Childhood food insecurity across America, mapped
Over 40% of children in some U.S. counties live in food-insecure households, per new estimates shared first with Axios from Feeding America, a nationwide network of food banks.
Why it matters: Potential cuts or changes to federal food aid programs like SNAP and tariffs on imported foods could affect millions of Americans and exacerbate the childhood hunger crisis.
By the numbers: Hancock County, Georgia (46.9%), Perry County, Alabama (46.8%), and Holmes County, Mississippi (46.2%) had the highest estimated childhood food insecurity rates as of 2023, per Feeding America's new Map the Meal Gap report.
The rate tends to be higher in relatively poor, rural counties — but there are urban areas with high rates as well, like New York's Bronx County (33.1%).
An estimated 14 million U.S. children overall live in food-insecure homes. That's about one out of every five kids.
How it works: Map the Meal Gap is an annual effort to make local estimates about food insecurity among different groups, in part by using government data.
The childhood food insecurity rate represents the share of children who live in food-insecure households, which lack or have uncertain access to adequate food.
See more about the methodology here.
The big picture: Childhood food insecurity is one piece of a broader hunger problem exacerbated by rising food costs.
The annual aggregate national food budget shortfall — meaning, the total amount of money people in food-insecure U.S. households need to buy enough food — rose from $28.5 billion in 2022 to $32.2 billion in 2023, up 8.4% inflation-adjusted.
What they're saying: " What we saw in 2023 was that for the third consecutive year, this reported need increased," Adam Dewey, research director at Feeding America, tells Axios of the food budget figures.
"It didn't increase by as much as we saw in 2022, but the fact that the level of need among the food-insecure population is increasing alongside the number of individuals who are experiencing food insecurity is a double whammy that is a concern."
What's next: As the school year nears its end, the perennial threat of "summer hunger" will once again be an issue for kids who rely on school meals to get enough to eat.
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