In the 2014 Current Population Survey, 16% of households said they would need to spend more money to buy just enough food to meet their needs.
26% said they had run short of money and had to try to make their food or food money go further.
6% said they did not always have enough food to eat.
20% were sometimes or often worried their food would run out before they had money to buy more.
For 17%, the food they bought did not last and they had no money to buy more.
16% reported that there were times when they could not afford to eat balanced meals.
9% said they had to cut the size of their meals or skip meals entirely because they did not have enough money for food.
9% ate less than they felt they should because they ran out of money for food.
5% went hungry and did not eat because they had no more food and could not afford to buy more.
2% skipped eating for a whole day because there was not enough money for food.
Overall, 15% of households in the US are classified as being food insecure.
The Food Stamps program, later renamed Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), was created in 1964 as a means of providing food-purchasing assistance for low-income Americans. Individuals receive on average $125 per month to purchase eligible food items. Those applying to the program earn 130% or less of the federal poverty line.
The number of people receiving SNAP benefits rises and falls with changes in poverty and unemployment. Enrollment in the program tends to rise when the economy is in a recession, indicating that SNAP is performing its role in providing Americans with a social safety net during times of hardship.
As of 2015, 14.3% of Americans were receiving SNAP benefits.
This map shows the geographic distribution of the number of households within each county that are receiving SNAP benefits.
Approximately 1 in 5 children in the US received food stamp assistance from SNAP. This is in contrast to the much lower participation rates of elderly households.
In addition, minorities are more likely to be enrolled in SNAP than whites.