New Feeding America research estimates 1 in 11 seniors (age 60 and older) and 1 in 8 older adults (age 50 to 59) faced hunger in the United States in 2022. These estimates shed light on the extent to which food insecurity – or having limited access to enough food to live a healthy lifestyle – affects individuals in these two groups.
In 2022, 6.9 million out of 79 million seniors in the United States were food insecure, the most recent year for which data is available. In that same year, 4.9 million out of 41 million older adults were food insecure. Combined, nearly 12 million adults ages 50 and over are struggling to make ends meet.
“Food insecurity is so closely tied to health, which becomes especially critical as we age. Addressing food insecurity among seniors would help reduce chronic health conditions and could result in healthier communities overall,” said Linda Nageotte, Feeding America president and chief operating officer. “The size of the aging population in America is growing each year and we must work together to ensure seniors have access to the food they need to thrive.”
Feeding America’s estimates of food insecurity among seniors and older adults in 2022 reflect an increase of approximately 25% over the prior year. The increase is in line with the rise in food insecurity for most populations in 2022, impacted in part by the expiration of many pandemic-era programs and high prices, especially for food. Many seniors are bound by limited, fixed incomes, so the effect of higher prices can be especially stark and federal nutrition programs are important to helping increase access to food for seniors.
“That’s why it is more important than ever for Congress to fully fund The Emergency Food Assistance Program, Commodity Supplemental Food Program and other critical nutrition programs that address and alleviate senior hunger,” said Nageotte. “Additionally, there are millions of seniors eligible for programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and we encourage lawmakers to improve access to SNAP by streamlining eligibility and enrollment through a strong, bipartisan Farm Bill.”
Seniors and older adults of color experience food insecurity at disproportionately higher rates compared to their white counterparts, according to the new estimates. In 2022, Black and Latino seniors experienced rates of food insecurity 2.7 times higher than white seniors, with rates for Black and Latino older adults being twice as high. While these estimates do not include separate food insecurity estimates for other racial and ethnic groups, it has been shown through other analyses that individuals who identify as Native Americans, Pacific Islanders, and some Asian subgroups also have disproportionately high rates of food insecurity.
Additional key findings include:
- Seniors and older adults experiencing food insecurity live in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. However, nine of the ten states with the highest rates of food insecurity for seniors and seven of the ten states for older adults were located in the South.
- Food insecurity exacerbates many of the unique health, economic, mobility and nutritional challenges that can come with aging. This is especially true for those with disabilities. Seniors with a disability had food insecurity rates over twice as high as seniors without disabilities. For older adults, the disparity is even greater. Older adults with disabilities had food insecurity rates more than three times as high as older adults without disabilities.
This research was funded by the Enterprise Mobility Foundation through its Fill Your Tank program, a multi-year initiative launched in 2016 to address food insecurity in communities around the world. Enterprise’s commitment to Feeding America supports senior hunger and child hunger initiatives in communities across the United States.
Learn more about senior hunger at feedingamerica.org.
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About Feeding America
Feeding America® is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through a network of more than 200 food banks, 21 statewide food bank associations, and over 60,000 partner agencies, food pantries and meal programs, we helped provide 5.3 billion meals to tens of millions of people in need last year. Feeding America also supports programs that prevent food waste and improve food security among the people we serve; brings attention to the social and systemic barriers that contribute to food insecurity in our nation; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Visit www.feedingamerica.org, find us on Facebook or follow us on X.com.