Household Food Security

in the United States in 2020

Alisha Coleman-Jensen

Matthew P. Rabbitt

Christian A. Gregory

Anita Singh

Economic

Research

Service

Economic

Research

Report

Number 298

September 2021
Economic Research Service 

www.ers.usda.gov

Recommended citation format for this publication: 

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

2021. Household Food Security in the United States in 2020, ERR-298, U.S. Department

of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.

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Economic

Research

Service

Economic

Research

Report

Number 298

September 2021

Household Food Security in the

United States in 2020

Alisha Coleman-Jensen, alisha.coleman-jensen@usda.gov

Matthew P. Rabbitt, matthew.rabbitt@usda.gov

Christian A. Gregory, christian.gregory@usda.gov

Anita Singh, USDA, Food and Nutrition Service

Abstract

This report provides statistics on food security in U.S. households throughout 2020 based on the 

Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement data collected in December 2020. An 

estimated 89.5 percent of U.S. households were food secure throughout the entire year in 2020, 

with access at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members. The 

remaining households (10.5 percent, unchanged from 10.5 percent in 2019) were food insecure at 

least some time during the year, including 3.9 percent with very low food security (not significantly 

different from 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 and very low food security for all households remained 

unchanged from 2019, some subgroups experienced increases in food insecurity and very low food 

security. For example, among children, food insecurity and very low food security increased significantly from 2019. Children and adults were food insecure in 7.6 percent of U.S. households with 

children in 2020 (up from 6.5 percent in 2019); very low food security among children was 0.8 

percent (up from 0.6 percent in 2019). In 2020, the typical food-secure household spent 18 percent 

more on food than the typical food-insecure household of the same size and household composition. About 55 percent of food-insecure households participated in one or more of the three largest 

Federal nutrition assistance programs: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly 

food stamps); Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); 

and the National School Lunch Program during the month prior to the 2020 survey. Because of 

the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, USDA granted States significant program flexibilities and 

contingencies to serve nutrition assistance program participants. The prevalence of food insecurity 

in the 30-day period from mid-November to mid-December 2020 was 5.7 percent for the Nation. 

Food insecurity was substantially higher for households with a householder or reference person (an 

adult household member in whose name the housing unit is owned or rented) who was unable to 

work because of the pandemic (16.4 percent food insecure in the 30-day period from mid-November 

to mid-December 2020) and households with a reference person who was not employed and was 

prevented from looking for work because of the pandemic (20.4 percent food insecure in the same 

30-day period). 
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Keywords: food security, food insecurity, food spending, food pantry, soup kitchen, emergency kitchen, 

material well-being, material hardship, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, SNAP, Food Stamp 

Program, National School Lunch Program, Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, 

and Children, WIC, COVID-19, coronavirus pandemic.

About the Authors 

Alisha Coleman-Jensen is a sociologist, and Matthew Rabbitt is an economist in the USDA, Economic 

Research Service (ERS). Christian Gregory is chief of the Food Assistance Branch, Food Economics 

Division, USDA, Economic Research Service. Anita Singh is chief of the SNAP Evaluation Branch, SNAP 

Research and Analysis Division, USDA, Food and Nutrition Service.

Acknowledgments 

The authors thank Joanne Guthrie, Jordan Jones, Debbie Rubas, and Jay Variyam of the USDA, Economic 

Research Service (ERS) for their reviews. The authors also thank two external reviewers, Judi Bartfeld of 

the University of Wisconsin-Madison and James P. Ziliak of the University of Kentucky, for their insightful 

feedback. Thanks also to ERS editors Elaine Symanski and Jana Goldman and ERS designer Andrea Pimm 

for their work in producing the report.
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Contents

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v

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

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

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

Prevalence of Food Insecurity—National Conditions and Trends .............................. 4

Prevalence of Food Insecurity by State ................................................. 24

Household Spending on Food . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Methods ........................................................................ 29

Food Expenditures by Selected Household Characteristics .................................. 32

Food Expenditures and Household Food Security ........................................ 33

Federal Nutrition Assistance Programs and Food Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Methods ........................................................................ 34

Food Security of Households That Received Nutrition Assistance ............................. 35

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

Special Section: Labor Force Characteristics Resulting from the Coronavirus (COVID-19) 

Pandemic and Food Insecurity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Methods ........................................................................ 40

Prevalence of Food Insecurity by Labor Force Characteristics Resulting 

From the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic .......................................... 41

References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Tables in Household Food Security in the United States in 2020

Table 1A—Households and individuals by food security status of household, 1998-2020 ............ 7-8

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

by food security status of household, 1998-2020 ..........................................10-11

Table 2—Households by food security status and selected household characteristics, 2020 ............ 19

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

by selected household characteristics, 2020 ................................................ 21

Table 4—Prevalence of household food insecurity and very low 

food security by State, average 2018-20 ................................................ 25-26

Table 5—Change in prevalence of household food insecurity and very low food 

security by State, 2018-20 (average), 2015-17 (average), and 2008-10 (average) ................... 27-28

Table 6—Weekly household food spending per person and relative 

to the cost of the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP), 2020 ..........................................31-32

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

Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) by food security status, 2020 ....................................... 33

Table 8—Percentage of households by food security status and participation in selected 

Federal nutrition assistance programs, 2020 ................................................ 36
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Contents

Table 9—Participation of food-insecure households in selected Federal

nutrition assistance programs, 2020 ...................................................... 39

Table 10—Households by food security status and effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) 

pandemic on household reference person’s work activities during the 30 days before the food 

security survey, 2020 ................................................................. 42

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

Anita Singh. 2021. Statistical Supplement to Household Food Security in the United States in 2020, AP-091, 

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
ERS is a primary source of economic research and analysis from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, providing timely 

information on economic and policy issues related to agriculture, food, the environment, and rural America.

www.ers.usda.gov

Household Food Security

in the United States in 2020

Alisha Coleman-Jensen

Matthew P. Rabbitt

Christian A. Gregory

Anita Singh

Economic 

Research 

Service

Economic 

Research 

Report 

Number 298

September 2021

A report summary from the Economic Research Service September 2021

Household Food Security in the 

United States in 2020

Alisha Coleman-Jensen, Matthew P. Rabbitt, 

Christian A. Gregory, and Anita Singh

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 access to adequate food is limited 

by a lack of money and other resources. USDA’s 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 use of Federal 

nutrition assistance programs in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic began in the United States in 2020 and affected 

public health and the economy, with resulting changes to Federal, State, and local policies, programs, and benefits; 

changes to existing and additions of new nutrition assistance programs; and responses by charitable organizations. 

There was a substantial increase in assistance, including nutrition assistance and other benefits. These many changes 

may have affected food insecurity in different ways, and this report does not provide an analysis of possible causal 

impacts. 

What Did the Study Find? 

In 2020, 89.5 percent of U.S. households were food secure. The remaining 10.5 percent (13.8 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 2020 prevalence of food insecurity was unchanged from 10.5 percent in 2019.

In 2020, 3.9 percent of U.S. households (5.1 million households) had very low food security, not significantly different from 

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 2020 in 7.6 percent of U.S. households with children (2.9 million households), up from 6.5 percent in 2019. These households with food insecurity among children were unable at times to provide 

adequate, nutritious food for their children. 
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While children are usually shielded from the disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake that characterize very low food security, in 2020, children along with adults suffered instances of very low food security in 

0.8 percent of households with children (322,000 households), up from 0.6 percent in 2019. 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 population subgroups: 

Some statistically significant changes in the prevalence of food insecurity from 2019 to 2020 occurred for 

some population subgroups. The prevalence of food insecurity increased for all households with children 

from 13.6 percent in 2019 to 14.8 percent in 2020 and was also higher in 2020 for married-couple families 

with children. The prevalence of food insecurity also increased for households with Black, non-Hispanic 

householders or reference persons (an adult household member in whose name the housing unit is owned 

or rented) from 19.1 percent in 2019 to 21.7 percent in 2020 and was higher in 2020 for households in 

the South. The prevalence of food insecurity declined from 2019 to 2020 for a few population subgroups 

including women living alone, men living alone, households with White, non-Hispanic reference persons, 

and households in the Midwest. 

Findings for food spending and Federal nutrition assistance participation:

The typical (median) food-secure household spent 18 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 55 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; Special Supplemental 

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

Reported participation in the National School Lunch Program was lower among food-insecure households 

in 2020 (19.5 percent) than in 2019 (27.6 percent). USDA implemented the Pandemic Electronic Benefit 

Transfer (P-EBT) program in 2020 to serve eligible school children affected by pandemic-related school 

closures. The survey, however, did not measure P-EBT participation. 

Findings for labor force participation and food insecurity during COVID-19 pandemic: 

In the 30-day period from mid-November to mid-December 2020, households with a reference person who 

was not employed (unemployed or not in labor force) had a higher prevalence of food insecurity (8.0 percent) 

than all U.S. households (5.7 percent), while those with an employed reference person had a lower food insecurity prevalence (4.2 percent). 

The prevalence of food insecurity in the 30-day period from mid-November to mid-December was substantially 

higher than the national average of 5.7 percent for households with a reference person who was unable to work 

because of the pandemic (16.4 percent food insecure in the 30-day period) and households with a reference 

person who was not employed and was prevented from looking for work because of the pandemic (20.4 percent 

food insecure in the 30-day period). 

How Was the Study Conducted?

Data for the ERS food security reports come from an annual survey conducted by the Bureau of the Census as 

the December supplement to the monthly Current Population Survey. ERS sponsors the annual Food Security 

Supplement survey and compiles and analyzes the responses. The 2020 food security survey included 34,330 

households that comprise a representative sample of the U.S. civilian population of about 130 million households. The food security survey asked one adult respondent per household about experiences and behaviors that 

indicate food insecurity during calendar year 2020, 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 food-insecure conditions reported.
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Household Food Security in the 

United States in 2020

Introduction

Since 1995, the U.S. Department of Agriculture 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. Bureau of the Census as a supplement to the nationally representative Current Population Survey.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 the 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 ERS website.

