Prevalence of food insecurity varies by State

USDA monitors the extent and severity of food insecurity in U.S. households for the Nation and for States. Food-insecure households had difficulty at some time during the year providing enough food for all their members due to a lack of resources. Prevalence rates of food insecurity varied considerably from State to State. Data for 3 years, 2010-12, were combined to provide more reliable statistics at the State level. Estimated prevalence rates of food insecurity during this 3-year period ranged from 8.7 percent in North Dakota to 20.9 percent in Mississippi. Taking into account margins of error of the State and U.S. estimates, the prevalence of food insecurity was higher than the national average of 14.7 percent in 10 States and lower than the national average in 16 States and the District of Columbia. In the remaining 24 States, differences from the national average were not statistically significant. This map is from the Food Security in the U.S. topic page on the ERS website.

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