It is estimated by the USDA Economic Research Service that 35 million U.S. residents live in households facing hunger and 10.5 percent of households experience food insecurity.  The U.S. Census Bureau determined that the overall U.S. hunger rate held steady at 9.7 percent during June, but the proportion of households experiencing food insecurity that had children increased to 13.7 percent.  This represented a deterioration from the 10.7 percent recorded in April 2021.

Food insecurity data is derived from the monthly Current Population Survey that is collated from unemployment statistics, annual income and data on poverty.

The problem of food insecurity was exacerbated in 2020 by the advent of COVID and both the previous and current Administrations have allocated finances and resources to alieviate hunger through supplemental nutrition assistance programs.

States with the highest levels of food insecurity for children, with relevant percentages mainly due to school closures comprise in descending rank order:-

1.  D.C. 92

2.  Mississippi 74

3.  Louisiana 64

4.  New Mexico 63

5.  Georgia 62

6.  Arkansas 62

7.  Oklahoma 61

8.  Texas 59

9.  California 59

10. Florida 58

Food insecurity in children affects both physical and mental development. Dietary deficiencies experienced during childhood will be manifested in subsequent deleterious health effects, learning disabilities, unemployment and even crime as impacted children progress through their teens through early adulthood. It is more humane and less expensive to governmental agencies to invest in childhood nutrition and programs such as Head-Start than to ignore the less fortunate among the next generation.