This report updates national statistics on food security in calendar year 2020, household food spending, and 

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

2020 Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement—the 26th annual survey in the Nation’s 

food security monitoring system. A special section in this report examines food insecurity of households 

by employment effects of the COVID-19 pandemic experienced during the 30 days prior to the survey 

from mid-November to mid-December 2020. 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 (Coleman-Jensen et al., 2021). 

Statistics in this report reflect household experiences of food hardship throughout 2020. In 2020, the 

COVID-19 pandemic caused a severe economic slowdown that included school and business closures 

that could have increased food insecurity. At the same time, the Federal Government’s responses to the 

pandemic included changes and additions to nutrition assistance programs, unemployment benefits, stimulus 

payments, and moratoriums on evictions, which collectively represented substantial investments in the safety 

net and which may have provided more flexibilities in monthly spending. State and local governments also 

responded to the pandemic, as did the charitable sector. The report does not include an analysis or assessment of how these factors may have affected food insecurity in 2020, but earlier research studies showed that 

increases in nutrition assistance benefits and other assistance ameliorate food insecurity (Nord and Prell, 

2011; Bartfeld and Men, 2017). Some early research on the effects of public and private sector responses to 

the pandemic suggest positive effects on reducing food insecurity, including the Federal supplement to unemployment insurance (Berkowitz and Basu, 2021; Raifman et al., 2021) and the eviction moratorium (An et 

al., 2021). More research is needed to understand the dynamics of food insecurity and other food hardships 

in U.S. households during the pandemic.

1See Coleman-Jensen (2015) for the history of the food security measurement project and the development of food security measures.
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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 2020.

Methods

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

Population Survey (CPS) conducted in December 2020. 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 2020, 34,330 households completed the Food Security Supplement; the remaining 

households were unable or unwilling to do so. The U.S. Bureau of the Census calculates survey sample 

weights to indicate how many households were represented by each household that responded to the survey.4

All statistics in this report were calculated by applying the Food Security Supplement 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.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. 

Household food security statistics 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.6 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 

2The food security survey was conducted December 13-19, 2020. Respondents are reminded in the survey to answer about their food situation “in the 

last 12 months, since December of last year.” 

3In 2020, 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 2020 was 77 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, 2021). 

4In 2020, 24.2 percent of households that responded to the monthly December CPS did not complete the Food Security Supplement (FSS). Supplement nonresponse was lower in 2020 than in 2019 (30.3 percent). Reweighting of the Supplement considers income and other information about households that completed the labor-force portion of the 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. At the USDA, Economic Research Service’s request, the Bureau of the 

Census conducted a nonresponse bias analysis of the 2015 FSS. While the analysis 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). 

5Standard errors of national-level estimates from 2011 to the present were calculated using balanced repeated replication (BRR) methods based on 

replicate weights computed for the Current Population Survey (CPS) Food Security Supplement by the U.S. Bureau of the Census. For years before 2011, 

standard errors of national estimates use a design factor of 1.6 based on the complex 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. This report uses the phrase “essentially unchanged” to 

describe differences between estimates of a statistic for two years that are not statistically significant at the 90-percent confidence level. Standard errors of all 

estimates are available from the authors by request.

6The methods used to measure the extent and severity of food insecurity are described 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). Further details on the development of the measure are provided on the 

USDA, ERS website.
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are included (see box, “Questions Used To Assess the Food Security of Households in the CPS Food Security 

Survey,” page 5).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., 2021). 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 three or more food-insecure conditions (based on questions 1–10 for 

households without children and questions 1–18 for households with children).9 Households are classified as 

having food insecurity among children or food-insecure children if they report two or more food-insecure 

conditions among the children in response to questions 11–18.10 

Food-insecure households are further classified as having either low food security or very low food security.11

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 6). Households without children are classified as 

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

Households with children age 0–17 are classified as having very low food security if they report eight or more 

food-insecure conditions among adults and/or children (based on questions 1–18).12 They are further classified as having very low food security among children if they report five or more food-insecure conditions 

among the children (that is, if they respond affirmatively to five or more of questions 11–18). 

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 have 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 

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

8Recent analysis of possible measurement error in the food security module found evidence of underreporting of more severe items. There was no 

evidence of overreporting of food insecurity (Gregory, 2020). 

9To 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 problems on either of 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 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 2020, 

17.7 percent of households responded “yes,” and 82.3 percent responded “no.”

•	 (

The lead-in to the question specifies “the last 12 months, since December of last year.”) 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 2020, 81.3 percent of respondents responded “enough of the kinds of food we want to eat,” 15.2 

percent said “enough but not always the kinds of food we want to eat,” 2.8 percent indicated “sometimes not enough to eat,” and 0.7 percent 

reported “often not enough to eat.” 

10Both 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).

11Before 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. 

12Implications 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) and Coleman-Jensen et al., (2017).
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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.

Prevalence of Food Insecurity—National Conditions and Trends

An estimated 89.5 percent of U.S. households were food secure throughout the entire year in 2020 (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).13 The remaining 10.5 percent (13.8 million households) 

were food insecure at some time during the year. 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. However, 3.9 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 USDA’s National Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey data 

(Gregory et al., 2019).

Figure 1 

U.S. households by food security status, 2020

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

Population Survey Food Security Supplement.

13Food 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).

 
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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 age 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 Age 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.

Questions Used to Assess the Food Security of 

Households in the CPS Food Security Supplement
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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 2020 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.

• 96 percent reported that the food they bought 

just did not last, and they did not have money 

to get more.

• 95 percent reported that they could not afford to 

eat balanced meals.

• 96 percent reported that an adult had cut the 

size of meals or skipped meals because there was 

not enough money for food; 86 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.

• 46 percent reported having lost weight because 

they did not have enough money for food.

• 30 percent reported that an adult did not eat 

for a whole day because there was not enough 

money for food; 23 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, 66 percent, reported seven or more foodinsecure conditions. (Conditions reported by households with children were like those without children, 

but the reported food-insecure conditions of both 

adults and children were taken into account.) 

What Is “Very Low Food Security”?

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

Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement.

 
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Table 1A

Households and individuals by food security status of household, 1998–2020

Category 

and year Total1 Food secure

Food insecure

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

 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)1

 

 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
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Table 1A

Households and individuals by food security status of household, 1998–2020 - continued

Category 

and year Total1 Food secure

Food insecure

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 individuals (by food security status of household)2

 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

Adults (by food security status of houshold)2

 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

1Totals 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 2020, these exclusions represented 308,000 households (0.2 percent of all 

households).

2The 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 Supplement.
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Among U.S. households with children under age 18, 85.2 percent were food secure in 2020. The remaining 

14.8 percent of households with children were food insecure at some time in 2020 (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 2020, only adults were food insecure (7.2 percent of households with children). However, both children 

and adults were food insecure in 7.6 percent of households with children (2.9 million households) in 2020. 

In 0.8 percent of households with children (322,000 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 only 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).

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.”

Figure 2

U.S. households with children by food security status of adults and children, 2020 

 

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

Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement
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Table 1B

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

1998–2020

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

 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

 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

- continued
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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

 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 they did not give a valid response to any of the 

questions in the food security scale. In 2020, these exclusions represented 106,000 households with children (0.3 percent of all 

households with children). Children are defined as age 0-17. 

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

3In 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. 

4The 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 Supplement.

In 2020, 38.3 million people lived in food-insecure households (table 1A, middle panel). They constituted 

11.8 percent of the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population and included 26.6 million adults (table 1A, 

bottom panel) and 11.7 million children (table 1B, bottom panel). About 6.1 million children (8.4 percent 

of children) lived in households where one or more child was food insecure. About 9.4 million adults (3.7 

percent of adults) lived in households with very low food security (table 1A), and 584,000 children (0.8 

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

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., 2021). 

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 experience of 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 2020 survey is 2.3 percent (table S-4 in Coleman-Jensen et 

al., 2021). Most households that reported experiencing food-insecure conditions during the previous 30 days 

reported experiencing the conditions in 1 to 7 days during the month (see table S-9 in Coleman-Jensen et 

Table 1B

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

1998–2020 - continued
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al., 2021; and see box, “When Food Insecurity Occurs in U.S. Households, It Is Usually Recurrent But Not 

Constant”).14

The prevalence of food insecurity was unchanged from 2019 to 2020 at 10.5 percent (figure 3, table 1A; see 

box, “Understanding Differences in 2020 Food Hardship Estimates”). 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 to 2015 and 

2016 through 2018 were also statistically significant. Some year-to-year changes were not statistically significant; that is, 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.

The prevalence of very low food security in 2020 (3.9 percent) was not significantly different from the prevalence in 2019 (4.1 percent; figure 3, table 1A). The prevalence of very low food security in 2020 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 to 2015 and 2016 to 2017. The prevalence of very low food security 

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

Figure 3

Trends in the prevalence of food insecurity and very low food security in U.S. households, 2001–20

 

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

Population Survey Food Security Supplement.

14Starting in 2019, the USDA, Economic Research Service no longer provides an estimated average daily prevalence of very low food security. This is 

because of a change in Census processing of continuous variables to reduce the risk of disclosure related to a small number of households reporting a single 

value. Beginning with the 2019 Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement 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. 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., 2021). 
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When Food Insecurity Occurs in U.S. Households, It 

Is Usually Recurrent but Not Constant

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using data from U.S. Department of 

Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 2020 Current Population Survey Food Security 

Supplement.

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, 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 2020:

• 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 2020, 7.5 million 

households (5.7 percent of all households) were food insecure—about 54 percent of the number that 

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

et al., 2021). 

• 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 midDecember 2020, 3 million 

households (2.3 percent of all 

households) had very low food 

security—about 59 percent 

of the number with very low 

food security at some time 

during the year (see Statistical 

Supplement table S-4). 

