Hunger in Maine
New Statistics Confirm Ongoing Hunger Crisis
In the wake of the recent economic crisis more people are hungry than ever before. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (USDA) reported on September 7, 2011 that nearly 49 million Americans, including over 16 million children are food insecure.
A person is considered food insecure if they lack access to enough food to ensure adequate nutrition.
Many Mainers have been hard hit by the recession. The USDA estimates that 15.4 percent of Maine households, or approximately 200,000 individuals, are food insecure. The number of Mainers who are food insecure has increased significantly in recent years. Maine ranks 13th in the nation and 1st in New England in terms of food insecurity.
Hunger in Maine:
- Population: 1,328,361
- Food insecurity rate: 15.4 percent of households, or approximately 200,000 people
- Maine ranks 13th in the nation and 1st in New England in terms of food insecurity
- Child food insecurity rate: 24.6 percent, or 1 in every 4 children, are food insecure (68,950 children)
- Maine ranks 21st in the nation, 1st in New England in terms of child food insecurity
- Senior food insecurity rate: 5.46 percent of seniors are food insecure
- Maine ranks 17th in the nation, 1st in New England in terms of senior food insecurity
- Poverty rate: 12.6 percent
- Child poverty rate: 17.5 percent
- Unemployment rate: 7.7 percent (July 2011)
- Food Stamps: Approximately 18 percent of Mainers are using food stamps (December 2010)
- 43 percent of Maine's food insecure population makes too much to qualify for food stamps and must rely on the charity food assistance network
- One in three jobs in Maine does not pay enough to cover the basic needs of a family