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.
Map The Meal Gap
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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.
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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.
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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)
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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)
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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)