• Hunger and Poverty Statistics

    Poverty¹

    • In 2008, 39.8 million people (13.2%) were in poverty.
    • In 2008, 8.1 (10.3%) million families were in poverty.
    • In 2008, 22.1 million (11.7%) of people aged 18-64 were in poverty.
    • In 2008, 14 million (19%) children under the age of 18 were in poverty.
    • In 2008, 3.6 million (9.7%) seniors 65 and older were in poverty.

    Food Insecurity and Very Low Food Security²

    In 2008, 36 million Americans lived in food insecure households, 23 million adults and 12 million children.

    • In 2008, 49.1 million Americans lived in food insecure households, 32.4 million adults and 16.7 million children.
    • In 2008, 14.9% percent of households (17.1 million households) were food insecure, an increase from 11.2 percenter (13.0 million households) in 2007.
    • In 2008, 5.7 percent of households (6.7 million households) experienced very low food security, an increase from 4.1 percent in 2007.
    • In 2008, households with children reported food insecurity at almost double the rate for those without children, 21.0 percent compared to 11.3 percent.
    • In 2008, households that were more likely to experience food insecuity were households with children (21.0 percent), households with children headed by single women (37.2 percent) or single men (27.6 percent) households with incomes below the poverty line (42.2 percent, Black Non-Hispanic households (26.7 percent) and Hispanic households (26.9 percent).
    • In 2008, 8.1 percent of households with seniors (2.3 million households) were food insecure.

    Use of Emergency Food Assistance and Federal Food Assistance Programs

    • In 2008, 4.1 percent of all U.S. households (4.8 million households) accessed emergency food from a food pantry one or more times.²
    • In 2008, food insecure (low food security or very low food security) households were 13 times more likely than food-secure households to have obtained food from a food pantry.²
    • In 2008, food insecure (low food security or very low food security) households were 14 times more likely than food-secure households to have eaten a meal at an emergency kitchen.²
    • In 2008, 55 percent of food-insecure households participated in at least one of the three major Federal food assistance programs – Food Stamp Program, The National School Lunch Program, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).

    Top Eleven States in Prevalence of Food Insecurity, 2005-2007²

    MS 17.4 percent TX 16.3 percent AR 15.9 percent GA 14.2 percent
    NM 14.1 percent MS 14.0 percent OK 14.0 percent KS 13.8 percent
    ME 13.7 percent NC 13.7 percent

    ¹U.S. Census Bureau, ²U.S.D.A