Rural Food Insecurity in the 21st Century

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored food insecurity as a critical issue in rural America. Prior to the pandemic, one in ten U.S. households was classified as food insecure (Coleman-Jensen et al., 2021). Households in non-metropolitan (rural) areas experience higher rates of food insecurity compared to those in metropolitan areas (Piontak & Schulman, 2014). Several factors contribute to this disparity, including volatile economies, climate risk exposure, and limited access to health and community resources (Bowen et al., 2021).

Despite recognizing food insecurity as a significant problem, there is limited research tracking long-term changes in food insecurity, especially in rural America. This study aims to fill this gap by improving our understanding of how food insecurity has evolved over the past 22 years, focusing on the COVID-19 pandemic at the state level. The insights from this research are intended to inform the future design of policies aimed at improving health, wellbeing, and resilience in rural America.

Methods

This study utilizes data from the Current Population Survey (CPS) Food Security Supplement, collected annually in December, from 2000 to 2022. The analyses compared food insecurity rates between metropolitan and non-metropolitan (rural) areas across states and overtime. Food insecurity was measured through survey-weighted rates calculated for rural and metro areas for each state and year, resulting in a pooled sample size of n=2,200. Analyses were primarily descriptive, emphasizing differences between rural and metro food insecurity over time and across states.

Results

Rates of food insecurity were higher in non-metropolitan America at almost all points compared to metropolitan areas. Food insecurity in rural America exhibited a slower recovery from the 2008 Recession than in metropolitan areas. From 2008 to 2014, food insecurity rates significantly diverged across geographic areas, with rural food insecurity peaking at 17% during the pandemic, compared to 12.5% in metropolitan areas—marking the largest gap during the study period. Rural food insecurity showed considerably more variability over time, with a standard deviation of .038 and a coefficient of variation of .296, while metro areas had a standard deviation of .024 and a coefficient of variation of .206. From 2014, food insecurity rates declined in both settings at similar rates, but rural levels did not return to pre-2008 levels until 2020. Interestingly, overall rural food insecurity did not increase during the pandemic; however, some states exhibited substantial increases, which serve as case studies for rising needs and policy effectiveness.

Conclusions

We anticipate that rural food insecurity will stabilize post-pandemic at a slower rate than in metropolitan areas. This slower recovery highlights the need for targeted interventions addressing the unique challenges faced by rural communities. Future research should focus on these challenges and evaluate the effectiveness of policies designed to improve food security outcomes. Understanding the specific needs and vulnerabilities of rural populations will assist policymakers in developing more effective strategies to enhance food security, health, and overall resilience in these communities.