning virtually and/or quarantining may have received 

free school meals through school grab n’ go meal pick up sites, but due to social distancing requirements, the meals were consumed 

elsewhere. It is unclear how respondents may have interpreted this question in 2020 and 2021 if free or reduced-price lunches were not 

received by children “at school.” Most school districts offered all students free meals in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 school years through 

COVID-19 waivers. The survey questions did not ask directly about participation in Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT), 

and it is unlikely that respondents would have reported P-EBT receipt in response to the question about free or reduced-price lunches 

received at school.

40 Some program participants reported annual incomes higher than 12 times the program eligibility criteria, which are based on 

monthly income (relative to poverty). They may have had monthly incomes below the monthly eligibility threshold during part of the 

year, or subfamilies within the household may have had incomes low enough to have been eligible.
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counted for, it becomes apparent that SNAP improves food security.41 In 2021, an estimated 39.9 percent of 

households that received SNAP benefits were food insecure, as were 32.4 percent of households that received 

free or reduced-price school lunches and 34.0 percent of those that received WIC benefits (table 8). 

The prevalence of very low food security among households participating in SNAP was higher than that of 

nonparticipating households in the same low-income range (17.0 percent versus 9.5 percent). For households 

that received free or reduced-price school lunches, the prevalence of very low food security was somewhat 

higher than that of nonparticipating households with school-age children in the same income range (9.3 percent versus 7.2 percent). Very low food security was also somewhat higher among WIC recipient households 

(9.9 percent) than income eligible non-WIC households (5.0 percent). 

A possible complicating factor in interpreting table 8 for school lunch and WIC participation is that food 

insecurity was measured over 12 months, while program participation is measured over 30 days. An episode 

of food insecurity may have occurred at a different time during the year than the use of a specific nutrition 

assistance program. A similar tabulation using a 30-day measure of food insecurity largely overcomes this potential problem because measured food insecurity and reported use of nutrition assistance programs both are 

referenced to the previous 30 days. That tabulation shows patterns of food insecurity and the use of nutrition 

assistance programs that are generally similar to those using the 12-month food insecurity measure in table 

8, although 30-day food insecurity prevalence rates were lower than the corresponding 12-month rates (see 

Statistical Supplement table S-15, Coleman-Jensen et al., 2022). There was one exception—the prevalence of 

very low food security was similar for households that received and those that did not receive free or reducedprice school lunch in the previous 30 days.

41 This “self-selection” effect is evident in the association between food security and nutrition assistance program participation 

observed in the food security survey. Participating households were less food secure than similar nonparticipating households. Research 

that uses methods to account for this self-targeting is required to assess the extent to which the programs improve food security (see 

Gregory et al. (2015) for a review of this literature and these methods; also see Gundersen et al. (2017); Mabli et al. (2013); Nord 

(2013); Nord (2012); Nord and Prell (2011); Ratcliffe and McKernan (2011); Nord and Golla (2009); Yen et al. (2008); Wilde and 

Nord (2005); Gundersen and Oliveira (2001); Gundersen and Gruber (2001); Nelson et al. (1998)). Overall, these studies find that 

SNAP improves food security.
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Table 8

Percentage of households by food security status and participation in selected Federal nutrition 

assistance programs, 2021

Food insecure

Category

Food 

secure All

With 

low food 

security

With very 

low food 

security

Percent

Income less than 130 percent of poverty line

 Received SNAP1

 benefits in the previous 12 months 60.1 39.9 22.9 17.0

 Received SNAP benefits for all 12 months 61.9 38.1 21.9 16.2

 Received SNAP benefits for 1 to 11 months 55.9 44.1 25.4 18.7

 Did not receive SNAP benefits in the previous 12 

 months

75.5 24.5 15.0 9.5

Income less than 185 percent of poverty line; 

school-age children in household

 Received NSLP2 free or reduced-price school 

 lunch in the previous 30 days

67.6 32.4 23.1 9.3

 Did not receive NSLP free or reduced-price school 

 lunch in the previous 30 days

78.4 21.6 14.4 7.2

Income less than 185 percent of poverty line; children 

under age 5 in household

 Received WIC3 in the previous 30 days 66.0 34.0 24.1 9.9

 Did not receive WIC in the previous 30 days 76.7 23.3 18.3 5.0

1 SNAP = Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly the Food Stamp Program.

2 NSLP = National School Lunch Program.

3 WIC = Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using data from U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 2021 Current 

Population Survey Food Security Supplement.

Participation in Federal Nutrition Assistance Programs by Food-Insecure 

Households

About 56 percent of food-insecure households reported receiving assistance from one or more of the three 

largest Federal nutrition assistance programs during the month before the December 2021 food security survey (table 9). About 42 percent of food-insecure households participated in SNAP. Children in 25.3 percent 

of food-insecure households received free or reduced-price school lunches. An estimated 8.2 percent of foodinsecure households received WIC benefits.42 An estimated 55.1 percent of households classified as having 

very low food security reported participating in one or more of the three largest Federal nutrition assistance 

programs, with the largest share (42.8 percent) participating in SNAP.43

42 These statistics may be biased downward. By comparing household survey data and administrative records, it is documented that 

food program participation is underreported by household survey respondents, including those in the CPS (Meyer and George, 2011; 

Parker, 2011; Meyer et al., 2009; Meyer et al., 2015; Meyer and Mittag, 2019). This is probably true for food-insecure households as 

well, although the extent of underreporting by these households is not known. Because the statistics may be biased, we do not discuss 

statistical significance of changes between years. Statistics are based on the subsample of households with annual incomes below 185 

percent of the poverty line. Not all these households were eligible for certain programs. (For example, many households without pregnant women or children and with incomes above program cut offs would not have been eligible for any of the programs.)

43 The statistics in table 9 were also calculated for households that were food insecure during the 30-day period prior to the survey. 

In principle, that analysis is preferable because food security status and use of programs are more contemporaneous than when food 

insecurity is assessed over a 12-month period. However, the results differed only slightly from those in table 9 and are not presented in 

a separate table. In 2021, an estimated 51.9 percent of households that were food insecure during the 30-day period prior to the survey 

participated in SNAP, free or reduced-price school lunch, or WIC during that same period. Among households that experienced very 

low food security in the 30-day period before the survey, 54.2 percent participated in SNAP, free or reduced-price school lunch, or 

WIC during that same time.
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Table 9 

Participation of food-insecure households in selected Federal nutrition assistance programs, 2021

Program

Share of food-insecure households that participated in the 

program during the previous 

30 days1 2

Share of households with very low food security that participated in the program during the 

previous 30 days1 2

Percent

SNAP3 41.6 42.8

NSLP4 Free or reduced-price school 

lunch

25.3 18.9

WIC5 8.2 6.2

Any of the three programs 56.0 55.1

None of the three programs 44.0 44.9

1 Analysis is restricted to households with annual incomes less than 185 percent of the poverty line because most households with 

incomes above that range were not asked whether they participated in food assistance programs.

2 These statistics understate the extent of nutrition assistance program participation because program participation is underreported by household survey respondents; see footnote 42.

3 SNAP = Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly the Food Stamp Program.

4 NSLP = National School Lunch Program.

5 WIC = Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using data from U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 2021 Current 

Population Survey Food Security Supplement.
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