 

continued
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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 statistically significantly higher in 2020 

(14.8 percent) than in 2019 (13.6 percent; figure 4, table 1B). The 2020 prevalence of food insecurity in 

households with children was not statistically different from the prevalence in 2017 or 2018 but was significantly below the prevalence in 2016 (16.5 percent). The percentage of households with food insecurity among 

children in 2020 (7.6 percent) was up significantly from the 2019 prevalence (6.5 percent). The prevalence of 

food insecurity among children in 2020 was not statistically different from the prevalence in 2018 through 

2015 but was significantly lower than the prevalence in 2014 (9.4 percent). The percentage of households 

with very low food security among children in 2020 (0.8 percent) was up significantly from 2018 and 2019 

(0.6 percent) and was not statistically significantly different from the prevalence in 2013 through 2017. 

Figure 4 

Trends in the prevalence of food insecurity in households with children, 2001–20

 

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

Population Survey Food Security Supplement.

When Food Insecurity Occurs in U.S. Households, It 

Is Usually Recurrent but Not Constant - continued

• 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 daily 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 (Coleman-Jensen et al., 2021) provide information on how 

often conditions indicating food insecurity occurred, as reported by respondents to the December 2020 

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.
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Understanding Differences in 2020 Food 

Hardship Estimates

In response to the Coronavirus Pandemic, the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census 

worked with USDA, Economic Research Service (ERS) and other Federal agencies to develop the 

Household Pulse Survey (HPS). Beginning in April 2020, the HPS produced timely information on 

the economic and social effects of COVID-19 on U.S. households. The HPS is a weekly or biweekly 

online survey that asks respondents about educational, employment, health, housing, and food-related 

outcomes. Data were collected for Phase 1 of the HPS during April 23–July 21, 2020; for Phase 2 

during August 19–October 26, 2020; and for Phase 3.0 during October 28, 2020–March 29, 2021. 

Phase 3.1 began April 14, 2021 and Phase 3.2 began on July 21, 2021. The HPS includes an indicator 

of food sufficiency for U.S. households which is a single question asking, “In the last 7 days, which of 

these statements best describes the food eaten in your household? Select only one answer: (1) Enough of 

the kinds of food (I/we) wanted to eat; (2) Enough, but not always the kinds of food (I/we) wanted to 

eat; (3) Sometimes not enough to eat; (4) Often not enough to eat.” Responses of (3) or (4) are classified 

as food insufficient. Food insufficiency in the HPS means that a household did not have enough food to 

eat sometimes or often in the last 7 days.

Estimates of food insufficiency from the HPS indicate a substantial increase in food insufficiency with 

the onset of the pandemic and its economic effects. The USDA, Economic Research Service (ERS) has 

reported these findings on the public website (see: “COVID-19 Economic Implications for Agriculture, 

Food, and Rural America” on the ERS website). According to the HPS, the prevalence of food insufficiency (low and very low food sufficiency) among U.S. adults rose from 9.5 percent as of April 23, 2020 

to 13.4 percent as of December 21, 2020, before declining to 8.0 percent as of April 26, 2021. Food 

insufficiency as measured in the December 2020 CPS-FSS was 3.5 percent, compared with 3.7 percent 

in December 2019. 

A number of research studies have been published using the HPS and other data to understand trends 

in food hardship during the Pandemic.1 The findings from some studies suggest that food insufficiency 

increased substantially during the pandemic. See, for example, Bauer 2020; Bitler, et al., 2020; and 

Ziliak 2021. Bauer (2020) uses the HPS and the Brookings Survey of Mothers with Young Children to 

examine food insufficiency overall and food insufficiency among children and finds high rates with both 

surveys. Bitler and colleagues (2020) use multiple measures of food hardship from two data sources to 

examine economic hardship during 2020. They use some food security items from the COVID Impact 

Survey and examine food pantry use and expectations about the ability to pay for food from the HPS. 

They find all these measures of food hardship were elevated significantly during the Pandemic in 2020. 

Ziliak (2021) used the HPS to examine food insufficiency overall and for adults age 60 and over and 

finds high rates for both groups. Ziliak also found greater receipt of charitable food for all adults during 

2020, but not for elderly adults. 

Meanwhile, some other data sources showed similar findings to the December CPS-FSS trends in food 

insecurity from 2019 to 2020. An internet survey that was previously used to approximate national 

food security estimates from the CPS-FSS was fielded in May 2020 and found no detectable increase 

in food insecurity for all U.S. households, but did find an increase for households with children (Ahn 

and Norwood, 2020). The Urban Institute reported a decline in food insecurity from December 2019 to 

December 2020 using the Well-Being and Basic Needs Survey (Karpman and Zucherman, 2021). The 

1There have been many published studies in 2020 and 2021 that examine food hardships during the pandemic, only a few of those studies are 

 examined in these paragraphs.
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Prevalence of Food Insecurity by Selected Household Characteristics

The prevalence of food insecurity varied considerably in 2020 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, 35.3 

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 4.9 percent of those with incomes at or above 185 

percent of the poverty line.15 (Table S-1 in the Statistical Supplement (Coleman-Jensen et al., 2021) shows 

food insecurity by selected household characteristics for households with annual income below 130 percent 

of the poverty line.)

15The Federal poverty line was $26,246 for a family of four (two adults and two children) in 2020.

Understanding Differences in 2020 Food 

Hardship Estimates - continued

authors found that families who lost employment or income because of the pandemic relied on safety net 

programs and various relief measures, including charitable food donations, to meet their needs. 

Readers may wonder why the HPS findings on food insufficiency differ considerably from the CPS-FSS 

and some other surveys. Ziliak (2020) finds that the demographic characteristics of respondents are 

similar between the HPS and CPS-FSS. This is expected given that both Census surveys are weighted 

to population totals. Response rates differ considerably between the HPS and CPS-FSS. In 2020, about 

76 percent of CPS respondents also completed the FSS interview. Response rates varied across weeks of 

the HPS data collection from 1 percent to 10 percent. The much lower response rates to the HPS could 

have resulted in non-response bias that was not mitigated by weighting the sample based on observable 

characteristics. In addition to nonresponse, other factors such as frame coverage could impact estimates 

from the HPS (Peterson et al., 2021). More research is needed to understand how differences in response 

rates, sampling frame and methods, survey mode, survey content, and other differences between the 

surveys may have affected estimates from the HPS and CPS-FSS.

Another major difference between the HPS and CPS-FSS data is the reference period used for the food 

sufficiency question. The HPS food insufficiency item asks respondents to assess what best describes 

their food situation in the last 7 days, while the CPS-FSS food insufficiency item asks respondents to 

assess what best describes their food situation in the last 12 months. Respondents may accurately give 

different responses to this question based on different references periods. A respondent may believe they 

did not have enough to eat during a 7-day period, but when reflecting on the last 12 months, may believe 

that what best describes the entire period is they had enough to eat. This is an important difference in 

that the full food security measure refers to the most severe food hardship a household experiences over 

the course of the year since the questions ask if respondents “ever” or “sometimes” experienced specific 

food hardships. Meanwhile, the food insufficiency question asks what “best describes” a household’s 

food situation as a whole, not what their worst food hardship might have been. The HPS is the first 

Federal survey to include the food insufficiency question with a 7-day reference period, so there is no 

research to date to understand how short-term versus long-term reporting of food insufficiency may 

differ. More research is needed to understand the timing of any food hardships experienced in 2020, 

and how respondents may have reported food hardships across different surveys, different measures, and 

different reference periods. 
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Rates of food insecurity were statistically significantly below the national average of 10.5 percent for marriedcouple families with children (9.5 percent);16 households with no children (8.8 percent), especially those with 

more than one adult and no children (7.1 percent); households with elderly persons (6.9 percent); and the elderly 

living alone (8.3 percent).17 The prevalence of food insecurity was also below the national average for households 

with White, non-Hispanic adult reference persons (7.1 percent) and non-Hispanic reference persons of other, or 

multiple, races (8.8);18 and those with incomes at or above 185 percent of poverty (4.9 percent). 

Rates of food insecurity in 2020 were statistically significantly higher than the national average (10.5

percent) for the following groups: 

• All households with children (14.8 percent)19

• Households with children under age 6 (15.3 percent) 

• Households with children headed by a single woman (27.7 percent) or a single man (16.3 percent)20

• Households with Black, non-Hispanic (21.7 percent) and Hispanic (17.2 percent)

household reference persons

• Households with incomes below 185 percent of the poverty threshold (28.6 percent)

Across residential classifications, food insecurity was higher in principal cities of metropolitan areas (12.7 

percent) and nonmetropolitan (rural) areas (11.6 percent) than in suburbs/exurbs and other metropolitan 

areas outside principal cities (8.8 percent).21 Compared with the national average, food insecurity was significantly higher in principal cities and nonmetropolitan areas, but significantly lower in metropolitan areas 

outside principal cities. Regionally, the prevalence of food insecurity in the Northeast (9.3 percent), Midwest 

(9.5 percent), and West (9.5) was significantly below the U.S. average, while the prevalence in the South (12.3 

percent) was significantly above the U.S. average (table 2).

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 2020, 40.9 percent were 

households with children, 19.7 percent of food-insecure households were female-headed households with 

children (labeled “Female head, no spouse” in table), and 16.9 percent of food-insecure households were 

16Beginning with the 2020 Current Population Survey same-sex partners are identified in the data. The married-couple category now includes same-sex 

married partners. 

17“Elderly” in this report refers to persons age 65 and older.

18The “householder” or “household reference person” refers to the person in whose name the housing unit 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.

19About 40 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 2020, 

even with the child-referenced questions omitted from the scale, 12.5 percent of households with children would be classified as food insecure (that is, as 

having food insecurity among adults), compared with 8.8 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. 

20Some 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.

21Revised metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) and principal cities within them were delineated by the Office of Management and Budget in 2013, 

based on revised standards developed by the U.S. Bureau of the Census in collaboration with other Federal agencies. Census 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. 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. 
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married-couple households with children.22 Among all food-insecure households in 2020, 59.1 percent were 

households with no children. About 20.6 percent of all food-insecure households included elderly adults. 

