Ending Hunger in America, 2014 Hunger Report Full Report | Page 21

INTRODUCTION

Setting a Goal and Developing a Plan
In 2012, the last year that data are available, nearly 50 million people in the United States lived in households that
struggled to put enough food on the table.1 The number of people stalked by hunger in the United States has soared
since the Great Recession, the country’s worst economic downturn in three generations. Even before the recession,
there were all too many people stalked by hunger in cities, suburbs, and rural areas. Every year since the turn of
the millennium, at least 20 million Americans (one in 10 households) have been worried about running out of food.

Figure i.1

Trends in Food Insecurity in U.S. Households, 1995-2012

Percent of households
16

Food insecurity

14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0

1995

1997

1999

2001

2003

2005

2007

2009

2011

Source: Calculated by USDA, Economic Research Service based on Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement data.

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