Key Facts & Statistics

Washington Statistics

In 2024, in Washington State:

• White individuals accounted for 76.3% of the total population and only 8.8% of people living below the poverty line. 

• Hispanic individuals accounted for 14.6% of the total population and 14.9% of people in poverty. 

• Black individuals accounted for 4.7% of the total population and 17.9% of people in poverty. 

• Asian individuals accounted for 10.8% of the total population and 7.3% of the people in poverty.  

• American Indian and Alaska Native individuals were 2% of the total population and 20.5% of the poverty population. 

• Individuals of two or more races accounted for 5.4% of the total population and 11.7% of the poverty population. 

Poverty:

• In 2023, 10.3% of Washington’s population lived below the poverty line. This was a slight increase from the previous year, when about 9.9% of the state’s population lived below the poverty line.
  • Poverty line: An economic measure that determines if an individual or family is eligible for certain federal programs and benefits. Federal poverty level (FPL) is issued yearly by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and applies to the 48 contiguous states.
• The number of children living in poverty in Washington has nearly tripled, increasing from about 64,000 in 2021 to nearly 186,500 in 2022. According to experts, this rise resulted from the expiration of the federal Child Tax Credit, other pandemic supports, and record inflation.

Food Insecurity:

• Food insecurity is an economic and social condition where someone’s access to food is limited or uncertain. It differs from hunger in that hunger is a physiological feeling, though hunger is often a result of food insecurity.
• Food insecurity is a complex problem. Many families facing food insecurity are also negatively impacted by structural racism, unaffordable housing, high medical costs and low wages.
• Rates of food insecurity are calculated by the percentage of households unable to provide adequate food for one or more household members due to lack of resources.
• Across Washington, an average of 9.5% of households faced food insecurity between 2021 and 2023.
  • Among households with children in 2022-2023, 24.5% experienced food insecurity. The last time more children experienced food insecurity was in 2014.

• Food insecurity disproportionately impacts communities who are statistically more likely to be renters or face housing instability. 80% of WAFOOD5 survey respondents who had housing situations other than owning or renting were food insecure. (https://foodsystems.uw.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/WAFOOD_Brief16_20250212-1.pdf) 

• Many low-income households pay more than 50% of their incomes to rent. Rent increases are forcing vulnerable populations like seniors, single parents, and veterans to grapple with impossible choices between paying the rent, or paying for medication, food and other basic needs. (https://www.wliha.org/2023-public-policy-priorities/pass-bills-stabilize-rent-increases-and-prevent-rent-gouging) 

• Poverty can cause food insecurity, but food insecurity can also cause poverty. A person that is food insecure has less energy for education and work, which can lead to financial instability, housing instability, health issues, and more. (https://www.seattle.gov/rsji/racial-equity-research/food-insecurity) 

• Local surveys tell us that Black and Hispanic/Latine households are two times more likely than white households to experience food insecurity in King County. (https://www.seattle.gov/rsji/racial-equity-research/food-insecurity#fooddeserts) 

• Among the WAFOOD5 sample, which over-sampled households with lower incomes, food insecurity remained high with over half of households experiencing food insecurity. Food insecurity was higher in households with respondents identifying as Black (77%) or Hispanic (70%), households with children (68%), households with incomes <$15,000K (82%), and renters (61%). Food assistance use was high across the state, with more than half of respondents (55%) using at least one type of food assistance in the past month. (https://foodsystems.uw.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/WAFOOD_Brief16_20250212-1.pdf) 

• When asked which bills and expenses were hard to afford, WAFOOD5 households most commonly selected groceries and housing. (https://foodsystems.uw.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/WAFOOD_Brief16_20250212-1.pdf) 

• When asked about their single biggest financial concern, respondents most commonly answered rent/mortgage, food, and medical bills/medicine.  
  • Financial concerns also differed by household urbanicity. For example, 34% of urban households and 23% of rural households rated rent/mortgage as their biggest financial concern. (https://foodsystems.uw.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/WAFOOD_Brief16_20250212-1.pdf) 

• 6% of food insecure households reported eviction/foreclosure in the past year compared 0.4% of food secure households. 

• As of 2024, Washington is ranked 8th in the United States for its economic performance. 

• According to a 2024 report by WalletHub, Washington ranked 1st in the country in economic activity, 15th in economic health, and 2nd in innovation potential. 

• Washington ranks 7th in the country for lowest food insecurity rates. 

National Statistics:

Food Security:

• The childhood poverty rate in 2023 was 13.7%, an increase of 1.3% from the previous year.  

• The 2023 national rate of food insecurity – 13.5% – was significantly higher than the 2022 rate of 12.8%.  

• In 2023, children were food insecure in 8.9% of U.S. households with children (3.2 million households), statistically similar to the 8.8% (3.3 million households) in 2022, but up from both 6.2% (2.3 million households) in 2021 and 7.6% (2.9 million households) in 2020. 

• In 2023, about 58% of food-insecure households participated in one or more of the three largest Federal nutrition assistance programs: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); and the National School Lunch Program. 

• In 2023, 17.9% 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 8.9% of households with children, both children and adults were food insecure sometime during the year. 
  • Many parents often prioritize providing meals for their children even when the parents themselves are skipping meals. Adults will forgo their own nutritional needs to satisfy the needs of their children. 

• Rates of food insecurity in 2023 were significantly higher than the national average of 13.5% for single-parent households, women living alone, Black and Hispanic households, and households in principal cities and rural areas. 

• In 2023, 37% of individuals experiencing food insecurity (14.5 million people) lived in a household that had difficulty making ends meet but also had an income level that was too high to qualify for SNAP. For these families, the emergency food system is a necessity.  

Rates of Food Insecurity:

Rates were higher than the national average (13.5%) for the following groups:

• All households with children (17.9%)
• Households with children headed by a single female (34.7%) or a single male (22.6%)
• Women living alone (15.1%)
• Black households (23.3%) and Hispanic households (21.9%) – both more than double the rate of white households (9.9%)
• Households in principal cities (15.9%) and rural areas (15.4%) 
• Households in the South (14.7%) 

Because food insecurity is related to a lack of economic resources, the prevalence of food insecurity is higher among those households with incomes below the Federal poverty level. However, poverty rates vary among different racial and ethnic groups in the United States.