Low-income households with reported incomes below 185 percent of the poverty threshold made up most foodinsecure households, 53.4 percent. Households with reported incomes at or above 185 percent of poverty made 

up 25.1 percent of all food-insecure households, and households with unknown income made up the remaining 

21.5 percent of all food-insecure households in 2020. 

22The share of food-insecure households that are female-headed households with children can be calculated as (2,704/13,754) = 0.197. Similarly, the share 

of food-insecure households that are married-couple households with children is (2,329/13,754) = 0.169.
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Table 2

Households by food security status and selected household characteristics, 2020

Category Total1 Food secure

Food insecure

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

Household composition

 With children < 18 years 37,903 32,280 85.2 5,623 14.8 4,166 11.0 1,457 3.8

 With children < 6 years 16,119 13,655 84.7 2,464 15.3 1,927 12.0 537 3.3

 Married-couple families 24,420 22,091 90.5 2,329 9.5 1,869 7.6 460 1.9

 Female head, no spouse 9,774 7,070 72.3 2,704 27.7 1,905 19.5 799 8.2

 Male head, no spouse 3,296 2,758 83.7 538 16.3 357 10.8 181 5.5

 Other household with child2 413 362 87.7 51 12.3 NA NA NA NA

 With no children < 18 years 92,556 84,425 91.2 8,131 8.8 4,447 4.8 3,684 4.0

 More than one adult 54,662 50,775 92.9 3,887 7.1 2,247 4.1 1,640 3.0

 Women living alone 20,881 18,579 89.0 2,302 11.0 1,229 5.9 1,073 5.1

 Men living alone 17,013 15,072 88.6 1,941 11.4 970 5.7 971 5.7

 With elderly 41,050 38,218 93.1 2,832 6.9 1,797 4.4 1,035 2.5

 Elderly living alone 15,566 14,280 91.7 1,286 8.3 755 4.9 531 3.4

Race/ethnicity of household reference persons

 White, non-Hispanic 85,466 79,387 92.9 6,079 7.1 3,547 4.1 2,532 3.0

 Black, non-Hispanic 16,686 13,058 78.3 3,628 21.7 2,295 13.7 1,333 8.0

 Hispanic3 18,543 15,359 82.8 3,184 17.2 2,263 12.2 921 5.0

 Other, non-Hispanic 9,764 8,903 91.2 861 8.8 507 5.2 354 3.6

Household income-to-poverty ratio

 Under 1.00 10,514 6,800 64.7 3,714 35.3 2,203 20.9 1,511 14.4

 Under 1.30 16,474 11,021 66.9 5,453 33.1 3,307 20.1 2,146 13.0

 Under 1.85 25,649 18,305 71.4 7,344 28.6 4,582 17.8 2,762 10.8

 1.85 and over 70,710 67,263 95.1 3,447 4.9 2,283 3.3 1,164 1.6

 Income unknown 34,100 31,138 91.3 2,962 8.7 1,748 5.1 1,214 3.6

Area of residence4

 Inside metropolitan area 112,150 100,523 89.6 11,627 10.4 7,319 6.6 4,308 3.8

 In principal cities5 38,788 33,875 87.3 4,913 12.7 2,974 7.7 1,939 5.0

 Not in principal cities 56,007 51,059 91.2 4,948 8.8 3,263 5.8 1,685 3.0

 Outside metropolitan area 18,308 16,181 88.4 2,127 11.6 1,294 7.1 833 4.5

Census geographic region

 Northeast 22,247 20,177 90.7 2,070 9.3 1,337 6.0 733 3.3

 Midwest 27,757 25,114 90.5 2,643 9.5 1,416 5.1 1,227 4.4

 South 50,770 44,536 87.7 6,234 12.3 4,055 8.0 2,179 4.3

 West 29,685 26,878 90.5 2,807 9.5 1,805 6.1 1,002 3.4

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 2020, these exclusions represented 308,000 households (0.2 percent of all households).

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

3Hispanics may be of any race. 

4Metropolitan 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. 

5Households 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, 2020 Current 

Population Survey Food Security Supplement.
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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 statistically significantly lower than the 2020 national average 

of 3.9 percent for married couples with children (1.9 percent); multiple-adult households with no children 

(3 percent); households with elderly persons (2.5 percent); households with White, non-Hispanic reference 

persons (3 percent); households with incomes at or above 185 percent of the poverty line (1.6 percent); households in suburbs and exurbs outside principal cities within metropolitan areas (3 percent); and households in 

the Northeast (3.3 percent) and West (3.4 percent).

The prevalence of very low food security was statistically significantly higher than the national average (3.9 

percent) for the following groups: 

• Households with children headed by a single woman (8.2 percent), 

• Women living alone (5.1 percent) and men living alone (5.7 percent),

• Households with reference persons who are Black, non-Hispanic (8 percent) and Hispanic (5 percent),

• Households with incomes below 185 percent of the poverty line (10.8 percent),

• Households located in principal cities (5 percent) and outside metropolitan areas or rural areas (4.5 

percent). 

In 7.6 percent of households with children, one or more child was food insecure in 2020 (table 3).23 Among 

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

married-couple households (4.6 percent); households with a White, non-Hispanic reference person (4.6 

percent); households with incomes at or above 185 percent of the poverty line (2.3 percent); and metropolitan households located in suburbs and exurbs outside of principal cities (6.3 percent). The percentage of 

households with food-insecure children was significantly higher for female-headed households (14.8 percent); 

households with a Black, non-Hispanic reference person (13 percent) or Hispanic reference person (12.2 

percent); households with incomes below 185 percent of the poverty line (17.2 percent); and households in 

principal cities (9.8 percent).

Compared with the prevalence for all households with children in 2020 (0.8 percent), very low food security 

among children was significantly less prevalent in married-couple families (0.5 percent), households with a 

White, non-Hispanic reference person (0.4 percent), and households in the West (0.5 percent). Very low food 

security among children in 2020 was significantly more prevalent in households headed by a single woman 

(1.7 percent); households with a Black, non-Hispanic reference person (1.7 percent) or Hispanic reference 

person (1.8 percent); households with incomes below 185 percent of the poverty line (1.7 percent) and households in the Midwest (1.5 percent). 

Some statistically significant changes occurred in the prevalence of food insecurity from 2019 to 2020 for some 

population subgroups (figure 5).24 The prevalence of food insecurity increased for all households with children 

from 13.6 percent in 2019 to 14.8 percent in 2020 and for married couple families with children (7.5 percent in 

2019 to 9.5 percent in 2020). The prevalence of food insecurity also increased for households with Black, nonHispanic reference persons (from 19.1 percent in 2019 to 21.7 percent in 2020) and for households in the South 

(from 11.2 percent in 2019 to 12.3 percent in 2020). The prevalence of food insecurity declined from 2019 to 

2020 for a few population subgroups. Food insecurity declined significantly for women living alone (from 13 

percent in 2019 to 11 percent in 2020), men living alone (from 12.8 percent in 2019 to 11.4 percent in 2020), 

households with White, non-Hispanic reference persons (from 7.9 percent in 2019 to 7.1 percent in 2020), and 

households in the Midwest (from 10.5 percent in 2019 to 9.5 percent in 2020). 

23Households 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 box on page 5.

24Estimates of food insecurity and very low food security for 2019 were published in Household Food Security in the United States in 2019 (ColemanJensen et al., 2020). 
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Table 3

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

characteristics, 2020

Category Total1 Food-secure 

households

Food-insecure 

households2

Households 

with foodinsecure 

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

Household composition

 With children < 6 years 16,119 13,655 84.7 2,464 15.3 1,128 7.0 119 0.7

 Married-couple families 24,420 22,091 90.5 2,329 9.5 1,115 4.6 112 0.5

 Female head, no spouse 9,774 7,070 72.3 2,704 27.7 1,447 14.8 164 1.7

 Male head, no spouse 3,296 2,758 83.7 538 16.3 277 8.4 NA NA

 Other household with child4 413 362 87.7 51 12.3 NA NA NA NA

Race/ethnicity of household reference persons

 White, non-Hispanic 20,904 18,886 90.3 2,018 9.7 966 4.6 78 0.4

 Black, non-Hispanic 5,418 3,941 72.7 1,477 27.3 704 13.0 90 1.7

 Hispanic5 8,143 6,366 78.2 1,777 21.8 991 12.2 143 1.8

 Other, non-Hispanic 3,437 3,085 89.8 352 10.2 210 6.1 NA NA

Household income-to-poverty ratio

 Under 1.00 4,300 2,560 59.5 1,740 40.5 918 21.3 94 2.2

 Under 1.30 6,465 4,032 62.4 2,433 37.6 1,256 19.4 128 2.0

 Under 1.85 10,080 6,686 66.3 3,394 33.7 1,731 17.2 174 1.7

 1.85 and over 19,432 18,325 94.3 1,107 5.7 455 2.3 NA NA

 Income unknown 8,391 7,270 86.6 1,121 13.4 684 8.2 114 1.4

Area of residence6

 Inside metropolitan area 32,790 27,991 85.4 4,799 14.6 2,458 7.5 290 0.9

 In principal cities7 10,563 8,620 81.6 1,943 18.4 1,033 9.8 145 1.4

 Not in principal cities 17,520 15,347 87.6 2,173 12.4 1,100 6.3 100 0.6

 Outside metropolitan area 5,113 4,289 83.9 824 16.1 412 8.1 32 0.6

Census geographic region

 Northeast 6,145 5,314 86.5 831 13.5 415 6.8 NA NA

 Midwest 7,794 6,719 86.2 1,075 13.8 600 7.7 119 1.5

 South 15,228 12,707 83.4 2,521 16.6 1,196 7.9 126 0.8

 West 8,736 7,540 86.3 1,196 13.7 659 7.5 41 0.5

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 they did not give a valid response to any of the questions in the food security scale. In 2020, these exclusions represented 106,000 households with children (0.3 percent of all households with children). 

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

3In 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.

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

5Hispanics may be of any race. 

6Metropolitan 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. 

