AARP
J MARCH 2022
PUBLIC POLICY INSTITUTE

Fact Sheet

Over 9 Million Adults Ages 50 and
Older Faced Food Insecurity in 2020

Olivia Dean and Carlos Figueiredo
AARP Public Policy Institute

In 2020, nearly 9.5 million (or about 8 percent of) Americans ages 50 and older were food insecure,
meaning they had limited or uncertain access to adequate, nutritious food. The data reveal
significant differences by state, age, race and ethnicity, and other demographic characteristics.

Every year, millions of Americans ages 50 and older

experience food insecurity, meaning they have limited or Key Takeaways
uncertain access to adequate, nutritious food. In 2020, the

COVID-19 pandemic led to widespread job loss that hit older Food insecurity is most
workers particularly hard.' However, perhaps resulting in part prevalent among older adults

from short-term pandemic-related policy, the overall share of TE
older Americans experiencing food insecurity did not change
significantly from 2019 to 2020, according to annual data from v Are younger (i.e., ages 50-59)
the United States Department of Agriculture." Nevertheless,
food insecurity has not been hitting everyone equally.

This Fact Sheet describes trends in food insecurity and selected
characteristics of food-insecure adults ages 50 and older. State- [RRARNANA atten
level data are included in the appendix.

¥ Are Black, Native American,
or Hispanic

a EWM Conical (1 SKN
Trends in Older-Adult Food Insecurity educational attainment
Over the past decade, food insecurity among adults ages 50

and older has roughly remained between 8 and 11 percent of
the population (figure 1). After peaking at 10.8 percent in 2012,

 

FIGURE 1
Food Insecurity among Adults 50+, 2010-2020

12%

 

10%

 

8%

 

 

6%

 

 

4%

 

2%

 

0%
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Source: AARP Public Policy Institute analysis of 2020 Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement (CPS-FSS)
MARCH 2022

food insecurity prevalence among adults ages
50 and older dropped to a low of 7.9 percent in
2019. Between 2019 and 2020, food insecurity
among this age group did not change
substantially (7.9 to 8.1 percent).

Among adults ages 50 and older, food
insecurity prevalence decreases with

age. Adults ages 50 to 59 experience food
insecurity at nearly twice the rate of those ages
70 and older (figure 2). From 2019 to 2020,
food insecurity prevalence increased by about
1 percentage point among the 50-59 age group
and stayed basically the same among adults
ages 60 to 69 and 70+.

State-Level Differences in Food Insecurity
among Older Adults

Food insecurity among adults ages 50 and
older differs widely by state (figure 3). All top
10 states with the highest rates of older-adult
food insecurity are southern states. In 2020,
New Hampshire had the lowest prevalence
of food insecurity among this age group

FIGURE 2

(3.0 percent); the District of Columbia had the
highest (13.4 percent; see appendix).

Demographic Characteristics Linked to
Older-Adult Food Insecurity

In 2020, certain subgroups of adults ages 50
and older experienced considerably higher
levels of food insecurity than others.

e Black, American Indian/Alaska Native,
and Hispanic: Nearly one in five Black and
American Indian/Alaska Native adults ages
50 and older experienced food insecurity
in 2020. Among this age group, 14.6 percent
of Hispanic adults were food insecure,
compared with 5.6 and 5.2 percent of
Asian and White adults ages 50 and older,
respectively (figure 4). Racial and ethnic
disparities in food insecurity also widened
between 2019 and 2020 (figure 5). Food
insecurity increased among older Black,
American Indian/Alaska Native, Hispanic,
and Asian adults, while it decreased slightly
among older White adults.

Food Insecurity Prevalence by Older Age Group, 2010-2020

a= 50-59
== 60-69
70+

16%

 

14%

 

 

12%

 

 

10%
8%

 

 

6%

 

4%

 

 

 

2%
0%

 

_-_-
DS -- = 10.4%
a 8.1%
5.5%
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Source: AARP Public Policy Institute analysis of 2020 Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement (CPS-FSS)
MARCH 2022

FIGURE 3
State-Level Food Insecurity Prevalence among Adults 50+, 2020

   
 

Source: AARP Public Policy Institute analysis of 2020 CPS-FSS

e Low Educational Attainment: Food

insecurity prevalence was highest

among adults ages 50 and older without

a high school diploma (20.4 percent)

and decreased with increasing levels of
educational attainment (figure 4). Fewer
than 4 percent of adults ages 50 and older
with a bachelor's degree or higher were
food insecure.

Low Income: Unsurprisingly, food
insecurity prevalence decreases with
increasing income. One fifth of adults ages
50 and older with household incomes below
$30,000 were food insecure, compared
with less than 2 percent of those earning
$100,000 or more (figure 4). Nearly one
quarter (22.7 percent) of adults in this

age group with household incomes below

Food Insecurity

Prevalence among

Adults 50+
13.4%

ae 3.0%

185 percent of the Federal Poverty Level'
were food insecure.

