Key Facts & Statistics

The annual Household Food Insecurity Report is compiled, analyzed, and published each fall by the USDA. The report is based on the previous year’s data. The most current report was published in late 2025 and features data from 2024. The current administration has declined to author and publish these reports moving forward, which will impact our ability to accurately assess, report on, and address food insecurity across the country.

Washington Statistics

Poverty:

• In 2024, 9.9% of Washington’s population lived below the poverty line. This was a slight decrease from the previous year, when about 10.3% 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.

[source: Washington State Budget & Policy Center, HealhCare.gov]

In 2024, in across Washington:

• White individuals accounted for 63% of the population and 9% reported living below poverty.
• Hispanic individuals accounted for 15% of the population and 16% reported living below poverty.
• Black individuals accounted for 4.8% of the population and 15% reported living below poverty.
• Asian individuals accounted for 11.5% of the population and 7% reported living below poverty.
• American Indian and Alaska Native individuals accounted for 0.9% of the population and 19% reported living below poverty.

[source: U.S. Census, Economic Opportunity Institute]

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.
  • The 2024 rate of food insecurity in WA state was 11% (statistically significant difference from the US average).
    • Average 2022-2024: 11%
    • Average 2019-2021: 7.9%
    • Average 2012-2014: 13.7%

[source: USDA Household Food Security Report]

• 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) 

[source: RSJI]

• Among the 2024 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. 

• • When asked which bills and expenses were hard to afford, WAFOOD5 households most commonly selected groceries and housing. 
  • 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. 
  • 6% of food insecure households reported eviction/foreclosure in the past year compared 0.4% of food secure households. 

• As of 2025, Washington is ranked 10th in the United States for its economic performance.
• According to a 2026 report by WalletHub, Washington ranked 3rd in the country in economic activity, 16th in economic health, and 2nd in innovation potential.

National Statistics:

Poverty

In 2024 across the United States:

• White individuals accounted for 57.5% of the population and 7.6% reported living below poverty.
• Hispanic individuals accounted for 20% of the population and 15.0% reported living below poverty.
• Black individuals accounted for 13.7% of the population and 18.4% reported living below poverty.
• Asian individuals accounted for 6.7% of the population and 7.5% reported living below poverty.
• American Indian and Alaska Native individuals accounted for 0.3% of the population and 19.3% reported living below poverty.
• People of two or more races accounted for 3.1% of the population and 13.3% reported living below poverty.

[source: U.S. Census 1 & 2]

Food Insecurity:

According to the USDA’s 2024 Household Food Security report:

• Food insecurity means that households were, at times, unable to acquire adequate food for one or more household members because they had insufficient money and other resources for food. Very low food security means that households were food insecure to the extent that the eating patterns of one or more household members were disrupted and their food intake reduced, at least some time during the year, because they could not afford enough food.
• Low-income, food-insecure households spent less on food, purchased fewer calories overall, and had lower nutritional quality food purchases than low-income, food-secure households according to the USDA’s National Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey data (Gregory et al., 2019).
• The 2024 rate of food insecurity in the United States was 13.7% (47.9 million individuals).
  • 13.5% in 2023
  • 12.8% in 2022
• 5.4% of households had very low food security.
  • 5.1% in 2023 and 2022
• 9.1% of households with children experienced food insecurity.
• The prevalence of food insecurity between 2022 and 2024 coincides with food price inflation that began to surge in 2022.
• Rates of food insecurity in 2024 were statistically significantly higher than the national average (13.7%) for the following groups:
  • All households with children (18.4%)
  • Households with children under age 6 (17.8%)
  • Households with children headed by a single mother (36.8%) or a single father (23.8%)
  • Other households with children (23.8%)
  • Women living alone (16.2%)
  • Households with Black, non-Hispanic (24.4%) and Hispanic (20.2%) household reference persons
  • Households with incomes below 100% of the poverty threshold (39.4%), 130% of the poverty threshold (38.3%), and 185% of the poverty threshold (32.8%)
  • Households in principal cities (16%) and rural areas (15.9%).
• In 2024, the typical U.S. household:
  • spent $75.00 per person, per week for food.
  • spent 18% more on food than the cost of the Thrifty Food Plan for that household.
    • “The USDA defines the Thrifty Food Plan as the ‘national standard for a nutritious diet at a minimal cost.’ It’s an outline for the cheapest nutritious diet possible for a family to live on. USDA uses this as a basis for how much the maximum monthly SNAP benefit should be (source).”
• About 58.9% of food-insecure households reported receiving assistance from one or more of the three largest Federal food and nutrition assistance programs* during the month before the December 2024 food security survey.
  • *SNAP, free/reduced price school lunch from the National School Lunch Program, and WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children)
• About 43.4% of food-insecure households participated in SNAP. Children in 29.2% of food-insecure households received free or reduced-price school lunches. An estimated 7.9% of food-insecure households received WIC benefits.
• An estimated 59% of households classified as having very low food security reported participating in one or more of the three largest Federal food and nutrition assistance programs, with the largest share (47.3%) participating in SNAP. Some food-insecure households may not be eligible for these programs, may choose not to participate, or may underreport using these programs.