ACCESS TO FOOD VARIES BY STATE

While recent USDA data show that American’s food insecurity is lessening, people’s access to food varies widely depending on where they live. In North Dakota and Virginia, fewer than 1 in 10 households are food insecure. But in Arkansas and Mississippi, like other poorer states, more than 1 in 5 households cannot adequately feed their families. More people in these poorer states tend to use SNAP, but participation in some states does not match the expectation that where more people going hungry, more will enroll in SNAP. More New Mexico and Oregon residents use food stamps relative to their needs than in Wyoming and Utah, for example. The deviation may be due to (1) the different ways in which states define income and household assets, which affect a family’s eligibility for food stamps and (2) perhaps more importantly, in how they administer and enroll participants. Stacy Dean, vice president for food assistance policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, said some states make it easier for residents to apply for benefits and do more aggressive outreach.

 Source: FiveThirtyEight, 9/3/14, Access to Food