Explore the Data

Food insecurity

Lancaster County’s rate of food insecurity has increased recently, reversing years of improvement

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines food insecurity as limited or uncertain access to adequate food.¹¹ Food insecurity negatively impacts health.¹² For children, it can also impede physical and mental development.¹³ In 2022, 13% of the overall population, and 19% of children in Lancaster County were food insecure.

• The rate of food insecurity in Lancaster County increased substantially for children since 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • 15% of children were food insecure in 2019, compared to 19% in 2022.
  • 12% of the overall population were food insecure in 2019, compared to 13% in 2022.
• Lancaster County now has a similar rate of food insecurity as Nebraska and the United States as a whole.
  • Since 2014 it has been higher than Nebraska and the United States as a whole.
  • All three regions experienced an increase in food insecurity in 2022.

Notes

Feeding America, Map the Meal Gap.

Footnotes

11. United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service. (Last Updated September 4, 2019). Definitions of Food Security. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
12. Healthy People 2020. (n.d.) Social Determinants of Health. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
13. Feeding America (n.d.) Child Hunger in America. Retrieved November 4, 2019.