Contact: Arica VanBoxtel, vanboxtel@nyhealthfoundation.org
April 2, 2025, New York, NY – There are alarming increases in food insufficiency across New York State, surpassing early pandemic levels, according to a new analysis by the New York Health Foundation (NYHealth). Greater than 1 in 10 New Yorkers, or more than 2 million people, report not having enough food to eat in the last week. Hunger rates are even higher for Black and Hispanic New Yorkers.
There are strong associations between public policies and rising or falling rates of food insufficiency. The expiration of pandemic-era programs—coupled with rising food prices, inflation, and stagnant wages—has contributed to higher rates of food insufficiency across the State. The findings come from NYHealth’s analysis of the U.S. Census Household Pulse Survey, which tracked social, health, and economic indicators since the onset of the pandemic.
“Hunger among New Yorkers has reached its highest level in years, even higher than the during the worst of the COVID pandemic,” said David Sandman, Ph.D., President and CEO of NYHealth. “When people don’t know where their next meal is coming from, they can’t be healthy, meet their basic needs, and their children can’t learn on empty stomachs.”
Key findings include:
- Hunger is at the highest level in 5 years. The food insufficiency rate in New York State is 10.4%, higher than during the early days of the pandemic in 2020 (10.2%).
- Every income group has higher food insufficiency rates in 2024 compared to 2020. New Yorkers with the lowest incomes are 13 times more likely to experience food insufficiency than those who earn $100,000 or more.
- Households with children are experiencing food insufficiency at about 1.5 times the rate of households without children. Food insufficiency rates for households without children are now higher than in 2020.
- Food insufficiency disproportionately affects Black and Hispanic New Yorkers. Black and Hispanic New Yorkers are more than twice as likely to experience food insufficiency compared to white New Yorkers.
“Nutrition support programs helped people put food on the table temporarily, but their expiration has real consequences,” said Mary Ford, Director of Policy and Research at NYHealth. “Recent cuts by the federal administration to food banks and schools will only make hunger worse.”
Food advocates and researchers will explore the findings in-depth and discuss how to improve access to food in an upcoming NYHealth webinar on April 10.
View the data brief and more information here.
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The New York Health Foundation (NYHealth) is a private, statewide foundation dedicated to improving the health of all New Yorkers, especially people of color and others who have been historically marginalized. The Foundation is committed to making grants, informing health policy and practice, spreading effective programs to improve the health care system and the health of New Yorkers, serving as a convener of health leaders across the State, and providing technical assistance to its grantees and partners.
