Prevalence of U.S. household food insecurity increased in 2023

In 2023, 13.5 percent of U.S. households (18.0 million households) were food insecure at some time during the year, meaning they had difficulty providing enough food for all their members because of a lack of resources. The prevalence of food insecurity in 2023 was statistically significantly higher than the 12.8 percent recorded in 2022. USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) monitors the food security status of households in the United States through an annual nationwide survey. Very low food security is a more severe form of food insecurity in which the food intake of some household members was reduced and normal eating patterns were disrupted sometime during the year. The 2023 prevalence of very low food security among households was 5.1 percent (6.8 million households), unchanged from the 5.1 percent in 2022. This chart appears on the ERS Key Statistics & Graphics page and in the ERS report Household Food Security in the United States in 2023, published September 4, 2024.

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