Women: Women ages 50 and older

were slightly more likely than their male
counterparts to be food insecure, but the
difference was small (8.4 versus 7.7 percent;
figure 4).

Living Alone: Adults ages 50 and older
who lived alone were more likely to be food
insecure than those living with others (10.5
versus 7.4 percent; figure 4).

Nonmetropolitan: Adults ages 50 and
older living in nonmetropolitan areas were
slightly more likely to be food insecure
than those living in metropolitan areas
(8.8 percent versus 8.0 percent; figure 4).*
MARCH 2022

FIGURE 4
Food Insecurity Prevalence among Adults 50+ by Demographic Characteristics, 2020

20.4%

19.7% 19.5%

   
 

 

10.5%
8.7% 9 8.8%
8.4% 7 7% 7.4% 8.0%
5.6% 5.2%
4.2%
1.8%
VO VU Vv VO Dt wo vo wo So a a wo wv wv ao wo c Cc
aa a aa a ° a a
s & s sif § #2 2/8 &8 & @ ees sz §
2 a2 82 281/656 3 5 FE'|S F EF. § <= 6 6
2 pa A a n © oO 5 4 ey R o LL oD ep a Q
x= x= a ais < oO wo < c ° °
T 1 r OD vn c °o °o oO - | = =
£ S cS = = E . © + - S = S $ Ps
° ° ° x= ° ° ° <= Oo Oo So a) a
< < < = ° " ras 6 S S = a E =
x c v o Si <= in - S oO ° cS
o o 2 <x a oO o So So a zm °
= 2 £4 <& gs *- 8 3 * =
" < 5) 3 ®
- =
Race/Ethnicity Education Household Income Sex Living Alone | Metropolitan
Status

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note on data limitations: Other racial/ethnic categories not included due to insufficient sample size. Currently, CPS measures sex as
a binary variable and does not ask about gender identity, which excludes nonbinary people.

Source: AARP Public Policy Institute analysis of 2020 Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement (CPS-FSS)

FIGURE 5
Trends in Food Insecurity Prevalence among Americans Ages 50+, by Race/Ethnicity

== White (non-Hispanic) ==<=<=Black (non-Hispanic)
== <Asian (non-Hispanic) --<=American Indian/Alaska Native (non-Hispanic)
Hispanic

 

30%
25% rN

° a -a NEON 19.7%
20% - A 18.9%
15% _ 14.6%

 

 

 

 

 

 

10%
5% -- Ss 516%
5.2%
0%

 

2010 2011 2012 #8 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 #2018 2019 2020

Note: Other racial/ethnic categories not included due to insufficient sample size.

Source: AARP Public Policy Institute analysis of Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement (CPS-FSS).

4
MARCH 2022

Conclusion millions of older adults put food on the table in
Over 9 million Americans ages 50 and older a time of need and prevented overall increases
(about 1 in 12) were food insecure in 2020, in food insecurity. However, these findings

a number that did not change substantially masked considerably higher food insecurity
from 2019 despite a pandemic that caused among various demographic groups, likely

widespread unemployment. This finding due to longstanding inequities across domains,
suggests that congressional actions such such as employment, housing, and health care,

as boosts to the Supplemental Nutrition that the pandemic exacerbated.®
Assistance Program (SNAP)° may have helped

Appendix
Food Insecurity Prevalence by Age Group, 2020

 

 

 

 

 