7Households 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, 2020 Current 

Population Survey Food Security Supplement.
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Figure 5 

Prevalence of food insecurity, 2019 and 2020

 

*Change from 2019 to 2020 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, 2019 and 2020 

Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement.
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The prevalence of very low food security (figure 6) increased significantly for married-couple families with 

children from 1.4 percent in 2019 to 1.9 percent in 2020. The prevalence of very low food security declined 

significantly from 2019 to 2020 for women living alone (from 6.4 percent in 2019 to 5.1 percent in 2020) 

and for households with White, non-Hispanic reference persons (from 3.3 percent in 2019 to 3.0 percent in 

2020). 

Figure 6

Prevalence of very low food security, 2019 and 2020

 

*Change from 2019 to 2020 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, 2019 and 2020 

Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement.
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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 (2018-20) to generate a larger sample size in each State to provide more reliable statistics that 

allowed 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 statistically above or below the 

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

period ranged from 5.7 percent in New Hampshire to 15.3 percent in Mississippi; estimated prevalence rates 

of very low food security ranged from 2.3 percent in Minnesota to 6.5 percent in Louisiana.25

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.26 The margins of error presented in table 4 indicate the range (above or below the estimated 

prevalence rate) that is 90 percent likely to include the true prevalence rate. For example, considering the 

margins of error, it is not certain that the prevalence of very low food security was higher in Louisiana than 

in the States with the next six highest prevalence rates.

Taking into account margins of error of the State and U.S. estimates, the prevalence of food insecurity was 

higher (i.e., statistically significantly higher) than the national average in 9 States (AL, KY, LA, MS, NM, 

OK, TN, TX, and WV) and lower than the national average in 15 States (CA, HI, IA, IL, MA, MN, ND, 

NH, NJ, OR, RI, SD, VA, VT, and WA).27 In the remaining 26 States and the District of Columbia, 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, ME, MS, TN, TX, and WV), lower than the national 

average in 10 States (CA, HI, MN, ND, NH, NJ, RI, VT, WA, and WI), and not significantly different 

from the national average in 33 States and the District of Columbia.

State-level rates of food insecurity and very low food security for 2018–20 are compared with 2015–17 and 

2008–10 averages in table 5. Prevalence rates for the preceding 3-year period, 2015–17, are from Household 

Food Security in the United States in 2017 (Coleman-Jensen et al., 2018). The 2008-10 rates are from 

Household Food Security in the United States, 2010 (Coleman-Jensen et al., 2011) and are presented as a baseline to assess changes in State-level food security conditions over the past decade.28

25A map of the States showing the prevalence of food insecurity for 2018–20 can be downloaded from the Economic Research Service website. 

26Margin 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.

27Standard error of difference assumes that there is no correlation between national and individual State estimates.

28Prevalence 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 2008–10 were calculated using jackknife replication methods with “monthin-sample” groups considered as separate independent samples (see Nord et al., 1999). 
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Table 4

Prevalence of household food insecurity and very low food security by State, average 2018–20 

State

Number of households Food insecurity (low or 

very low food security) Very low food security

Average 

2018-201 Interviewed Prevalence Margin of error3 Prevalence Margin of error2

Number Number Percent Percentage points Percent Percentage points

U.S. 129,775,000 105,700 10.7 0.21 4.1 0.14

AK 267,000 1,241 10.6 2.37 5.1 1.69

AL 2,018,000 1,908 14.0 * 1.90 5.2 1.11

AR 1,269,000 1,796 12.6 2.39 5.9 * 1.37

AZ 2,867,000 1,838 11.0 1.52 3.8 0.77

CA 14,090,000 8,419 9.8 * 0.63 3.3 * 0.40

CO 2,356,000 1,101 10.1 1.67 4.3 1.08

CT 1,432,000 966 11.8 2.27 4.9 1.37

DC 336,000 2,155 10.3 1.42 3.6 0.87

DE 383,000 1,067 9.9 1.78 4.2 1.25

FL 9,239,000 4,376 10.1 0.94 4.2 0.59

GA 4,102,000 2,311 10.0 1.34 3.8 1.04

HI 493,000 1,408 8.9 * 1.43 3.1 * 0.84

IA 1,309,000 1,303 6.9 * 1.64 3.1 1.13

ID 675,000 1,913 9.6 1.58 3.6 0.79

IL 4,979,000 2,971 9.2 * 1.20 3.9 0.74

IN 2,775,000 1,737 11.6 1.61 4.4 1.09

KS 1,135,000 1,418 11.3 2.02 5.1 1.19

KY 1,842,000 1,350 13.8 * 1.99 4.9 1.38

LA 1,888,000 2,321 14.8 * 1.71 6.5 * 1.03

MA 2,816,000 2,074 8.4 * 1.15 3.4 0.79

MD 2,346,000 1,269 9.2 1.61 3.6 1.01

ME 569,000 1,030 11.4 1.72 5.5 * 1.30

MI 4,121,000 2,364 11.8 1.45 4.7 0.87

MN 2,347,000 1,528 7.0 * 1.37 2.3 * 0.74

MO 2,468,000 1,699 11.5 1.58 5.1 1.03

MS 1,169,000 2,204 15.3 * 1.94 5.9 * 1.32

MT 467,000 2,154 10.4 1.75 4.5 0.99

NC 4,387,000 2,267 12.1 1.62 3.7 0.89

ND 327,000 1,717 7.9 * 1.32 2.5 * 0.66

NE 788,000 1,223 10.5 1.48 4.4 1.14

NH 542,000 1,495 5.7 * 1.26 2.4 * 0.81

NJ 3,391,000 2,098 8.4 * 1.30 3.1 * 0.69

NM 859,000 2,017 13.4 * 2.61 5.3 1.68

NV 1,192,000 1,474 11.9 1.65 4.8 1.18

NY 7,770,000 3,960 10.5 1.11 3.7 0.64

OH 4,792,000 2,903 11.6 1.28 5.0 0.88

OK 1,543,000 1,558 14.6 * 1.86 4.5 1.00

OR 1,732,000 1,830 9.2 * 1.25 3.9 1.03

-continued
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Table 4

Prevalence of household food insecurity and very low food security by State, average 2018–20

-continued

State

Number of households Food insecurity (low or 

very low food security) Very low food security

Average 

2018-201 Interviewed Prevalence Margin of error3 Prevalence Margin of error2

Number Number Percent Percentage points Percent Percentage points

PA 5,130,000 2,798 9.9 1.22 4.2 0.68

RI 429,000 1,006 8.2 * 1.64 2.9 * 1.08

SC 2,133,000 1,661 11.2 1.86 4.4 1.07

SD 357,000 1,268 9.1 * 1.30 3.9 1.01

TN 2,769,000 2,231 12.5 * 1.47 5.3 * 0.98

TX 10,629,000 5,607 13.3 * 0.94 4.9 * 0.63

UT 1,106,000 1,441 10.0 1.55 3.0 1.16

VA 3,438,000 1,986 8.5 * 1.34 3.8 0.87

VT 273,000 1,596 8.6 * 1.34 2.8 * 0.81

WA 3,032,000 2,093 8.8 * 1.24 3.4 * 0.65

WI 2,417,000 1,712 9.7 1.69 3.1 * 0.75

WV 749,000 2,261 15.1 * 2.78 5.7 * 1.38

WY 234,000 1,577 11.5 1.38 4.9 0.94

*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 0.3 percent of all households in 2018, 0.2 

percent in 2019, and 0.2 percent in 2020.

2Margin 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, 2018, 2019, and 

2020 Current Population Survey Food Security Supplements.

No statistically significant increases in the State-level prevalence of food insecurity occurred from 2015–17 

to 2018–20, while food insecurity declined significantly in 17 States (AR, CA, FL, GA, IA, IL, LA, MA, 

NE, NH, NM, OH, OR, PA, RI, SD, and WA; table 5). During the same period, no statistically significant 

increases occurred in the prevalence of very low food security, while very low food security declined significantly in 8 States (AL, AZ, CA, MI, MN, NC, OK, and RI). 

Across the decade, a statistically significant percentage-point increase in the prevalence of food insecurity 

occurred from 2008–10 to 2018–20 in one State (LA), with statistically significant declines in 38 States 

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

from 2008–10 to 2018–20 in one State (LA), with statistically significant declines in 24 States. 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). 
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Table 5

Change in prevalence of household food insecurity and very low food security by State, 2018–20 

