Hunger in Idaho
152,890
Food Insecure People in Idaho
8.7%
Food Insecurity Rate
46,800
Food Insecure Children in Idaho
10.5%
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 July 2022. The report is a county-by-county analysis of food insecurity in the United States in 2020. It is estimated that nationwide between March and June 2020 roughly 4 in 10 individuals being served were new to charitable food assistance as a result of COVID-19.
According to Map the Meal Gap 152,890 Idahoans experienced food insecurity in 2020, which equates to 9% of the population. 46,800 children experienced food insecurity in 2020, which equates to 11% of Idaho’s children. For the first time, Map the Meal Gap included racial demographic information. Seventeen percent of Hispanics in Idaho were food insecure in 2020.
In 2020 the Idaho counties with the highest rates of food insecurity were Shoshone County (15.7%), Lewis County (14.7%) and Adams County (13.7%).
For children, the highest rate of food insecurity in 2020 in Idaho were in Shoshone County (20.7% of children), Lewis County (20.2% of children) and Adams County (18.9% of children).
Overall
National counties with the highest rates of food insecurity are disproportionately rural. 87% of counties with food insecurity rates in the top 10% are rural. Rural counties make up only 63% of all U.S counties.
Nearly 50% of people in Idaho who are food insecure may not qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) due to their income level. This troubling statistic underscores the importance of food banks to fill the gap for people who don’t qualify.
Map The Meal Gap
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National
Food Insecure Overall
38,460 people in North Central Idaho experienced food insecurity in 2020. This is 12% of the population in the region
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Idaho
Food Insecure Overall
152,890 Idahoans experienced food insecurity in 2020, which equates to 9% of the population. This is 1 in 11 individuals.
Food Insecure Kids
46,800 children experienced food insecurity in 2020, which equates to 11% of Idaho’s children. This is 1 in 10 children.
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North Central Idaho
Food Insecure Overall
38,460 people in North Central Idaho experienced food insecurity in 2020. This is 12% of the population in the region and this equates to 1 in 9 individuals.
Food Insecure Kids
10,470 children in North Central Idaho experienced food insecurity in 2020. This is 16% of children in the region and this equates to 1 in 7 children.
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Southwest Idaho
Food Insecure Overall
89,070 people in Southwest Idaho experienced food insecurity in 2020. This is 10% of the population in the region and this equates to 1 in 11 individuals.
Food Insecure Kids
28,530 children in Southwest Idaho experienced food insecurity in 2020. This is 14% of children in the region and this equates to 1 in 9 children.
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Eastern Idaho
Food Insecure Overall
35,500 people in Eastern Idaho experienced food insecurity in 2020. This is 9% of the population in the region and this equates to 1 in 11 individuals.
Food Insecure Kids
11,680 children in Eastern Idaho experienced food insecurity in 2020. This is 11% of the children in the region and this equates to 1 in 10 children.
Overall
Prior to COVID-19, Idaho had been seeing continued improvements in reducing food insecurity. This improvement is shown in the Map the Meal Gap baseline projections. However, the pandemic had an immediate effect and people are continuing to work through recovery.
The Map the Meal Gap projections related to the pandemic represent the most timely and up-to-date data on food insecurity available.
Food insecurity varies greatly across the state with Shoshone County having the highest overall rate at 19.6 percent and Clark and Teton at just 7.3 percent.
The county that is estimated to have the highest overall food insecurity rate in Idaho in 2021 is Shoshone with 19.6 percent. That is followed by Lewis County with 17.1 percent and Custer County with 16.5 percent.
The county that is estimated to have the highest food insecurity rate for children in Idaho in 2021 is Shoshone County with 28.2 percent. That is followed by 23.1 percent in Custer and 22 percent in Benewah.