A new report by the USDA Economic Research Service highlights the prevalence of food insecurity in households with children and the characteristics of food insecure households. Findings from the report include:

• 15.8% of households with children were food insecure in 2007 — about 6.2 million households.  In about half of these households, only adults were food insecure.  In the other half, one or more children were food insecure.

 

• Children experienced very low food security in 0.8% of all households with children.
• Most food insecure households with children had an adult in the labor force (85%).  In 70% of food insecure households with children one or more adults worked full time.
• Fewer than half of food insecure households with children included an adult with education beyond high school, and less than 10% included an adult with a 4-year college degree.
• Food insecurity was twice as common in households with children that had income less than 185% of the Federal poverty line, compared to all households with children.
• Food insecurity among children was about three times as prevalent in households headed by a single woman, compared to married couple households.  About half of households with food insecurity among children were headed by a single woman, as were 54% of households with very low food security among children.
• Food insecurity among children was about twice as prevalent among households headed by Black and Hispanic persons, compared to households headed by non-Hispanic Whites.  However, because they make up a larger share of the population, the majority of households with low food security among children were headed by non-Hispanic Whites.  Households with very low food security among children were almost equally divided amongst White non-Hispanic, Black non-Hispanic and Hispanic households.
• About one-quarter of households with incomes below the Federal poverty line had experienced food insecurity among children.  These households made up 42% of households with food insecurity among children, and 44% of households with very low food security among children.
• Food insecurity among households with children was higher in the South.
• Taking into account margins of error due to sampling variation, the prevalence of food insecurity among households with children was above the national average in 13 states and the District of Columbia (Texas, New Mexico, Arkansas, Mississippi, Idaho, Oklahoma, District of Columbia, Arizona, Oregon, North Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Georgia, California).

 

http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/EIB56/