Household food insecurity differed sharply by income in the United States during 2024. The USDA reported that 13.7% of all U.S. households were food insecure at some time during the year, representing an estimated 18.340 million households. The figures below show how that annual measure changed across income-to-poverty groups and how it compared with food insecurity during a specific 30-day period.
Table of contents
- How income is measured
- Annual food insecurity by income
- Severity and household counts
- Households with children
- Thirty-day food insecurity
- How to read the measures
How household income is measured in food insecurity statistics
The USDA compares household income with the Federal poverty line. For 2024, the poverty line used for a family of four consisting of two adults and two children was $31,812. This threshold provides a reference point for the income bands used in the household food security estimates.
The income categories are cumulative thresholds: below 100% of the Federal poverty line, below 130%, below 185%, and at or above 185%. They are not four separate income brackets with no overlap. For example, a household below 100% is also below 130% and below 185%. That distinction matters when comparing the percentages.
The USDA’s annual national estimate divides food insecurity into low food security and very low food security. In 2024, 8.3% of households were classified as having low food security and 5.4% as having very low food security within the national food-insecure estimate. Overall, 13.7% of U.S. households experienced food insecurity at some time during 2024. These figures are from Household Food Security in the United States in 2024 by the USDA Economic Research Service (USDA ERS report).
Annual household food insecurity by income-to-poverty ratio
The annual figures show a strong relationship between income and food security. Among households below 100% of the Federal poverty line, 60.6% were food secure throughout 2024, while 39.4% were food insecure. Within this group, 21.8% had low food security and 17.6% had very low food security.
Among households below 130% of the Federal poverty line, 61.7% were food secure throughout the year. The food-insecure share was 38.3%, including 22.1% with low food security and 16.2% with very low food security.
The annual pattern continued at the below-185% threshold. In this group, 67.2% of households were food secure throughout 2024, and 32.8% were food insecure. Low food security accounted for 19.4%, while very low food security accounted for 13.4%.
The contrast with households at or above 185% of the Federal poverty line was substantial. In that group, 92.1% were food secure throughout 2024 and 7.9% were food insecure. The breakdown was 4.9% with low food security and 3.0% with very low food security.
| Household income measure | Food secure throughout 2024 | Food insecure | Low food security | Very low food security |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Below 100% of poverty line | 60.6% | 39.4% | 21.8% | 17.6% |
| Below 130% of poverty line | 61.7% | 38.3% | 22.1% | 16.2% |
| Below 185% of poverty line | 67.2% | 32.8% | 19.4% | 13.4% |
| At or above 185% of poverty line | 92.1% | 7.9% | 4.9% | 3.0% |
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Household Food Security in the United States in 2024 (report). Percentages describe households in the named income-to-poverty group during 2024.
Very low food security and food insecurity severity by income
Percentages show prevalence, while household counts show the estimated number of households in each severity category. Among households below 100% of the Federal poverty line, 2.526 million had low food security in 2024 and 2.031 million had very low food security.
Among households below 130% of the Federal poverty line, 3.692 million had low food security and 2.718 million had very low food security. At the below-185% threshold, the corresponding counts were 5.465 million households with low food security and 3.754 million with very low food security.
Households at or above 185% of the Federal poverty line also included households in both severity categories. The USDA estimated 3.876 million households in this group had low food security and 2.343 million had very low food security during 2024.
These counts should be read with the income definitions attached. The below-185% group includes the lower-income groups, and the at-or-above-185% group is separate from it. The counts therefore describe the USDA’s named populations rather than independent additions across every threshold.
The income pattern is also visible in severity percentages. Very low food security affected 17.6% of households below 100% of the poverty line, compared with 16.2% below 130%, 13.4% below 185%, and 3.0% at or above 185%. Low food security ranged from 22.1% to 21.8% in the two lowest cumulative groups, was 19.4% below 185%, and was 4.9% at or above 185%.
Food insecurity by income among households with children
Households with children had their own income-related pattern in the 2024 USDA estimates. Among households with children below 100% of the Federal poverty line, 55.9% were food secure and 44.1% were food insecure. In this group, 24.4% had food-insecure children, and 3.7% had very low food security among children.
Among households with children below 130% of the Federal poverty line, 56.7% were food secure and 43.3% were food insecure. Food-insecure children were reported in 23.4% of these households, while 3.2% had very low food security among children.
At the below-185% threshold, 61.7% of households with children were food secure and 38.3% were food insecure. The share with food-insecure children was 20.0%, and the share with very low food security among children was 2.6%.
For households with children at or above 185% of the Federal poverty line, 90.2% were food secure and 9.8% were food insecure. Food-insecure children were present in 4.3% of these households.
| Households with children | Food secure | Food insecure | Food-insecure children | Very low food security among children |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Below 100% of poverty line | 55.9% | 44.1% | 24.4% | 3.7% |
| Below 130% of poverty line | 56.7% | 43.3% | 23.4% | 3.2% |
| Below 185% of poverty line | 61.7% | 38.3% | 20.0% | 2.6% |
| At or above 185% of poverty line | 90.2% | 9.8% | 4.3% | Not reported in supplied measure |
The USDA also reported that 6.9% of households with children whose income was unknown had food-insecure children in 2024. This is a separate unknown-income category, not an additional poverty-line group. These child-household figures come from the USDA ERS 2024 report (Household Food Security in the United States in 2024).
Thirty-day household food insecurity by income
Annual food insecurity records whether food insecurity occurred at some time during 2024. A separate USDA statistical supplement measured the 30 days before the December 8–18, 2024 survey, covering mid-November to mid-December 2024. The shorter period gives a snapshot rather than an annual estimate.
During those 30 days, 24.3% of households below 100% of the Federal poverty line were food insecure. Low food security affected 13.3%, and very low food security affected 11.0%.
For households below 130% of the poverty line, 23.2% were food insecure during the same 30-day period. The shares with low and very low food security were 13.4% and 9.8%, respectively.
Among households below 185%, 19.4% were food insecure, including 11.4% with low food security and 8.0% with very low food security.
The 30-day food-insecurity rate was 4.1% among households at or above 185% of the Federal poverty line. Low food security accounted for 2.5%, and very low food security accounted for 1.6%.
| Household income measure | Food insecure in prior 30 days | Low food security | Very low food security |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below 100% of poverty line | 24.3% | 13.3% | 11.0% |
| Below 130% of poverty line | 23.2% | 13.4% | 9.8% |
| Below 185% of poverty line | 19.4% | 11.4% | 8.0% |
| At or above 185% of poverty line | 4.1% | 2.5% | 1.6% |
| Income unknown | 5.9% | 3.9% | 2.0% |
The income-unknown category had a 5.9% food-insecurity rate during the 30-day period, with 3.9% reporting low food security and 2.0% reporting very low food security. The source for these short-period estimates is the USDA ERS Statistical Supplement to Household Food Security in the United States in 2024 (statistical supplement).
How to read the measures
The annual and 30-day measures answer different questions. The annual estimate captures whether a household experienced food insecurity at any time during 2024. The 30-day estimate describes the period from mid-November to mid-December 2024, immediately before the December 8–18 survey.
The severity labels also describe different levels within the USDA classification. In the annual national estimate, 8.3% of households had low food security and 5.4% had very low food security. Income-specific tables report the corresponding percentages and, in some cases, estimated household counts.
For meal planning and food-budget discussions, the income-to-poverty ratio is therefore an important context marker. A household’s reported food-security experience may look different when measured over an entire year versus a single recent month, and households with children show a separate set of outcomes from all households combined.