Food Insecurity Edged Back up After COVID-19 Relief Expired
The Urban Institute compared data collected in March in the Coronavirus Tracking Survey against data collected in September to assess food insecurity following the expiration of many COVID-19 relief programs. The analysis showed that household food insecurity initially decreased from 22 percent in March to 17.9 percent in May 2020. However, the number of adults reporting food insecurity in the past month increased to 19.6 percent in September, as many relief programs ended. As of September, the food insecurity rate was nearly four in ten for those families who have also experienced a pandemic-related job loss, up from 33.6 percent in May and at nearly the same level as in March/April. More than one in five adults with low incomes and nearly one in four adults who experienced a family job loss sought charitable food assistance. Racial and ethnic disparities have continued to persist with 30.5 percent of Hispanic/Latinx adults and 28.2 percent of Black adults reporting food insecurity compared to 14.7 percent of white adults.