{"id":3367,"date":"2016-09-21T19:00:35","date_gmt":"2016-09-21T19:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/2016\/09\/21\/new-poverty-data-a-closer-look-at-californias-food-insecurity-and-poverty\/"},"modified":"2016-09-21T19:00:35","modified_gmt":"2016-09-21T19:00:35","slug":"new-poverty-data-a-closer-look-at-californias-food-insecurity-and-poverty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cafoodbanks.org\/es\/blog\/new-poverty-data-a-closer-look-at-californias-food-insecurity-and-poverty\/","title":{"rendered":"New Poverty Data: A Closer Look at California\u2019s Food Insecurity and Poverty"},"content":{"rendered":"

The release of annual hunger and poverty data highlights both information we can celebrate and glaring reminders that there is much more to do.<\/p>\n

Hunger in America & California<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nationally, the number of individuals experiencing food insecurity is declining, but still above prerecession levels. More than 42 million Americans live in households struggling against hunger (USDA<\/a>). Rates of food hardship are higher among households with children (19.2%) than households without children (14.2%; FRAC<\/a>).California ranked 32nd<\/sup> in the nation with a household food insecurity rate of 12.6 percent, or 1 in 8 households (FRAC<\/a>). This is an improvement from California\u2019s previous rate of 15 percent, or 1 in 7 households.<\/p>\n

Both metropolitan and rural poverty remain high with only a minor recovery (CBPP<\/a>), showing that the effects of poverty are felt across our nation no matter what the zip code. This is confirmed by data on food hardship in Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) that show two of California\u2019s (and the nation\u2019s) most important agricultural hubs\u2013 Bakersfield and Fresno \u2013 are fraught with the highest food hardship rates in the country. MSAs are not just cities but also include \u201cthe surrounding counties with strong economic and social ties to the central cities\u201d (FRAC<\/a>).<\/p>\n

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Top 20 MSAs with Worst Food Hardship<\/em> (FRAC<\/a>)<\/p>\n

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Measuring Poverty: the Supplemental vs. the Official Poverty Measure <\/strong><\/p>\n

The US Census Supplemental Poverty Measure<\/a> is increasingly used in anti-hunger and poverty conversations as it is seen as a more accurate measure of poverty than the official measure because it considers both the local cost of living and social safety net program benefits in calculating poverty (Census SPM<\/a>). The official poverty measure, by contrast, bases the poverty threshold on a simple calculation of a three times the cost of a basic food diet for a household in 1963, updated for inflation, and does not vary by locality.<\/p>\n

The most recent Supplemental Poverty Measure data covering the 2013-15, found nearly 8 million Californians\u2014or 20.6 percent of the state\u2019s residents\u2014are living in poverty. This is far higher than the 15.3 percent as measured by the Official Measure.<\/p>\n

The graph below illustrates the effects of social safety net programs on poverty level for key age groups. Nationwide, SNAP (CalFresh in CA) alone lifted 4.6 million families out of poverty in 2015. This underscores the importance of linking every eligible household with CalFresh, WIC, Free and Reduced Lunch and other programs help to alleviate poverty.<\/p>\n

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Oficina del Censo de EE.UU<\/em><\/p>\n

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When viewed over time, comparing the SPM to the Official Measure captures the anti-poverty effects social safety net programs have had on key populations such as children (4 percent reduction) and seniors (5 percent) during the Great Recession. This is the case even as both surveys have changed how they ask Americans about their income during this time.<\/p>\n

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Oficina del Censo de EE.UU<\/em><\/p>\n

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Finally, the new poverty data reveal the racial and ethnic inequities in the disproportionate rates of poverty among children. The graphic below shows dramatically higher rates of child poverty among Black and Latino children as compared to White children, and also higher rates of poverty among young women than young men.<\/p>\n

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National Poverty Infographic<\/em> (CLASP<\/a>)<\/p>\n

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Here in California, children of color disproportionally experience poverty and hardship:<\/p>\n