According to a brief recently released by the Urban Institute, food insecurity among adults increased by almost 2% in 2023 from the previous year. The numbers, taken from the Well-Being and Basic Needs Survey administered every December, represent the second straight year food insecurity has risen after a slight decrease between 2020 and 2021.
The sharpest increase in food insecurity affected households with incomes less than 200% of the federal poverty level. Of these households, 46.6% reported food insecurity in 2022, and 52.2% did so in 2023.
Income can be a factor in food insecurity, but it isn’t the sole determining factor. According to the brief, “some higher-income households report food insecurity, and some lower-income households remain food secure.”
Racialized identities and the presence of children are also factors in rising food insecurity rates. According to the report, Hispanic/Latinx families saw a more than 7% increase (38.7% from 33.1%) between 2022 and 2023. Food insecurity among Black households increased from 30.5% to 35.1% during the same time period.
For adults with children under 18 living with them, food insecurity increased from 26.7% in 2022 to 30.3% in 2023.
Food insecurity rates saw a significant decrease during the COVID-19 pandemic. In December 2020 and December 2021, the rates were 19.7% and 19.5% respectively. This was down from 22.5% in 2019. This increase in food security was in direct correlation to efforts of the U.S. government to mitigate food assistance programs during nationwide lockdowns.
The brief, complete with data and Urban Insitute’s methodology, can be found here.
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