(average), 2015–17 (average), and 2008–10 (average)1

State

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

Average 

2018-20

Average 

2015-17

Average 

2008-10

Change 

2015-17 

to 

2018-20

Change 

2008-10 

to

2018-20

Average 

2018-20

Average 

2015-17

Average 

2008-10

Change 

2015-17 

to 

2018-20

Change 

2008-10 

to

2018-20

Percent Percentage points Percent Percentage points

U.S. 10.7 12.3 14.6 -1.6 * -3.9 * 4.1 4.8 5.6 -0.7 * -1.5 *

AK 10.6 11.6 13.6 -1.0 -3.0 * 5.1 3.7 4.9 1.4 .2

AL 14.0 16.3 17.3 -2.3 -3.3 * 5.2 7.1 7.0 -1.9 * -1.8 *

AR 12.6 17.4 18.6 -4.8 * -6.0 * 5.9 6.5 7.5 -.6 -1.6

AZ 11.0 13.1 15.3 -2.1 -4.3 * 3.8 5.7 5.9 -1.9 * -2.1 *

CA 9.8 11.2 15.9 -1.4 * -6.1 * 3.3 4.1 5.8 -.8 * -2.5 *

CO 10.1 9.2 13.4 .9 -3.3 * 4.3 3.8 5.4 .5 -1.1

CT 11.8 12.2 12.7 -.4 -.9 4.9 4.7 4.8 .2 .1

DC 10.3 11.2 13.0 -.9 -2.7 * 3.6 4.5 4.5 -.9 -.9

DE 9.9 11.1 9.7 -1.2 .2 4.2 3.5 4.0 .7 .2

FL 10.1 11.9 16.1 -1.8 * -6.0 * 4.2 4.2 6.6 .0 -2.4 *

GA 10.0 13.0 16.9 -3.0 * -6.9 * 3.8 4.4 6.4 -.6 -2.6 *

HI 8.9 7.4 13.1 1.5 -4.2 * 3.1 2.9 5.0 .2 -1.9 *

IA 6.9 10.5 12.1 -3.6 * -5.2 * 3.1 4.3 4.9 -1.2 -1.8 *

ID 9.6 11.0 12.4 -1.4 -2.8 * 3.6 4.0 4.6 -.4 -1.0

IL 9.2 11.2 12.9 -2.0 * -3.7 * 3.9 4.7 4.5 -.8 -.6

IN 11.6 13.6 13.0 -2.0 -1.4 4.4 5.7 5.4 -1.3 -1.0

KS 11.3 13.3 14.5 -2.0 -3.2 * 5.1 5.6 5.0 -.5 .1

KY 13.8 14.7 15.6 -.9 -1.8 4.9 6.1 5.7 -1.2 -.8

LA 14.8 17.3 12.6 -2.5 * 2.2 * 6.5 7.1 4.0 -.6 2.5 *

MA 8.4 10.2 10.8 -1.8 * -2.4 * 3.4 3.8 4.5 -.4 -1.1

MD 9.2 10.4 12.5 -1.2 -3.3 * 3.6 4.3 5.1 -.7 -1.5 *

ME 11.4 14.4 15.4 -3.0 -4.0 * 5.5 6.4 6.8 -.9 -1.3

MI 11.8 13.6 14.7 -1.8 -2.9 * 4.7 6.0 5.7 -1.3 * -1.0

MN 7.0 9.5 10.3 -2.5 -3.3 * 2.3 3.7 4.4 -1.4 * -2.1 *

MO 11.5 12.8 15.8 -1.3 -4.3 * 5.1 4.8 6.6 .3 -1.5 *

MS 15.3 17.2 19.4 -1.9 -4.1 * 5.9 6.6 6.9 -.7 -1.0

MT 10.4 11.4 14.1 -1.0 -3.7 * 4.5 4.6 5.6 -.1 -1.1

NC 12.1 14.4 15.7 -2.3 -3.6 * 3.7 5.6 5.2 -1.9 * -1.5 *

ND 7.9 9.0 7.1 -1.1 .8 2.5 3.5 2.7 -1.0 -.2

NE 10.5 13.5 12.7 -3.0 * -2.2 4.4 5.4 5.2 -1.0 -.8

NH 5.7 9.4 9.6 -3.7 * -3.9 * 2.4 3.4 4.1 -1.0 -1.7 *

NJ 8.4 8.6 12.1 -.2 -3.7 * 3.1 3.0 4.2 .1 -1.1 *

NM 13.4 17.9 15.4 -4.5 * -2.0 5.3 6.6 5.6 -1.3 -.3

NV 11.9 12.4 14.7 -.5 -2.8 * 4.8 5.1 5.4 -.3 -.6

NY 10.5 10.9 12.9 -.4 -2.4 * 3.7 3.9 5.1 -.2 -1.4 *

OH 11.6 13.7 16.4 -2.1 * -4.8 * 5.0 6.1 6.6 -1.1 -1.6 *

OK 14.6 15.0 16.4 -.4 -1.8 4.5 6.4 7.5 -1.9 * -3.0 *

-continued
28

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Table 5

Change in prevalence of household food insecurity and very low food security by State, 2018–20 

(average), 2015–17 (average), and 2008–10 (average)1 - continued

State

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

Average 

2018-20

Average 

2015-17

Average 

2008-10

Change 

2015-17 

to 

2018-20

Change 

2008-10 

to

2018-20

Average 

2018-20

Average 

2015-17

Average 

2008-10

Change 

2015-17 

to 

2018-20

Change 

2008-10 

to

2018-20

Percent Percentage points Percent Percentage points

OR 9.2 12.9 13.7 -3.7 * -4.5 * 3.9 5.4 6.1 -1.5 -2.2 *

PA 9.9 12.1 12.5 -2.2 * -2.6 * 4.2 4.0 5.0 .2 -.8

RI 8.2 12.4 14.7 -4.2 * -6.5 * 2.9 5.6 5.9 -2.7 * -3.0 *

SC 11.2 11.7 14.8 -.5 -3.6 * 4.4 4.2 5.0 .2 -.6

SD 9.1 11.4 12.3 -2.3 * -3.2 * 3.9 4.3 5.4 -.4 -1.5 *

TN 12.5 12.9 15.0 -.4 -2.5 * 5.3 5.7 6.0 -.4 -.7

TX 13.3 14.0 18.8 -.7 -5.5 * 4.9 5.8 6.9 -.9 -2.0 *

UT 10.0 10.7 13.0 -.7 -3.0 * 3.0 3.9 4.8 -.9 -1.8 *

VA 8.5 10.1 9.6 -1.6 -1.1 3.8 4.4 3.3 -.6 .5

VT 8.6 9.8 13.8 -1.2 -5.2 * 2.8 3.6 6.1 -.8 -3.3 *

WA 8.8 10.8 14.7 -2.0 * -5.9 * 3.4 4.1 6.1 -.7 -2.7 *

WI 9.7 10.0 11.8 -.3 -2.1 * 3.1 3.8 4.3 -.7 -1.2 *

WV 15.1 14.9 14.1 .2 1.0 5.7 6.2 5.3 -.5 .4

WY 11.5 13.2 11.6 -1.7 -.1 4.9 5.1 4.3 -.2 .6

*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, 

or vending machines. Families with children may also get food from schools and childcare. The amount of 

money a household spends on food thus is one indicator for how adequately the household is meeting its food 

needs.29 When a household reduces food spending below a minimum level, such as USDA’s Thrifty Food 

Plan, 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 2020 

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.”30

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.31 USDA, Economic 

Research Service 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 

29Food 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. Purchases with SNAP benefits, however, are counted as food spending in the Current Population Survey Food Security 

Supplement. Food spending in 2020 likely included Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) even 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.

30For 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. Respondents were not specifically asked about online food purchases. Overall spending for online food purchases likely increased in 2020 related to 

the pandemic, including an increase in SNAP benefits redeemed online (Jones, 2021). 

31Beginning 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 U.S. Bureau of the Census. Economic Research 

Service 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 and are comparable to the 2016 and later estimates but are not precisely comparable 

with earlier estimates. Changes in food spending from 2019 described in the text are based on comparable estimates of 2019 categorical food-spending 

data published in Coleman-Jensen et al. (2020). 
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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 to the estimated cost 

of the Thrifty Food Plan for that household in December 2020.32 USDA’s Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) serves 

as a national standard for a nutritious, minimal-cost diet. It represents a set of “market baskets” of food that 

people in specific age and gender categories could consume at home to maintain a healthful diet that meets 

current dietary standards, taking into account the food consumption patterns of U.S. households (U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, 2007).33 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, 2021).34

The medians of each of the two food-spending measures (spending per person per week and total spending 

relative to the cost of the December 2020 TFP) were estimated at the national level and for households 

in various categories. Medians are reported rather than averages (means) because medians are not unduly 

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. 

About 6.7 percent of households interviewed in the CPS Food Security Supplement 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. Foodspending estimates may not be fully representative of all households in the United States.35

32The cost of the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) is revised each month to account for inflation in food prices. In December 2020, the weekly cost of the TFP 

for a family of 4 (2 adults age 19-50 and 2 children age 6-8 and 9-11) was $154.90 (compared with $149.30 in December 2019). For this report, TFP 

costs are estimated by the Economic Research Service separately for Alaska and Hawaii, using adjustment factors calculated from USDA’s TFP costs for 

those States for the second half of 2020. USDA’s TFP costs for Alaska and Hawaii are available on USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion 

website. 

33The 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, 

Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, 2007). 

34The cost of a TFP for a household is calculated under the assumption that all food purchased by household members is shared. 

35Households that were unable or unwilling to report food spending were less likely to be food insecure than those that did report food spending (6.3 

percent compared with 10.9 percent). Food spending may, therefore, be slightly underestimated from these data.
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Table 6 

Weekly household food spending per person and relative to the household cost of the Thrifty Food 

Plan (TFP), 2020

Category

Median weekly food spending

Number of 

households1 Per person Relative to household cost of 

December 2020 TFP

1,000 Dollars Ratio

All households 120,734 57.50 1.31

Household composition

 With children < 18 years 35,763 46.00 1.20

 At least one child < 6 years 15,218 40.00 1.20

 Married-couple families 23,043 47.50 1.23

 Female head, no spouse 9,223 42.86 1.13

 Male head, no spouse 3,107 45.00 1.17

 Other household with child2 391 43.33 1.11

 With no children < 18 years 84,971 65.00 1.42

 More than one adult 50,383 60.00 1.30

 Women living alone 18,899 70.00 1.49

 Men living alone 15,689 80.00 1.65

 With elderly 36,933 55.00 1.23

 Elderly living alone 13,714 60.00 1.30

Race/ethnicity of household reference persons

 White, non-Hispanic 79,476 60.00 1.38

 Black, non-Hispanic 15,265 50.00 1.19

 Hispanic3 17,042 50.00 1.23

 Other, non-Hispanic 8,951 55.00 1.28

Household income-to-poverty ratio

 Under 1.00 9,801 50.00 1.09

 Under 1.30 15,505 50.00 1.09

 Under 1.85 24,134 50.00 1.11

 1.85 and over 67,925 62.50 1.48

 Income unknown 28,675 50.00 1.25

Area of residence4

 Inside metropolitan area 103,627 60.00 1.36

 In principal cities5 35,594 60.00 1.42

 Not in principal cities 52,112 60.00 1.37

 Outside metropolitan area 17,107 50.00 1.15

Census geographic region

 Northeast 20,497 60.00 1.43

 Midwest 25,748 50.00 1.27

-continued
32

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Table 6 

Weekly household food spending per person and relative to the household cost of the Thrifty Food 

Plan (TFP), 2020-continued

Category

Median weekly food spending

Number of 

households1 Per person Relative to household cost of December 2020 TFP

1,000 Dollars Ratio

 South 46,953 55.00 1.29

 West 27,537 60.00 1.37

1

Totals exclude households that did not answer the questions about spending on food or reported zero usual food spending. These 

exclusions represented 7.7 percent of all households.

