Prevalence of food insecurity in households with children varies across States

Food-insecure households are those that are unable at times during the year to acquire adequate food because they lack sufficient money and other resources. Food security is especially important for children because their diet quality affects not only their current health, but also their development and future well-being. Food-insecurity rates for households with children can differ across States due the characteristics of their populations and to State-level economic conditions. The prevalence of food insecurity in households with children ranged from a low of almost 11 percent in New Hampshire to a high of about 24 percent in Texas. (Data from nine national surveys conducted in December of each year in 2003-11 were combined to provide reliable State-level estimates.) The prevalence of food insecurity in households with children was below the national average (18.3 percent) in 19 States, above the national average in 14 States and the District of Columbia, and near the national average in 17 States. This chart appears in Food Insecurity in Households with Children: Prevalence, Severity, and Household Characteristics, 2010-11, EIB-113, released May 30, 2013.

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