ate % # % # % # % #
Alabama 13.1% 92,534 11.3% 63,140 7.7% 46,712 10.8% 202,386
Alaska 9.3% 8,088 7.4% 5,661 6.9% 3,860 8.0% 17,608
Arizona 11.5% 98,560 10.1% 87,051 2.8% 24,989 8.0% 210,600
Arkansas 17.7% 60,233 5.8% 21,711 46% 16,617 9.2% 98,562
California 10.7% 507,584 8.5% 373,109 5.5% 219,814 8.4% 1,100,507
Colorado 4.1% 29,450 6.5% 53,132 3.1% 13,895 4.8% 96,477
Connecticut 10.2% 55,936 5.9% 28,880 4.7% 18,636 7.2% 103,452
Delaware 12.9% 17,940 4.7% 6,014 3.1% 4,541 6.9% 28,495
District of Columbia 12.2% 7,982 15.2% 9,065 13.1% 7,654 13.4% 24,701
Florida 7.6% 212,117 = 9.5% 269,793 7.8% 252,006 8.3% 733,915
Georgia 13.3% 184,590 8.4% 98,565 9.0% 89,425 10.5% 372,579
Hawaii 6.3% 10,629 4.4% 7,373 »=--1.3% 2,536 3.9% 20,539
Idaho 10.1% 21,905 2.9% 6,266 5.0% 8,802 6.1% 36,973
Illinois 10.4% 150,859 9.4% 142,431 64% 91,396 8.8% 384,686
Indiana 10.6% 93,760 5.7% 41,427 6.1% 40,117. -s_ 7.7% 175,304
lowa 7.8% 30,116 6.2% 19,979 7.1% 29,314 7.1% 79,410
Kansas 10.7% 35,373 = 7.3% 24,656 1.5% 5,152 6.5% 65,182
Kentucky 14.5% 84,936 11.4% 66,194 5.9% 27,968 10.9% 179,097
Louisiana 10.2% 52,066 16.3% 93,821 11.2% 58,265 12.7% 204,152
Maine 2.2% 3,561 5.0% 9,447 5.7% 13,883 4.5% 26,891
Maryland 7.6% 59,750 8.1% 56,012 4.2% 28,522 6.7% 144,284
Massachusetts 8.1% 74,567 8.3% 67,963 3.5% 30,101 6.6% 172,632
Michigan 11.1% 150,006 10.3% 136,902 2.2% 25,736 8.1% 312,645
Minnesota 5.1% 42,039 3.9% 25,958 4.3% 23,289 4.5% 91,286
Mississippi 12.8% 49,781 13.4% 46,920 10.4% 31,712 12.3% 128,412
Missouri 13.6% 122,540 6.5% 43,541 5.5% 35,218 9.1% 201,300
Montana 10.1% 13,264 4.7% 6,109 1.9% 2,891 5.4% 22,264
Nebraska 13.2% 31,898 7.9% 16,398 3.7% 7,868 8.5% 56,164
Nevada 10.9% 43,383 7.9% 28,042 4.2% 15,606 7.7% 87,031
New Hampshire 2.9% 6,568 4.4% 7,902 1.6% 2,617 3.0% 17,086
New Jersey 11.8% 146,834 64% 69,372 6.5% 64,369 8.4% 280,576
New Mexico 16.2% 39,610 7.0% 18,575 3.5% 9,228 8.7% 67,413
New York 11.7% 275,167 7.2% 179,477 6.7% 163,313 8.5% 617,958
North Carolina 12.4% 158,398 8.9% 115,883 6.0% 81,151 9.0% 355,433
North Dakota 6.8% 5,857 =2.7% 2,422 0.4% 328 3.4% 8,607
Ohio 12.4% 191,922 64% 94,098 2.5% 36,618 7.2% 322,638
MARCH 2022

 

 

 

 

% # % # % # % #
Oklahoma 16.2% 78,915 9.1% 41,351 8.5% 33,123 11.5% 153,389
Oregon 6.9% 34,466 6.4% 32,863 3.4% 17,984 5.5% 85,313
Pennsylvania 6.9% 108,737 4.1% 65,971 3.9% 65,954 5.0% 240,663
Rhode Island 9.6% 13,041 7.2% 10,009 6.6% 8,102 7.8% 31,152
South Carolina 13.2% 80,655 12.8% 89,623 8.5% 56,941 11.5% 227,218
South Dakota 9.5% 10,613 5.4% 5,535 3.4% 3,281 6.2% 19,429
Tennessee 10.2% 90,411 8.1% 68,086 5.1% 39,471 7.9% 197,969
Texas 12.7% 433,132 10.3% 286,699 6.4% 160,269 10.1% 880,100
Utah 6.1% 21,354 0.9% 2,148 4.2% 9,951 4.0% 33,454
Vermont 10.0% 8,022 4.8% 3,822 4.4% 4,294 6.3% 16,138
Virginia 9.0% 92,141 3.7% 40,348 5.8% 54,300 6.1% 186,789
Washington 7.5% 61,011 4.9% 45,302 1.0% 9,012 4.4% 115,325
West Virginia 15.5% 31,605 11.9% 30,297 8.3% 21,831 11.6% 83,732
Wisconsin 6.3% 56,067 10.7% 77,855 3.0% 19,293 6.8% 153,215
Wyoming 7.8% 5,133 11.6% 9,027 5.1% 3,405 8.3% 17,565

United States

 

 

Source: AARP Public Policy Institute analysis of Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement (CPS-FSS).

te

4,295,109

Ca)

3,152,227

Ey

Ly

8.1%

9,488,694

 

 

Difference was not statistically significant at the 95 percent confidence level. The US Census Bureau for the US Department of
Agriculture conducted the 2020 CPS-FSS in December 2020.

In most states, the Federal Poverty Level was $12,760 for a one-person household in 2020. (See Office of the Assistant Secretary

for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), "2020 Poverty Guidelines," https://aspe.hhs.gov/topics/poverty-economic-mobility/poverty-

idelin rior-hhs-poverty-guidelines-federal-register-referen 2020-poverty-guidelin

         

Metropolitan areas have at least one urbanized area of 50,000 or more inhabitants.

SNAP is a federal program that provides benefits to low-income households to buy food. More information is available at

www.aarp.org/SNAP.

Kendal Orgera, Rachel Garfield, and Robin Rudowitz, "Tracking Social Determinants of Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic,"
Kaiser Family Foundation, December 15, 2021, https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/tracking-social-determinants-

of-health-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/.

 

Fact Sheet 1356501, March 2022

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