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Food Insecurity by Race/Ethnicity

People of color experience higher rates of food insecurity in Lancaster County

Food insecurity negatively impacts health. For children, it can also impede physical and mental development. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines food insecurity as limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods, or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways.14 In other words, household access to healthy food is not consistent, leading to reduced intake and/or reduced nutritional quality, variety, and desirability in household members’ diets.15,16 Food insecurity may reflect households needing to make trade-offs with other important basic needs, such as healthcare or housing.

Using Current Population Survey data and USDA food insecurity measures, Feeding America, a hunger-relief nonprofit organization, estimated local food insecurity rates by analyzing several factors, including poverty, unemployment, homeownership, and disability at the county level.17 This dataset finds people of color in Lancaster County more likely to be food insecure than White residents.

  • Overall, 11% of Lancaster County residents faced food insecurity in 2022.
  • One-third, or 35%, of Black or African American residents faced food insecurity.
  • Nearly one-third, or 30%, of Latino/a or Hispanic residents were food insecure.
  • White residents had a 12% rate of food insecurity.
Notes

Feeding America, Map the Meal Gap.

Chart includes all race/ethnic groups available from source.

Footnotes
  1. United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service. (Last Updated April 22, 2022). Definitions of Food Security. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  2. Healthy People 2020. (n.d.) Social Determinants of Health. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  3. Feeding America (n.d.) Child Hunger in America. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  4. Feeding America. (n.d.) Mapping the Meal Gap 2023, Technical Brief. Retrieved February 22, 2024.