The USDA is monitoring the extent of food insecurity in the U.S. at the national and State levels through an annual U.S. Census Bureau Survey.
Food-insecure households are defined as those that had difficulty at some point during the year providing enough food for all of their members due to lack of resources.
The rates vary across states because of different characteristics of the population, state-level policies, and economic conditions.
Food insecurity is estimated to affect a range of 7.8% (New Hampshire) to 16.8% (New Mexico) of households across the nation, with the national average being 11.7%.
USDA