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

3Hispanics may be of any race. 

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

5Households 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.

Note: 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, 2020 Current 

Population Survey Food Security Supplement.

Food Expenditures by Selected Household Characteristics

In 2020, the typical U.S. household spent $57.50 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 1.31, up significantly from 

1.28 in 2019 (Coleman-Jensen et al., 2020; 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, a ratio below 1.0 means the household spends less than the cost of the TFP). That is, in 2020, the typical household spent 31 percent more on 

food than the cost of the TFP for that household. 

Households with children under age 18 generally spent less for food, relative to the household cost of the 

TFP, than those without children. The typical household with children spent 20 percent more than the cost 

of the TFP on food, while the typical household with no children spent 42 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 1.13) than for married couples with children (ratio of 1.23). Median food expenditures relative to the cost of the TFP were highest for men living alone (ratio of 1.65).

Median food expenditures relative to the cost of the TFP were lower for households with Black non-Hispanic 

(ratio of 1.19) and Hispanic reference persons (ratio of 1.23) than for households with a White non-Hispanic 

reference person (ratio of 1.38). 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.36 The typical household with income below the poverty line spent about 9 percent more than the cost 

36However, 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.
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of the TFP, while the typical household with income at or above 185 percent of the poverty line spent 48 

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 1.15) than for those inside metropolitan statistical areas (ratio of 1.36). Regionally, median spending 

on food relative to the cost of the TFP was lowest in the Midwest (ratio of 1.27) and highest in the West 

(ratio of 1.37) and Northeast (ratio of 1.43).

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 1.35 among food-secure households in 2020, 

compared with 1.14 among food-insecure households (table 7). Thus, taking into account estimated food 

need, the median food-secure household spent 18 percent more for food than the median food-insecure 

household (estimated as 1.35/1.14=1.18).37 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., 2021).

Table 7 

Weekly household food spending per person and relative to the cost of the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) 

by food security status, 2020

Median weekly food spending

Category

Number of 

households1 Per person Relative to

cost of December 2020 TFP

1,000 Dollars Ratio

All households 120,734 57.50 1.31

Food security status

Food-secure households 107,475 60.00 1.35

Food-insecure households 13,128 50.00 1.14

Households with low food security 8,223 50.00 1.15

Households with very low food security 4,905 50.00 1.09

1

Total for all households excludes households that did not answer the questions about spending on food or reported zero usual 

spending for food. These exclusions represented 7.7 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.

Note: 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, 2020 Current 

Population Survey Food Security Supplement.

37The pattern of higher food spending among food-secure households compared with food-insecure households was also found in USDA’s National 

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 help meet their food needs. 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 WIC (see box, “Federal Nutrition Assistance Programs,” p. 

37). 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).38 The USDA implemented additional nutrition assistance programs in 2020 in response to the 

pandemic, such as Pandemic-EBT and the Farmers to Families Food Box Program; participation in these 

programs was not included in the CPS-FSS and are not reported here.39

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 

about the extent to which households obtained assistance from community food pantries and emergency 

kitchens (Coleman-Jensen et al., 2021).

Methods

The December 2020 CPS Food Security Supplement 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 footnote 9).

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?40

Households that responded affirmatively were then asked:

• In which months of 2020 were SNAP or food stamp benefits received?

38Additional research findings on the operation and effectiveness of these programs are available from the Economic Research Service website.

39For the most updated information on these programs see the USDA and Food and Nutrition Service websites, and Toossi, et al., (2021). 

40The 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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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?

Information from the 3 questions was used to identify the number of months of receipt of SNAP in the prior 

year as well as whether households received SNAP benefits in the 30 days before the survey (mid-November 

to mid-December 2020).41

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.)42

• 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 age 15-45 were asked this question.)

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 for participating households excluded households with annual incomes above the ranges specified 

for the comparison groups.43 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 poverty to match the 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, the more foodinsecure 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 controlled for, it becomes apparent that SNAP improves food security.44 In 2020, an estimated 

45.4 percent of households that received SNAP benefits were food insecure, as were 36.7 percent of households that received free or reduced-price school lunches and 38.3 percent of those that received WIC benefits 

41The 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). 

42Because of the pandemic and school closures children 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 if free or 

reduced-price lunches were not received by children “at school.”

43Some 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.

44This “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). In 2020, food insecurity among income-eligible households with children that did not receive free 

or reduced-price school lunch was higher than in 2019 (33.0 percent in 2020 versus 21.0 percent in 2019; 

Coleman-Jensen et al., 2020). 

The prevalence of very low food security among households participating in SNAP was double that of 

nonparticipating households in the same low-income range (18.7 percent versus 9.2 percent). However, for 

households that received free or reduced-price school lunches, the prevalence of very low food security was 

near that of nonparticipating households with school-age children in the same income range (9.2 percent 

versus 9.6 percent). This finding for free or reduced-price school meals is different from 2019 when very low 

food security was more prevalent among participants than non-participants and may be related to changes in 

the delivery of school meals and changes to participation in 2020. The survey question specifically asks about 

meals received “at school,” and reported participation was lower in 2020. Respondents may not have considered meals received from non-school locations or taken home for consumption. Very low food security was 

also nearly equivalent among WIC recipient households (6.8 percent) and income eligible non-WIC households (6.4 percent). 

Table 8

Percentage of households by food security status and participation in selected Federal nutrition 

assistance programs, 2020

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 previous 12 months 54.6 45.4 26.7 18.7

 Received SNAP benefits all 12 months 56.8 43.2 25.8 17.4

 Received SNAP benefits 1 to 11 months 50.4 49.6 28.6 21.0

 Did not receive SNAP benefits previous 12 months 75.2 24.8 15.6 9.2

Income less than 185 percent of poverty line; school-age children in household

Received NSLP2 free or reduced-price school lunch 

previous 30 days 63.3 36.7 27.5 9.2

Did not receive NSLP free or reduced-price school lunch 

previous 30 days 67.0 33.0 23.4 9.6

Income less than 185 percent of poverty line; children under age 5 in household

 Received WIC3 previous 30 days 61.7 38.3 31.5 6.8

 Did not receive WIC previous 30 days 70.7 29.3 22.9 6.4

1

SNAP = Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly the Food Stamp Program.

2NSLP = National School Lunch Program.

3WIC = 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, 2020 Current 

Population Survey Food Security Supplement.

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 similar to those using the 12-month food insecurity measure in table 
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Federal Nutrition Assistance Programs

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) administers 15 domestic food and nutrition assistance programs. The three largest programs are:

• The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly the Food Stamp Program, 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 2020 (October 1, 2019, through September 30, 2020), SNAP provided benefits to 39.9 

million people in the United States (about 12 percent of individuals). The average benefit was about $155 

per person per month, and Federal expenditures for the program were $79.2 billion that year. 

• 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 to low-income children at free or reduced-price. Schools are reimbursed by 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 COVID-19 pandemic typical school lunch participation was 

nearly 30 million children on an average school day. In fiscal year 2020, the program provided lunches 

to an average of 22.6 million children each school day. Starting in March 2020, schools that shut down 

because of the pandemic were able to serve meals either under the NSLP’s Seamless Summer Option or 

under the Summer Food Service Program to facilitate the operation of safe meal pick-up sites for families. 

Participation in meals served at schools and other sites operating under the Summer Food Service Program 

is reported separately and not reflected in the 22.6 million. 

• The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is a federally 

funded preventive nutrition program that provides grants to States to support distribution of supplemental 

foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and nonbreastfeeding 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 provide 

vouchers that participants use to acquire supplemental food packages at authorized food stores. In fiscal year 

2020, WIC served over 6.2 million participants per month at an average monthly cost for food (after rebates 

to WIC from manufacturers) of about $38 per person. 

Nutrition Assistance and the COVID-19 Pandemic

The effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on the availability and structure of nutrition assistance 

programs and resulting participation is discussed at length in the Economic Research Service report “The Food 

and Nutrition Assistance Landscape: Fiscal Year 2020 Annual Report” (Toossi, et al., 2021). As summarized in 

that report: 

In response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, USDA launched two new programs in 2020: Pandemic 

Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) and the Farmers to Families Food Box Program (Food Box Program). 

P-EBT reimbursed qualifying households for the value of school meals forgone due to COVID-19 related 

disruptions to in-person learning at school. Through the Food Box Program, USDA purchased food products 

from American producers and donated them to food banks and other charitable organizations for distribution 

to households in need. Additionally, USDA implemented numerous policy changes that expanded the scope 

and coverage of existing programs. Together, these initiatives contributed to an increase in total expenditures 

on food and nutrition assistance programs, which amounted to a new historical inflation-adjusted high of 

$122.1 billion.

Detailed information on special program provisions during the COVID-19 pandemic is available on the USDA, 

Food and Nutrition Service website. The Farmers to Families Food Box Program ended on May 31, 2021.

(FNS Program data on SNAP, the National School Lunch Program, and WIC accessed from FNS website on May 

2, 2021; for more information, see Toossi et al., 2021.)
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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., 2021). 

