Food insecurity is a widespread problem in the United States, with people experiencing food insecurity in every single county in the nation. The nonprofit Feeding America describes food insecurity as “a lack of consistent access to enough food for every person in a household to live an active, healthy life.”
Food insecurity hits children particularly hard. The USDA estimates that more than 5.3 million children lived in food-insecure households in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic put further strain on households already experiencing food hardship, with Feeding America estimating that 13 million children may experience food insecurity in 2021—that’s one in six children. Not having consistent access to enough food can affect cognitive abilities, overall health, moods, and attention spans—not to mention the psychological effects of living with scarcity.
Stacker compiled a list of counties in Rhode Island with the highest rate of food-insecure children using data from Feeding America. Counties are ranked by the highest percentage of children with food insecurity as of 2019.
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Kenneth C. Zirkel // Wikimedia Commons
#5. Bristol County
– Child food insecurity rate: 9.0%
— Number of food insecure children: 830
– Percentage of children in households with income below 185% FPL: 63.0%
– Percentage of children in households with income above 185% FPL: 37.0%
– Overall food insecurity rate: 7.6%
Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger) // Wikimedia Commons
#4. Washington County
– Child food insecurity rate: 10.6%
— Number of food insecure children: 2,260
– Percentage of children in households with income below 185% FPL: 59.0%
– Percentage of children in households with income above 185% FPL: 42.0%
– Overall food insecurity rate: 7.4%
Kenneth C. Zirkel // Wikimedia Commons
#3. Newport County
– Child food insecurity rate: 11.7%
— Number of food insecure children: 1,660
– Percentage of children in households with income below 185% FPL: 68.0%
– Percentage of children in households with income above 185% FPL: 32.0%
– Overall food insecurity rate: 8.6%
Rhode Island Attorney General // Wikimedia Commons
#2. Kent County
– Child food insecurity rate: 12.0%
— Number of food insecure children: 3,720
– Percentage of children in households with income below 185% FPL: 68.0%
– Percentage of children in households with income above 185% FPL: 32.0%
– Overall food insecurity rate: 8.6%
Kenneth C. Zirkel // Wikimedia Commons
#1. Providence County
– Child food insecurity rate: 16.4%
— Number of food insecure children: 21,600
– Percentage of children in households with income below 185% FPL: 79.0%
– Percentage of children in households with income above 185% FPL: 21.0%
– Overall food insecurity rate: 11.0%
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This story was written by Stacker and has been re-published pursuant to a CC BY-NC 4.0 License.