This page provides the following information:
Food Security Status
of U.S. Households in 2011
Food secure--These households had access, at
all times, to enough food for an active, healthy life for all
household members.
- 85.1 percent (101.6 million) of U.S. households were food
secure throughout 2011.
- Essentially unchanged from 85.5 percent in 2010.
Download chart data in
Excel format
Food insecure--At times during the year, these
households were uncertain of having, or unable to acquire, enough
food to meet the needs of all their members because they had
insufficient money or other resources for food. Food-insecure
households include those with low food security and
very low food security.
- 14.9 percent (17.9 million) of U.S. households were food
insecure at some time during 2011.
- Essentially unchanged from 14.5 percent in 2010.
Low food security--These food-insecure
households obtained enough food to avoid substantially disrupting
their eating patterns or reducing food intake by using a variety of
coping strategies, such as eating less varied diets, participating
in Federal food assistance programs, or getting emergency food from
community food pantries.
- 9.2 percent (11.0 million) of U.S. households had low food
security in 2011.
- Essentially unchanged from 9.1 percent in 2010.
Very low food security--In these food-insecure
households, normal eating patterns of one or more household members
were disrupted and food intake was reduced at times during the year
because they had insufficient money or other resources for food. In
reports prior to 2006, these households were described as "food
insecure with hunger." For a description of the change in food
security labels, see Food Security in the U.S.:
Definitions of Food Security.
- 5.7 percent (6.8 million) of U.S. households had very low food
security at some time during 2011.
- Up from 5.4 percent in 2010.
Food Security Status of
U.S. Households with Children in 2011
Among U.S. households with children under age 18:
- 79.4 percent were food secure in 2011.
- In 10.6 percent of households with children, only adults were
food insecure.
- Both children and adults were food insecure in 10.0 percent of
households with children (3.9 million households).
- In about 1.0 percent of households with children (374,000
households), one or more child also experienced reduced food intake
and disrupted eating patterns at some time during the year.
Download chart data in
Excel format
For more information, see the ERS report, Food Insecurity in
Households with Children: Prevalence, Severity, and
Characteristics.
How Many People Lived in
Food-Insecure Households?
In 2011:
- 50.1 million people lived in food-insecure households.
- 12.1 million adults lived in households with very low food
security.
- 8.6 million children lived in food-insecure households in which
children, along with adults, were food insecure. However, children are
usually protected from substantial reductions in food intake even
in households with very low food security. In 2011, 845,000
children (1.1 percent of the Nation's children) lived in households
with very low food security among children.
For more information, see Food Insecurity in the U.S.:
Frequency of Food Insecurity.
Food Insecurity
by Household Type
The prevalence of food insecurity varied considerably among
household types. Rates of food insecurity were higher than the
national average (14.9 percent) for the following groups:
- All households with children (20.6 percent),
- Households with children under age 6 (21.9 percent),
- Households with children headed by a single woman (36.8
percent),
- Households with children headed by a single man (24.9
percent),
- Black, non-Hispanic households (25.1 percent),
- Hispanic households (26.2 percent), and
- Low-income households with incomes below 185 percent of the
poverty threshold (34.5 percent; the Federal poverty line was
$22,811 for a family of four in 2011).
Download chart data in
Excel format
- Overall, households with children had a substantially higher
rate of food insecurity (20.6 percent) than those without children
(12.2 percent). Among households with children, married-couple
families had the lowest rate of food insecurity (13.9
percent).
- The prevalence of food insecurity was highest for households
located in principal cities of metropolitan areas (17.7 percent),
intermediate for those in nonmetropolitan areas (15.4 percent) and
lowest in suburban and other metropolitan areas outside principal
cities (13.2 percent).
- Regionally, the food insecurity rate was higher in the South
(16.0 percent) and West (15.8 percent) than in the Midwest (13.5
percent) and Northeast (13.5 percent).
Very Low Food Security by
Household Type
The prevalence of very low food security in various types of
households followed a pattern similar to that observed for food
insecurity overall. Very low food security was more prevalent than
the national average (5.7 percent) for the following groups:
- Households with children headed by a single woman (11.5
percent),
- Households with children headed by a single man (7.5
percent),
- Women living alone (7.9 percent) and men living alone (8.0
percent),
- Black, non-Hispanic households (10.5 percent),
- Hispanic households (8.3 percent),
- Households with incomes below 185 percent of the poverty line
(14.2 percent), and
- Households located in principal cities of metropolitan areas
(6.8 percent).
Download chart data in Excel
format
Trends in Prevalence
Rates
The prevalence of food insecurity declined from 11.9 percent of
households in 2004 to 11.0 percent in 2005 and remained near that
level until 2007. In 2008, the prevalence of food insecurity
increased to 14.6 percent of households and was essentially
unchanged at that level through 2011 (14.9 percent). The prevalence
of very low food security remained essentially unchanged from 2004
(3.9 percent) to 2007 (4.1 percent), then increased to 5.7 percent
in 2008, remained at 5.7 percent in 2009, declined to 5.4 percent
in 2010, and returned to 5.7 percent in 2011.
The year-to-year deviations from a consistent downward trend
between 1995 and 2000 include a substantial 2-year cycle that is
believed to result from seasonal effects on food security
prevalence rates. The CPS food security surveys over this period
were conducted in April in odd-numbered years and August or
September in even-numbered years. Measured prevalence of food
insecurity was higher in the August/September collections,
suggesting a seasonal-response effect. In 2001 and later years, the
surveys were conducted in early December, which avoids seasonality
effects in interpreting annual changes.
Download chart data in Excel
format
State-Level Prevalence of Food
Insecurity
Prevalence rates of food insecurity varied considerably from
State to State. Data for 3 years, 2009-11, were combined to provide
more reliable statistics at the State level. Estimated prevalence
rates of food insecurity during this 3-year period ranged from 7.8
percent in North Dakota to 19.2 percent in Arkansas and
Mississippi; estimated prevalence rates of very low food security
ranged from 3.1 percent in North Dakota to 7.6 percent in
Arkansas.
Download chart data in
Excel format
This section is based on the publication Household Food Security in
the United States in 2011.