Participation in Federal Nutrition Assistance Programs by Food Insecure 

Households

About 55 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 2020 food security 

survey (table 9). SNAP helped 41.6 percent of food-insecure households. Children in 19.5 percent of foodinsecure households received free or reduced-price school lunches. Women or children in 8.4 percent of 

food-insecure households received WIC food vouchers.45 An estimated 50.6 percent of households classified 

as having very low food security reported participating in one or more of the 3 largest Federal nutrition assistance programs, with the largest share (42.5 percent) participating in SNAP.46

Participation in the 3 largest nutrition assistance programs (SNAP, free or reduced-price school meals, and 

WIC) by food-insecure households was somewhat lower in 2020 than in 2019 (54.6 percent versus 58.3 

percent). The largest difference in participation was in free or reduced-price school lunch. In 2019, 27.6 

percent of food-insecure households reported receipt of free or reduced-price school lunches. The lower 

reported participation among food-insecure households in 2020 (19.5 percent) may be because of school 

closures in 2020. With schools closed, USDA granted waivers allowing schools and community organizations to serve meals outside of the typical cafeteria setting, through mechanisms such as “grab’n’go” distribution, either through the National School Lunch Program or the Summer Food Service Program. It is 

possible that respondents did not report receipt of free or reduced-price meals delivered in these nontraditional formats, since the question asks about meals received “at school.” Respondents may also have received 

Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) in lieu of school meals. The lower reported participation of 

food-insecure households in free or reduced-price school meals is consistent with USDA participation data 

showing a 16.8 percent decline in meals served from fiscal year 2019 to 2020 (Toossi et al., 2021 and FNS 

Program data on FNS website).

Participation of food-insecure households in SNAP was slightly lower in 2020 than in 2019 (41.6 percent 

versus 43.2 percent). Participation in SNAP by food-insecure households in 2020 as shown in table 9, reflect 

only the percentage of food-insecure households participating, and may not match trends in participation for 

all households. Overall, SNAP participation increased from fiscal year 2019 to 2020 (Toossi et al., 2021 and 

FNS Program data on FNS website). 

45These 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. 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.)

46The 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 2020, an estimated 52.4 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, 48.8 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, 2020

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

Program

Percent

SNAP3 41.6 42.5

NSLP4 Free or reduced-price school lunch 19.5 12.9

WIC5 8.4 4.2

Any of the three programs 54.6 50.6

None of the three programs 45.4 49.4

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.

2These statistics understate the extent of nutrition assistance program participation because program participation is underreported by household survey respondents; see footnote 45.

3SNAP = Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly the Food Stamp Program.

4NSLP = National School Lunch Program.

5WIC = 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, 2020 Current 

Population Survey Food Security Supplement.
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Special Section: Labor Force Characteristics Resulting from 

the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic and Food Insecurity

Beginning in May 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. Bureau of the Census added a series 

of supplemental questions related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic to the monthly Current 

Population Survey. Four of these questions continued in the monthly CPS through December 2020 and can 

therefore be linked with respondents’ household food security status from the December 2020 Food Security 

Supplement. These four questions relate to how the pandemic may have influenced labor force characteristics, 

including telework, lost work, and looking for work. 

Methods

Food insecurity is measured as described in the main methods section beginning on page 2. However, 

statistics in this section reflect food insecurity over a 30-day period rather than a 12-month period. Both 

food insecurity and the COVID-19 labor force questions reference the 30 days before the survey, from midNovember to mid-December 2020. For an explanation of the 30-day food security measure and statistics on 

30-day food insecurity by household characteristics, see Table S-4 and “Food Security During the 30 Days 

Prior to the Food Security Survey” in Coleman-Jensen et al. (2021).

The COVID-19 labor force questions include an introduction that is read to the respondent, followed by 

these yes/no questions:

“I now have a few questions related to work activities affected by the Coronavirus-COVID-19 pandemic. 

Efforts to contain the coronavirus have included business and school closures, social distancing, and 

other disruptions. The following questions refer to the last 4 weeks. By the last 4 weeks I mean the 

4-week period ending last Saturday.”

• At any time in the last 4 weeks, did you telework or work at home for pay because of the coronavirus 

pandemic? (Yes/No; If the respondent worked entirely from home before the coronavirus pandemic, 

interviewers are instructed to enter “No” to this item.)

• At any time in the last 4 weeks, were you unable to work because your employer closed or lost business 

due to the coronavirus? (Yes/No; Interviewers are instructed to enter “Yes” for the self-employed who 

lost work or customers because of the coronavirus pandemic.)

Households that responded yes were then asked:

o Did you receive any pay from your employer for the hours you did not work in last

4 weeks? (Yes/No; Interviewers are instructed to enter “No” if self-employed and 

received no pay from customers.)

• Did the coronavirus pandemic prevent you from looking for work in the last 4 weeks? (Yes/No)

The COVID-19 labor force questions reference the last 4 weeks and are asked of civilian household members 

age 16 and up. The first item about telework is only asked for those who are employed. The fourth item about 

being prevented from looking for work is only asked of those who are not in the labor force. 

The statistics presented below are based on responses of the household reference person to the COVID-19 

labor force questions. In some households, other adult members may have effects of the COVID-19 
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pandemic on labor force characteristics, and those effects are not included here.47 Basing these labor force 

characteristics on those of the household reference person is consistent with basing race/ethnicity on the 

household reference person as shown in table 2 and elsewhere. The household reference person is the person 

in whose name the household unit is owned or rented. If the housing unit is owned or rented jointly by a 

married couple, the reference person may be either spouse. 

Statistics in this section were calculated by applying the Food Security Supplement weights to responses by 

the surveyed households, so the statistics are nationally representative. Statistical differences described 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 Food Security 

Supplement by the U.S. Bureau of the Census.

Prevalence of Food Insecurity by Labor Force Characteristics 

Resulting From the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic 

In 2020, 5.7 percent of all U.S. households were food insecure in the 30-day period from mid-November 

to mid-December (the top row of table 10 is repeated in table S-4 in Coleman-Jensen et al., 2021). During 

that same 30-day period households with an employed reference person had a lower food insecurity prevalence (4.2 percent) than the national average (table 10). Households with a reference person who was able to 

telework because of the pandemic had a lower prevalence of food insecurity (2.2 percent) than the national 

average, as did employed reference persons who were unable to telework because of the pandemic or worked 

entirely from home before the pandemic (5 percent). The prevalence of 30-day food insecurity among households with a reference person who was not employed (8 percent) was higher than the national average. 

Among households with reference persons who reported being unable to work because their employer 

closed or lost business because of the pandemic, 16.4 percent were food insecure in mid-November to 

mid-December 2020. That food insecurity prevalence was substantially higher than the national average 

and significantly higher than for those who did not report being unable to work because of the pandemic. 

Restrepo et al. (2021) found that households with respondents who lost their jobs because of pandemicinduced firm closures spent less on food, were less likely to have enough food to eat, and were less likely to 

report confidence in their ability to afford food in the future than households with an employed respondent 

between April and June 2020. The prevalence of 30-day food insecurity was higher for households with reference persons who were unable to work because of the pandemic and did not receive pay from their employer 

for the missed work (17.5 percent). 

Among households with reference persons who were not in the labor force and the pandemic prevented them 

from looking for work, 20.4 percent were food insecure from mid-November to mid-December 2020. Those 

who were out of the labor force but were not prevented from looking for work because of the pandemic had 

a lower prevalence of 30-day food insecurity, at 6.3 percent, but that prevalence was higher than the national 

average of 5.7 percent. 

The patterns of findings for 30-day very low food security were similar. Very low food security was lower 

than the national average for households with reference persons who were employed (including those that 

teleworked because of the pandemic and those who did not), those who did not report being unable to work 

because of the pandemic, and those who were in the labor force. 

47In analyses not shown, results were replicated examining COVID-19 labor force characteristics of all adults in the household. The substantive findings 

of those analyses are the same as those for the household reference person and are not shown separately. 
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Very low food security was higher than the mid-November to mid-December national average of 2.3 percent 

for households with reference persons who were not employed (3.6 percent), those who were unable to work 

and received pay from their employer for missed work (4.7 percent), those who were unable to work and did 

not receive pay from their employer for missed work (7.3 percent), those who were not in the labor force and 

were prevented from looking for work by the pandemic (9.8 percent) and those who were not in the labor 

force, but not prevented from looking for work by the pandemic (2.7 percent). 

Table 10

Households by food security status and effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on household reference person’s work activities during the 30 days before the food security survey, 20201

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 130,459 122,971 94.3 7,488 5.7 4,465 3.4 3,023 2.3

Telework because of pandemic

All employed 76,867 73,643 95.8 3,224 4.2 2,103 2.7 1,121 1.5

Yes, able to telework because of pandemic 22,390 21,908 97.8 482 2.2 313 1.4 169 0.8

No, not able to telework or 

worked entirely at home 

before pandemic

 54,477 51,735 95.0 2,742 5.0 1,790 3.3 952 1.7

Not employed (unemployed or 

not in labor force) 53,032 48,771 92.0 4,261 8.0 2,360 4.4 1,901 3.6

Unable to work because of pandemic

Yes 8,267 6,909 83.6 1,358 16.4 787 9.5 571 6.9

Yes, and yes, received pay 

for hours not worked 1,196 1,075 89.9 121 10.1 65 5.4 56 4.7

Yes, but no, did NOT receive 

pay for hours not worked 7,071 5,833 82.5 1,238 17.5 723 10.2 515 7.3

No 121,618 115,491 95.0 6,127 5.0 3,676 3.0 2,451 2.0

Pandemic prevented looking for work

Yes 2,132 1,697 79.6 435 20.4 226 10.6 209 9.8

No 45,906 43,030 93.7 2,876 6.3 1,637 3.6 1,239 2.7

In labor force 81,861 77,687 94.9 4,174 5.1 2,600 3.2 1,574 1.9

1

The 30-day prevalence rates refer to the 30-day period from mid-November to mid-December; the survey was conducted 

during the week of December 13-19, 2020. Totals exclude households for which food security status is unknown because they did 

not give a valid response to any of the questions in the 30-day food security scale (0.2 percent of all households) and those for 

which the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on work activities was unknown because they did not give a valid response to the 

COVID-19 questions or were Armed Forces members not eligible for the COVID-19 questions (0.4 percent of all households). The 

30-day statistics for 2004 and earlier years were based on a different methodology and are not comparable with these statistics. 

The household reference person is the person in whose name the household unit is owned or rented. If the housing unit is owned 

or rented jointly by a married couple, the reference person may be either spouse.

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

Population Survey Food Security Supplement.
43

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USDA, Economic Research Service

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