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Hunger in Idaho

250,260

Food Insecure People in Idaho

12.7%

Food Insecurity Rate

75,640

Food Insecure Children in Idaho

16.2%

Child Food Insecurity Rate

Map the Meal Gap in Idaho

Since 2011, Feeding America has conducted an annual Map the Meal Gap study to improve our understanding of food insecurity and food costs at the local level.

Food Insecurity in Idaho

Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger-relief organization, released its annual Map the Meal Gap report in May 2025. The report is a county-by-county analysis of food insecurity in the United States in 2023.  

According to Map the Meal Gap 250,260 Idahoans experienced food insecurity in 2023. This includes 75,640 children in Idaho experienced food insecurity in 2023. This means that 1 in 8 Idahoans and 1 in 6 Idaho children experienced food insecurity.

Food insecurity is when there is limited or uncertain access to adequate food to meet one’s basic needs. Food insecurity varies greatly across the state, but it is often persistently higher in rural area. Statewide,12.7% of Idahoans are food insecure. The highest rates of food insecurity in Idaho are in Lewis County (17.6%), Butte County (16.9%), Shoshone County (16.6%), and Benewah County (16.1%).

Statewide, 16.2% of Idaho children are food insecure. The Idaho counties with the highest rates of food insecurity among children are Lewis County (25%), Shoshone County (24.8%), Boundary County (24%), and Clearwater County (23.4%).

22% percent of people who are Hispanic in Idaho were food insecure in 2023. 

7.8% of seniors in Idaho were food insecure in 2023.

  

National Idaho NorthCentralIdaho SouthwestIdaho EasternIdaho
Map The Meal Gap
  • National

    Food Insecure Overall

    47,389,000 people in the United States experienced food insecurity. That is 14.3% of the population.

     

    Food Insecure Kids

    13,829,000 children in the United States experienced food insecurity. That is 19.2% of children in the United States.

     

  • Idaho

    Food Insecure Overall

    250,260 Idahoans experienced food insecurity in 2023. This is 12.7% of Idahoans.

    Food Insecure Kids

    75,640 children experienced food insecurity in 2023. This is 16.2% of Idaho’s children.

  • North & North Central Idaho

    Food Insecure Overall

    50,000 people in North & North Central Idaho experienced food insecurity in 2022. This is 14.7% of the population in the region.

    Food Insecure Kids

    14,950 children in North & North Central Idaho experienced food insecurity in 2022. This is 21.1% of children in the region.

     

    *2023 Data (10 Counties)

  • Southwest Idaho

    Food Insecure Overall

    129,070 people in Southwest Idaho experienced food insecurity in 2022. This is 13.1% of the population in the region.

    Food Insecure Kids

    40,170 children in Southwest Idaho experienced food insecurity in 2022. This is 17% of children in the region.

     

    *2023 Data (18 Counties)

  • Eastern Idaho

    Food Insecure Overall

    54,840 people in Eastern Idaho experienced food insecurity in 2022. This is 12.8% of the population in the region.

    Food Insecure Kids

    18,690 children in Eastern Idaho experienced food insecurity in 2022. This is 16.5% of children in the region.

    *2023 Data (16 Counties)

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