In 2024, 18.4 percent of households with children were affected by food insecurity

Parents often shield children from experiencing food insecurity, particularly very low food security, even when the parents themselves are food insecure. In 2024, 18.4 percent of households with children were food insecure. In about half of those food-insecure households with children, only the adults experienced food insecurity. But in 9.1 percent of households with children, both children and adults were food insecure sometime during the year. In 0.9 percent of U.S. households with children (318,000 households), both children and adults experienced instances of very low food security.