Hunger and Poverty Facts

Hunger and Poverty Facts  by Bread For The World

 

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Hunger

• 14.5 percent of U.S. households struggle to put enough food on the table. More than 48 million Americans—including 15.9 million children—live in these households. ¹
• More than one in five children is at risk of hunger. Among African-Americans and Latinos, nearly one in three children is at risk of hunger. ²
• View a state-by-state map of household food insecurity »

Poverty

More than one in seven people in the United States lives below the poverty line, which is $22,113 for a family of four in 2010. More than one in five children in the United States lives below the poverty line. ¹³

• Most Americans (51.4 percent) will live in poverty at some point before age 65. ¹⁴
• 65 percent of low-income families have at least one working family member, and 79 percent of single mothers who head households work. ¹⁵
• In most areas, a family of four needs to earn twice the poverty line to provide children with basic necessities. ¹⁶
• Nationally, more than 44 percent of children live in low-income working families (families who earn less than twice the poverty line). ¹⁷
• A person working full-time at the minimum wage earns about $14,500 a year. The official poverty line for a family of three—one parent with two children—is $17,568.
• View a map of state-by-state poverty rates »

Child Nutrition

• Of the more than 20 million children who receive free or reduced-price lunch each school day, less than half receive breakfast and only 10 percent access summer feeding sites. ³
• For every 100 school lunch programs, there are only 87 breakfast sites and just 36 summer food program sites. ⁴

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

• Half of all American children will receive SNAP benefits at some point before age 20; 90 percent of African-American children will enroll in SNAP before age 20. ⁵
• One in seven people are enrolled in SNAP. Nearly half are children. ⁶
• SNAP participation nearly doubled pre-recession levels, an increase of 18 million people. ⁷
• More than 90 percent of SNAP benefits are used up by the third week of the month. ⁸
• View a map of SNAP participation by state »

Women, Infants and Children Program (WIC)

• One in every two babies born in the United States is enrolled in WIC. ⁹
• Although 81.3 percent of eligible infants are enrolled in WIC, the program reaches just 47.3 percent of eligible children ages 1 to 4. ¹⁰
• View a map of state-by-state child poverty rates »

Food Spending

• Low-income households already spend a greater share of their income on food. Food accounts for 16.4 percent of spending for households making less than $10,000 per year compared to the U.S. average of 12.7 percent. ¹¹