Seniors at Risk of Hunger: State by State

In November of 2009, a MOWAA-sponsored study entitled “Senior Hunger in the United States: Differences across States and Rural and Urban Areas” was released. That study documents the geographic distribution of senior hunger across states and by rural/urban status. This follow-up to the groundbreaking 2008 report, entitled “The Causes, Consequences and Future of Senior Hunger in America,” updates the findings on the extent and distribution of senior hunger across the nation using data from 2001-2007. Click here to view the full research reports. Below are excerpts from the 2009 study.

The Hunger States

There is a wide variation of risk of senior hunger across the states, ranging from 1.5 percent to 12.3 percent. Seniors residing in the South are at greatest risk. The states in the top ten of senior hunger risk all have rates of food insecurity in excess of 7 percent, which is at least 25 percent higher than the national average and double the rate of the states in the bottom ten.

The top ten senior hunger states in the U.S. are (highest risk to lowest):

1. Mississippi
2. South Carolina
3. Arkansas
4. Texas
5. New Mexico
6. Georgia
7. Alabama
8. Louisiana
9. North Carolina
10. Oklahoma

These states tend to either have:

• higher concentrations of African Americans or Hispanics
• higher concentrations of seniors living in poverty or near poverty
• higher concentrations of seniors under age 70
• higher concentrations of disabled or unemployed seniors
• higher concentrations of seniors with 12 or fewer years of schooling
• higher concentrations of seniors living with grandchildren (with and without the adult parent present)

High rates of hunger risk are prevalent across numerous demographic groups in those high food insecure states. The large number of categories of seniors with high rates of hunger risk makes targeting of assistance to those most in need especially challenging.

Ranking of States by Rates of Food Insecurity among Senior Americans
2001-2007 – Order from Highest to Lowest

Select any state to download a two-page fact sheet.

Senior Hunger: Rural vs. Urban

In a typical year, the rate of risk in non-metropolitan areas has exceeded that of metropolitan areas, often by at least a percentage point. The rate of risk is higher in non-metropolitan areas, but because the majority of seniors live in metro areas, the recent rise in overall food insecurity is primarily due to an increase in metro areas.