2009 Report from Meals on Wheels
A Brief on "Senior Hunger in the United States: Differences across States and Rural and Urban Areas"
A study sponsored by the Meals On Wheels Association of America
What is this study?
This is a follow-up to the groundbreaking 2008 report entitled "The Causes, Consequences and Future of Senior Hunger in America" that updates the findings on the extent and distribution of senior hunger across the nation using data from 2001-2007.
Who conducted the study?
The same Co-Principal Investigators who conducted the 2008 study: James P. Ziliak, Ph.D., Gatton Endowed Chair in Microeconomics and Director of the Center for Poverty Research, University of Kentucky and Craig Gundersen, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics, University of Illinois.
Is there anything new about this study?
Yes. The report documents the geographic distribution of senior hunger across states and by rural/urban status.
Are rates of senior hunger in America improving?
No. In fact, there is a discernable upward trend in the number of seniors facing the risk of hunger. About 700,000 more seniors faced that risk in 2007 than did in 2001.
Is this increase in seniors facing the risk of hunger due to economic factors?
No, not entirely. Poverty is a factor, but many other factors also contribute to risk. Only 38 percent of seniors at risk of hunger have incomes below the federal poverty line.
Is senior hunger evenly distributed across the states?
Absolutely not. There is a wide variation of risk of senior hunger across the states, ranging from 1.5 percent to 12.3 percent.
Is the risk of senior hunger a regional issue?
No, but seniors residing in the South are at greatest risk.
What ten states have the highest rates of hunger risk among seniors?
The top ten states in descending order (highest risk to lowest) are:
- Mississippi
- South Carolina
- Arkansas
- Texas
- New Mexico
- Georgia
- Alabama
- Louisiana
- North Carolina
- Oklahoma
Do these top ten states have significantly higher rates of senior hunger risk than the other 40 states?
Yes. The states in the top ten of senior hunger risk all have rates of food insecurity in excess of 7 percent, which is at least 25 percent higher than the national average and double the rate of the states in the bottom ten.
What, other than region, do these ten highest hunger risk states have in common?
These states tend to either have:
- higher concentrations of African Americans or Hispanics
- higher concentrations of seniors living in poverty or near poverty
- higher concentrations of seniors under age 70
- higher concentrations of disabled or unemployed seniors
- higher concentrations of seniors with 12 or fewer years of schooling
- higher concentrations of seniors living with grandchildren (with and without the adult parent present)
Are other categories of seniors in these states also at risk of hunger?
Yes. High rates of hunger risk are prevalent across numerous demographic groups in those high food insecure states. The large number of categories of seniors with high rates of hunger risk makes targeting of assistance to those most in need especially challenging.
Are seniors living in other states relatively free from hunger risk?
By no means. Our comparative study shows that the aggregate increase in hunger risk from 2001 to 2007 was fairly widespread.
Is the increase in seniors facing hunger risk significant?
Of the five states with statistically significant increases, the average increase in hunger risk is 76 percent.
Is there a general difference in hunger risk in metropolitan (urban) and non-metropolitan (rural) areas?
In a typical year, the rate of risk in non-metropolitan areas has exceeded that of metropolitan areas, often by at least a percentage point.
Is the rise in risk of senior hunger a predominantly rural problem?
No. The rate of risk is higher in non-metropolitan areas, but because the majority of seniors live in metro areas, the recent rise in overall food insecurity is primarily due to an increase in metro areas.
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