Purdue University reports that about 14% of U.S. households experienced food insecurity on average from January to October, up from 12.5% earlier in 2024. Experts attribute the rise to grocery prices that remain substantially above pre-pandemic levels even as overall inflation slowed. An estimated 2.4 million SNAP recipients could lose benefits under new work requirements in a Republican-backed bill signed into law in July, potentially increasing hardship in 2026. Purdue’s monthly survey has become a key national gauge since the USDA ended its long-running annual food-security survey.
Survey Finds U.S. Food Insecurity Rising Amid Persistently High Grocery Prices
Purdue University reports that about 14% of U.S. households experienced food insecurity on average from January to October, up from 12.5% earlier in 2024. Experts attribute the rise to grocery prices that remain substantially above pre-pandemic levels even as overall inflation slowed. An estimated 2.4 million SNAP recipients could lose benefits under new work requirements in a Republican-backed bill signed into law in July, potentially increasing hardship in 2026. Purdue’s monthly survey has become a key national gauge since the USDA ended its long-running annual food-security survey.
08:10 AM, 11/14/2025Economy
Survey Finds U.S. Food Insecurity Rising
A growing share of Americans report difficulty affording food this year, a trend researchers link to persistently high grocery prices, according to a new analysis from Purdue University's Center for Food Demand Analysis and Sustainability.
Key findings
From January through October, roughly 14% of U.S. households on average reported experiencing food insecurity, up from 12.5% earlier in 2024. By comparison, the average rate in 2022 was 15.4%—a year when inflation surged to multi-decade highs following the pandemic.
While monthly rates can fluctuate, experts say the recent uptick reflects food prices that remain well above pre-pandemic levels even though overall inflation has slowed.
“Even though inflation slowed a lot this year, we're nowhere near the amount that we were spending on food even just a couple of years ago,”
Policy changes could add pressure
Researchers and policy analysts warn that some families may face additional hardship in 2026 if changes to federal assistance programs take effect. An estimated 2.4 million Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients could lose benefits because of new work requirements included in a Republican-backed tax and spending bill signed into law in July.
About the data
Purdue researchers define food insecurity using the standard measure: household members at times not being able to afford a balanced meal, occasionally skipping meals, or eating less because of financial constraints.
Purdue’s monthly survey now serves as one of the few nationwide measures after the U.S. Department of Agriculture discontinued its annual Household Food Security survey in September—a survey that had been conducted since 2001. The administration at the time described the USDA survey as “redundant, costly, politicized and extraneous.”
Researchers told news outlets that the USDA assessment was widely respected. Craig Gundersen, an economics professor at Baylor University who has studied food insecurity for three decades, called the USDA survey the “gold standard.”
Joseph Balagtas, director of Purdue’s Center for Food Demand Analysis, noted that Purdue surveys about 1,200 adults each month, compared with roughly 30,000 people surveyed annually by the USDA. Despite the smaller sample size, he said Purdue’s results generally align with federal data because they ask identical questions and use statistical weighting to be representative of the U.S. population.
Bottom line: Food insecurity in the U.S. has edged up in 2024, driven largely by grocery prices that remain elevated relative to pre-pandemic levels. Policy changes to SNAP eligibility could increase hardship for millions if implemented.