The State of Senior Hunger in America in 2018

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’02 ’03 ’04 ’05 ’06 ’07 ’08 ’09 ’10 ’11 ’12 ’13 ’14 ’15 ’16 ’16 ’18’17

Percent Food Insecure Number Food Insecure

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Percent Food Insecure Number Food Insecure

As of 2018, more than 37 million people were food insecure,

which means having limited access to enough nutritious

food to live a healthy lifestyle.1 Food insecurity has negative

effects for individuals across the lifespan. For seniors, these

effects can be particularly problematic given the unique

health, economic, and nutritional challenges that can come

with aging. An estimated 7.3% of seniors age 60 and older,

or 5.3 million seniors overall, were food insecure in 2018.

The rate and number of food insecure seniors is essentially

unchanged from 2017.

However, the current rate of food insecurity among

seniors remains significantly elevated above the rate before

the Great Recession (6.3% in 2007), and the current number

of seniors who are food insecure is still more than double

the number in 2001 (2.3 million).

In 2020, the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

threatens the lives and livelihoods of people across the

country. Seniors are at higher risk for illness and may face

challenges accessing food amidst closures and social

distancing orders.2 The long-term effects of COVID-19 on

food insecurity remain to be seen, but due to the projected

growth of the senior population in the coming decades,

senior food insecurity is likely to remain a public health

challenge for years to come.

For the fourth consecutive year, Feeding America has

produced The State of Senior Hunger in America, an annual

report series authored by Dr. James P. Ziliak and Dr. Craig

Gundersen, in order to better understand food insecurity

among seniors, how it varies by different geographies, and

the circumstances and characteristics that may influence

or be influenced by the experience of food insecurity.

seniors are food insecure

5.3MILLION

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY RELEASED MAY 2020

TRENDS IN SENIOR FOOD INSECURITY

Senior Food Insecurity Varies by Geography

V T 5.5

M A 6.7

R I 6.1

C T 8.4

N J 4.8

D C 14.3

D E 5.0

M D 7.0

N H 4.3

5.0

6.1WA

5.0O R

10.7N V

7.5C A

8.0A Z 11.9

N M

6.0CO

7.2U T

3.2I D

5.0WY

4.4M T

2.9N D

2.8M N

5.6I A

4.0W I 7.8

M I

6.5M O

8.6I L

7.9I N

7.9O H

5.7PA

6.8N Y

7.8M E

WV

10.1

8.8A R

11.1L A

11.7M S

9.5A L

7.6G A

8.6S C

7.3 T N

9.9N C

6.9KY

4.8VA

8.2 F L

7.2S D

5.2N E

10.1KS

9.0O K

10.7T X

H I4.5

A K7.9

STATE-LEVELFOOD INSECURITY0-4.9%STATE-LEVELFOOD INSECURITY5-9.9%STATE-LEVELFOOD INSECURITY10%

2.8%MN

14.3%DC

TX

OKAR

LA

MS AL

TN

KY

WVVA

NC

SC

GA

FL

WA

OR

CA

NV

UT

ID

AZNM

CO

WY

MT

MN

ND

SD

NEIA

WI

IL IN

MI

OH

MOKS

ME

NY

PA

NH

MA

RI

CT

NJ

DE

MD

DC

6.4MIDWEST

6.2NORTHEAST

8.8SOUTH

6.7WEST

STATE-LEVEL SENIOR FOOD INSECURITY RATES IN 2018

Every state is home to seniors who experience food insecurity.

LOWEST/HIGHEST STATE SENIOR FOOD INSECURITY RATES

Senior food insecurity rates at the state

level range from 2.8% in Minnesota to

14.3% in Washington D.C.

REGIONAL SENIOR FOOD INSECURITY RATES

Seniors who live in states in the southern United States

are more likely to experience food insecurity: the average

senior food insecurity rate in the South is 8.8%, compared

to 6.7% for the next highest region, the West.

