A recent survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York finds more Americans are food insecure now than at the pandemic’s height in 2020. Responses collected in February show higher rates of skipping meals and relying on food donations or federal aid than in any of the past six years.
Nationwide, about 10% of households reported missing meals because they lacked enough food, and nearly 16% said they depended on food donations. In families earning less than $50,000 a year, the situation was markedly worse: roughly 20% reported skipping meals or going without.
Those figures represent a sharp rise from mid-2020, when roughly 4% of households said they were missing meals and fewer than 7% of lower-income families reported doing so. Economists at the New York Fed describe the trend as part of a “K-shaped” recovery: while many households and the overall economy have moved forward, large groups continue to face deep financial strain and weak consumer sentiment.
Food banks across the country report surging demand. Amy Breitmann, executive director of the Golden Harvest Food Bank in Augusta, Georgia, says people often line up miles before distributions and sometimes sleep in their cars to secure assistance. In Alabama, the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama is relocating to a larger facility to meet growing need. CEO Nicole Williams notes how small increases in everyday expenses—higher gas or grocery prices, a car repair, a medical bill—can push a family out of food security.
The rise in hunger follows the end of pandemic-era supports such as stimulus payments and expanded unemployment benefits. At the same time, grocery prices have climbed, stretching household budgets further. The New York Fed’s survey was conducted before recent geopolitical developments that briefly pushed gasoline prices higher; food bank leaders say even modest increases in gas costs can force families to cut back on groceries.
The survey also shows increased reliance on SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). Nearly 18% of families surveyed reported receiving SNAP benefits this year, up from 10.6% in 2020. Among lower-income households, more than 38% now receive SNAP, compared with about 22% six years ago. These rises occurred even as eligibility rules for the program have been tightened.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Agriculture paused one of its own food insecurity studies last year, saying the work did not add useful insight and risked exaggerating concerns.
The New York Fed highlights a troubling reality: the broad economy can appear healthy while significant portions of the population struggle to afford basic necessities. With food bank lines growing and more families turning to public benefits, policymakers and community organizations face mounting pressure to address the gap between aggregate economic growth and household-level hardship.