Food Insecurity and Food Pantry Interactions
New report offers estimates for 10 U.S. states and 8 metro areas
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The COVID Impact Survey also collected representative information for a select set of states and metropolitan areas. These data allow IPR Director and economist Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach and research analyst Abigail Pitts to estimate rates of food insecurity and food pantry use for 10 states and 8 metropolitan areas. Table 4, below, displays the results and can be found in the full report.
The state of Louisiana had the highest estimated rate of food insecurity, with more than 1 in 3 respondents reporting being food insecure. Approximately 1 in 4 respondents in California, Florida, Missouri, New York, and Texas were food insecure. Minnesota, Montana, and Colorado reported the lowest rates, ranging from 11%–16%. Colorado, Louisiana, New York, Oregon and Texas each had 1 in 10 or more respondents seeking assistance from a food pantry.
Among the metro areas, food insecurity was highest in the Birmingham, Columbus (Ohio), Chicago, and Phoenix metro areas. Over 10% of respondents in Cleveland, Columbus, and Phoenix sought or received assistance from a food pantry.
Table 4. Food Insecurity, Interaction with Food Pantries: Selected States and Metro Areas |
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| Food Pantry Interactions | |||
| Food Insecure | Received | Applied/ Tried to Apply | |
| (1) | (2) | (3) | |
| Select U.S. States | |||
| California | 26% | 5% | 3% |
| Colorado | 16% | 7% | 6% |
| Florida | 25% | 2% | 5% |
| Louisiana | 36% | 8% | 4% |
| Minnesota | 11% | 5% | 1% |
| Missouri | 24% | 7% | 1% |
| Montana | 14% | 5% | 0% |
| New York | 26% | 13% | 2% |
| Oregon | 21% | 8% | 1% |
| Texas | 27% | 10% | 3% |
| Select U.S. Metropolitan Areas |
|||
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, Georgia | 17% | 5% | 3% |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, Maryland | 20% | 4% | 1% |
| Birmingham-Hoover, Alabama | 27% | 3% | 4% |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, Illinois-Indiana-Wisconsin | 24% | 4% | 2% |
| Cleveland-Elyria, Ohio | 22% | 7% | 4% |
| Columbus, Ohio | 25% | 7% | 4% |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, Arizona | 24% | 11% | 1% |
| Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | 13% | 4% | 1% |
Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach is the Margaret Walker Alexander Professor and IPR Director. Abigail Pitts is a research analyst. Read the full report, "Estimates of Food Insecurity During the COVID-19 Crisis: Results from the COVID Impact Survey, Week 1 (April 20–26, 2020)."
Published: May 14, 2020.