5 9.9% CA San Jose / Sunnyvale / Santa Clara

6 9.9% IN Indianapolis

7 9.8% FL Jacksonville

8 9.5% NC Raleigh

9 9.5% MO / IL St Louis

10 9.5% FL Orlando

11 9.5% OH Cleveland / Elyria / Mentor

12 9.4% TX San Antonio

13 9.3% CA Riverside / San Bernardino

14 9.0% TX Dallas / Fort Worth / Arlington

15 8.9% CA Los Angeles / Long Beach / Santa Ana

16 8.9% AL Birmingham / Hoover

17 8.6% FL Miami / Fort Lauderdale-Miami Beach

18 8.6% MD Baltimore / Towson

19 8.5% NY Buffalo / Niagara Falls

20 8.4% TX Houston / Baytown / Sugar Land

21 8.2% IN / IL / WI Chicago / Naperville / Joliet

22 8.0% TX Austin / Round Rock

23 7.8% NY New York / Northern New Jersey / Long Island

24 7.7% MO / KS Kansas City

25 7.7% MI Detroit / Warren / Livonia

26 7.5% AZ Phoenix / Mesa / Scottsdale

27 7.5% NC / SC Charlotte / Gastonia / Concord

28 7.4% OH / KY / IN Cincinnati / Middletown

29 7.3% NV Las Vegas / Paradise

30 7.1% GA Atlanta / Sandy Springs / Marietta

31 7.2% MA / RI Providence / Fall River / Warwick

32 7.0% OK Oklahoma City

33 6.9% FL Tampa / St. Petersburg / Clearwater

34 6.9% MA / NH Boston / Cambridge / Quincy

35 6.6% OH Columbus

36 6.4% UT Salt Lake City

37 6.4% CA Sacramento / Arden / Arcade / Roseville

38 6.1% CA San Francisco / Oakland / Fremont

39 6.1% OR / WA Portland / Vancouver / Beaverton

40 5.9% PA / NJ / DE Philadelphia / Camden / Wilmington

41 5.8% WI Milwaukee / Waukesha / West Allis

42 5.6% NY Rochester

43 5.5% VA Virginia Beach / Norfolk / Newport News

44 5.4% PA Pittsburgh

45 5.2% VA Richmond

5-9.9% METRO AREAFOOD INSECURITY

METRO AREAFOOD INSECURITY

1 15.6% TN / MS / AR Memphis

2 12.7% LA New Orleans / Metairie / Kenner

3 10.3% KY / IN Louisville

4 10.0% CT Hartford / West Hartford / East Hartford

10%

46 4.8% TN Nashville / Davidson / Murfreesboro

47 4.7% WA Seattle / Tacoma / Bellevue

48 4.7% CO Denver / Aurora

49 4.2% CA San Diego / Carlsbad / San Marcos

50 4.1% DC / VA / MD Washington / Arlington / Alexandria

51 2.5% MN / WI Minneapolis / St Paul / Bloomington

METRO AREAFOOD INSECURITY0-4.9%

V T

M A

R I

C T

N J

D C

D E

M D

N H

5.0

WA

O R

N V

C A

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CO

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WY

M T N D

M N

I A

W I

M I

M O

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PA

N Y

M E

WV

A R

L A

M SA L

G A

S C

T N

N C

KYVA

F L

S D

N E

KS

O K

T X

H I

A K

49

15 13

47

39

36

48

51

41

21

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50

Nationally, millions of seniors face food insecurity. One way to better understand the need is

through exploration of senior food insecurity rates across different geographies. To this end,

The State of Senior Hunger in America explores senior food insecurity for all 50 states and

the District of Columbia. Additionally, the report examines senior food insecurity rates for

the 51 metropolitan areas that have a population of more than 1 million people.

METRO-LEVEL SENIOR FOOD INSECURITY RATES IN 2018

Every metro area is home to seniors who experience food insecurity.

BELOW THE POVERTY LINE 29.5% BETWEEN 100% & 200% OF THE POVERTY LINE 17.3%

ABOVE 200% OF THE POVERTY LINE 2.7% INCOME NOT REPORTED 5.7%

INCOME

RENTER 18.1%

HOMEOWNER 4.9%

HOUSING

AGES 70-74 6.5% AGES 65-69 8.2%

AGES 60-64 9.6%

AGES 75-79 5.8% AGES 80 AND OLDER 4.1%

AGE

WHITE 6.2%

BLACK 15.1% OTHER 8.4%

RACE

WITH A DISABILITY 13.8% WITHOUT A DISABILITY 5.1%

DISABILITY

HISPANIC 14.8% NON-HISPANIC 6.5%

ETHNICITY

MALE 6.4%

FEMALE 8.1% GENDER

MARRIED 4.3%

WIDOWED 8.7%

NEVER MARRIED 13.9% DIVORCED or SEPARATED 14.3%

MARITAL STATUS

EMPLOYED 5.7%

UNEMPLOYED 21.3% RETIRED 4.4%

DISABLED 25.5% EMPLOYMENT STATUS

VETERAN 7.7% NOT A VETERAN 5.1%

VETERAN STATUS

NO GRANDCHILD PRESENT 6.9% GRANDCHILDREN PRESENT 16.2%

MULTI-GENERATIONAL HOUSEHOLDS

NON-METRO 8.4% METRO 7.1%

METRO LOCATION

FOOD INSECURITY RATES AMONG SENIORS ALSO VARY ACCORDING TO DEMOGRAPHIC AND SOCIOECONOMIC CATEGORIES.Percentages represent senior food insecurity rates by category.

