By the Numbers: A Closer Look at California’s Food Insecurity and Poverty

By Sarah Palmer DeFrank
CAFB Policy Associate

New data released by the USDA and the Census show that too many of California’s children and families are living in poverty and experiencing food insecurity, highlighting the critical need to protect the programs proven to mitigate hunger and poverty in our state.

Food Insecurity

According to new food insecurity data released this month by the USDA, California is among the top 5 food insecure states in the nation, with 13.5% of households reporting food insecurity—defined as having limited or uncertain access to adequate nutritious food–and 5.1% reporting very low food insecurity.

While new data reveal a slight improvement from Great Recession highs, the data are still worse than 10 years prior, wherein 12.4% of families reported being food insecure and 3.9% reported being very low food insecure.

Nationally, the statistics are more dire—nearly 1 in 4 households with children face hunger and rural households display higher rates of hunger than urban areas.

You can see how California compares to other states here, or read the full Household Food Security in the United States in 2014 report.

Poverty

The Census recently released updated poverty statistics about California, confirming what so many of our clients, neighbors, and fellow Californians have been experiencing: while parts of our economy may be recovering, many continue to struggle with real poverty and its related challenges.

More than 2 million California kids are living in poverty—that’s nearly 1 in 4! And with one in six Californians living in poverty, it’s clear that we need a strong safety net to ensure that no one goes hungry. Programs such as SNAP, which lifted 4.7 million people out of poverty last year, are essential to our work.

Get more information on all Californians, and find child poverty statistics.