Food Insecurity and Black/African Americans

Food insecurity means not having reliable access to enough food or to healthy, nutritious food. It does not always mean going hungry. Some people may have enough food but rely on cheaper, less healthy options because fresh foods are too expensive or hard to find. These lower-cost foods are often high in sugar, fat, and salt, which can increase the risk of health problems. Access to healthy food plays an important role in overall health and well-being.

Food insecurity may be influenced by several factors such as income, employment, transportation options, and disability status. It can be short term or long term and can affect both adults and children. Adults who are food insecure face higher risks of obesity and chronic diseases. Research shows that adults who experience food insecurity are 2 to 3 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. Children in food-insecure households are more likely to have health and developmental problems and may struggle with mental health.

  • From 2016 to 2021, Black/African American households were 89% more likely to experience food insecurity than households nationwide.

  • From 2016 to 2021, Black/African American households were 98% more likely to experience very low food security (the more severe range of food insecurity) as households nationwide.

  • From 2016 to 2021, Black/African American households with children under 18 years were 73% more likely to experience food insecurity than all U.S. households with children.

Additional Resources

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Related Data

Further Reading

Occurrence

Adults

Prevalence of all household food insecurity, percentage, 2016–2021
Black*Total PopulationRatio (Black* / Total)
21.011.11.89
Source: Hales, L. J., & Coleman-Jensen, A. (2024). Household food insecurity across race and ethnicity in the United States, 2016–21 (Report No. EIB-269, Table 3a). U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
Prevalence of households with very low food security, percentage, 2016–2021
Black*Total PopulationRatio (Black* / Total)
8.54.31.98
Source: Hales, L. J., & Coleman-Jensen, A. (2024). Household food insecurity across race and ethnicity in the United States, 2016–21 (Report No. EIB-269, Table 2). U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
Prevalence of food insecurity among households with annual income below 130 percent of the poverty line, percentage, 2016–2021
Black*Total PopulationRatio (Black* / Total)
40.233.41.20
Source: Hales, L. J., & Coleman-Jensen, A. (2024). Household food insecurity across race and ethnicity in the United States, 2016–21 (Report No. EIB-269, Table 5a). U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
Adults who lived in families experiencing food insecurity in the past 30 days, percentage, 2021
Black*Total PopulationRatio (Black* / Total)
12.25.92.07
Source: Weeks, J. D., Mykyta, L., & Madans, J. H. (2023). Adults living in families experiencing food insecurity in the past 30 days: United States, 2021 (NCHS Data Brief No. 465, Figures 1 and 2). National Center for Health Statistics, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Children and Adolescents

Prevalence of household food insecurity among households with children under 18 years, percentage, 2016–2021
Black*Total PopulationRatio (Black* / Total)
25.114.51.73
Source: Hales, L. J., & Coleman-Jensen, A. (2024). Household food insecurity across race and ethnicity in the United States, 2016–21 (Report No. EIB-269, Table 3a). U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.

*Population is non-Hispanic in the data source.


Date Last Reviewed: March 2026