INCOMEAs they age, many seniors experience decreased earnings and must rely on fixed incomes. For many seniors, this income stability can protect against food insecurity, but for others, having limited income can make it difficult to make ends meet. For instance, the average monthly Social Security benefit ($1,461.31 for retired workers) results in an annual income ($17,535) that is only somewhat higher than the federal poverty line ($12,140 for a single person in 2018).3,4

DISABILITYSeniors living with disabilities face unique challenges. As seniors age, they are likely to develop health problems and disabilities which can make traveling to stores, carrying groceries, and cooking more difficult.5 Seniors with disabilities are more likely to be food insecure than those without disabilities due to higher medical costs,6 and food insecurity can cause disabilities and chronic health conditions to worsen.

HOUSINGHousing is one of many costs that can be a strain for seniors with limited financial resources. Senior renters are more likely to be cost burdened—spending more than 30% of their incomes on housing—than seniors who are homeowners.7 For these seniors with limited funds remaining after rent is paid, the risk for food insecurity is high—senior renters are nearly four times more likely to be food insecure than senior homeowners.

RACE/ETHNICITYSeniors of racial or ethnic minority status tend to be at higher risk for experiencing food insecurity. Because of population size, the majority of the food-insecure senior population is White, but minority groups are disproportionately affected by food insecurity. Food insecurity among African American seniors is more than double the rate among White seniors, and food insecurity among Hispanic seniors is more than double the rate among non-Hispanic seniors.

MULTI-GENERATIONAL HOUSEHOLDSThe number of multi-generational households in the U.S. has increased in recent decades, and today one in five Americans live in a multi-generational household.8 While this type of household structure can yield many positive benefits, seniors who reside with a grandchild experience food insecurity at more than twice the rate of seniors in households where there is no grandchild present. Children are typically shielded from food insecurity by adults in the household, so seniors may ensure the food security of their grandchildren at the expense of their own dietary needs as they deal with the stress of caregiving responsibilities and stretch already-limited financial resources.9

ImplicationsThe State of Senior Hunger in America sheds light on the

extent to which food insecurity affects seniors age 60

and older in the United States, offering deeper insights

into the experience of food insecurity among the aging

population. After a lifetime of working and raising

families, 5.3 million seniors struggle to access enough

food. Food-insecure seniors live in communities across

the country, including all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

The State of Senior Hunger also finds that food insecurity

disproportionately affects certain seniors, including those

who have lower incomes, who are disabled, who belong

to racial or ethnic minority groups, who are younger, and

who live with grandchildren.

Federal nutrition assistance programs, such as the

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP),

serve as the first line of defense against hunger for

people of all ages, including seniors. However, not every

senior who is food insecure is eligible to receive these

federal programs. Among seniors who do meet eligibility

requirements, participation rates are lower than the

overall population, which may be due to misconceptions

about eligibility, limited benefit amounts, the perceived

difficulty of application or recertification, and attitudes

towards government assistance.

As a result, the charitable sector is an important source

of food for many individuals and families at risk of hunger

across the country. Feeding America and its network of

200 food banks serve millions of seniors annually through

a variety of programs that range from traditional pantry

programs to specialized meal and grocery programs

designed to address the unique needs of seniors.

Given the scope and scale of the issue, along with the

anticipated growth of the senior population in the coming

decades, it is important that policymakers strengthen

the existing safety net of public food programs as well as

invest in public-private partnerships in order to reduce

food insecurity and end hunger in America.

ABOUT THIS STUDY

The 2020 release of The State of Senior Hunger study includes two reports authored by

Dr. James P. Ziliak and Dr. Craig Gundersen. This executive summary is based on analyses

within the first report, The State of Senior Hunger in America in 2018, and a separate summary

focuses on analyses within the second report, Hunger Among Adults Age 50-59 in 2018.

All reports and references can be found at FeedingAmerica.org/StateOfSeniorHunger.

The following Feeding America staff contributed to the development of this report:

Production of The State of Senior Hunger in America report and accompanying materials

is generously underwritten by the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation.

Hollie Baker-Lutz

Bria M. Berger

Christine Feiner

Angela Gallagher

Monica Hake

Lauren Lapinski

Rose Saltalamacchia

Hanna Selekman

Morgan Smith

Zuani Villarreal