Prevalence of food insecurity varies from State to State

Food insecure households are unable, at times during the year, to put adequate food on the table. Prevalence rates of food insecurity varied considerably from State to State. Data for 3 years, 2007-09, were combined to provide more reliable statistics at the State level. Estimated prevalence rates of food insecurity during this 3-year period ranged from 6.7 percent in North Dakota to 17.7 percent in Arkansas. The U.S. rate of food insecurity for this period was 13.5 percent. This chart was originally published in Food Security in the United States on the ERS website in November 2010.