New Data Released by Feeding America Today Reveals Food Insecurity in San Diego County Has Surpassed Peak Pandemic Levels
Nearly 430,000 San Diegans, including more than 123,000 children, are now facing food insecurity as affordability crisis drives record need
Food insecurity in San Diego County has reached its highest point since the COVID pandemic. According to Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap study released today, the numbers of San Diegans experiencing food insecurity has risen for the third consecutive year, now surpassing levels recorded at the height of the global health crisis.
Food insecurity remains a nationwide issue including in San Diego County where the affordability crisis has increasingly made living here more difficult for working class people. Despite an initial dip in 2021 attributed to federal support provided during the COVID pandemic, the total food insecure population in San Diego County is now 22.6% higher than the average seen during the critical years of the global crisis. In 2022, 358,890 people were experiencing hunger in our county. Data from 2024 shows that the number has risen to 429,530.
The study, which always comprises data from two years prior, analyzes data from 2024. This year’s numbers show that nearly 430,000 people and more than 123,000 children in San Diego are facing food insecurity. That is an 8.8% increase in the overall number of people experiencing food insecurity, and a more than 23% increase in the number of children experiencing food insecurity from the previous year.
In recent months, as part of its ongoing efforts to provide dignified food assistance across the county, Feeding San Diego has expanded its on-site choice pantry’s hours, opened 14 additional school pantries, joined two home-delivery pilot programs to reach children and older adults managing medical conditions, and significantly increased the amount of food it rescues from local food donors. Last fiscal year, the nonprofit provided more than 43 million pounds of food, equivalent to more than 36.2 million meals, to people experiencing hunger in San Diego County. On average, it served about 215,000 households every month.
Feeding San Diego is a partner food bank of Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization that comprises a nationwide network of more than 250 food banks, 22 statewide food bank associations, and 60,000 agency partners, food pantries, and meal programs. Now in its 16th Year, Map the Meal Gap is the only study that provides local-level estimates of food insecurity and food costs for every county and congressional district. This year’s study indicates that 100% of counties and congressional districts are home to people experiencing food insecurity and that nationwide, 86% of counties with the highest food insecurity are rural.
Key local findings of this year’s Map the Meal Gap include:
- While San Diego County’s food insecurity rate of 13.1% falls slightly below California’s statewide rate of 15%, the need remains substantial. An estimated 1 in 8 people and 1 in 6 children in San Diego County experience food insecurity, compared with 1 in 7 people and 1 in 5 children statewide.
- In San Diego County, available data by race/ethnicity shows that 9.4% of white individuals, 29% of Black individuals, and 19% of Latino individuals experienced food insecurity in 2024.
- Nationally, 1 in 2 of all people experiencing food insecurity may not qualify for SNAP benefits due to income limits. San Diego County is nearly on par with the national rate, with 49.7% of people facing hunger potentially ineligible for SNAP – a 5% increase from the previous year. This data precedes H.R. 1, which greatly impacted eligibility requirements based on other characteristics beyond income, underscoring why most states including California have long experienced a significant budget shortfall caused by increasing food prices and inflation.
The Map the Meal Gap study is supported by Conagra Brands Foundation, Enterprise Mobility Foundation, and NielsenIQ/NIQ. Additional key takeaways from the report can be found on the Map the Meal Gap website along with an interactive map that details food insecurity by geography, income, race and ethnicity.
Map the Meal Gap uses publicly available data from USDA Economic Research Service, U.S. Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics to estimate local food insecurity at the county, congressional district and state levels. The study also estimates local meal costs and food budget shortfalls using food price data from NIQ, based on USDA’s Thrifty Food Plan, and grocery sales tax data for every county and state in the country.
Although USDA has stopped collecting food security data, Feeding America will continue to estimate local food insecurity and meal costs. Moving forward, Feeding America is collaborating as a nationwide network of food banks, food pantries, state-wide associations and regional co-ops – in partnership with diverse partners – to explore alternative data sources from which to estimate local food insecurity in 2027 and beyond.
To learn how food insecurity impacts your community, visit FeedingAmerica.org/MaptheMealGap. For more information about Feeding San Diego and how to help end hunger in San Diego County, visit feedingsandiego.org.
