Many Americans Are Unable to Afford Food, Even as Unemployment Remains Low

Despite being the wealthiest country in the world by net worth (according to 2022 data), the United States continues to struggle with hunger.

A report from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) found more than 44 million Americans facing hunger last year, including 1 in 5 children. Programs which provide food to those in need are crippling under demand, as prices at the grocery store don’t appear to be dropping anytime soon.

Today, it appears as though more Americans are saying their standard of living is worse than their parents’ was, a majority of which include millennials and Gen-Xers who are people in their prime working years. According to a poll released on Sunday, 51% of those aged 30 to 64 believe their standard of living is worse than their parents’ was, as well as 39% of those aged 18 to 29 and 40% of those ages 65 and older.

“Hunger is an issue in America across every demographic group, and now, growingly, across more and more levels of income,” said Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, the head of Feeding America.

And when asked to answer when the “most difficult economic time” for the US was, many Americans pointed to the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns. At least 51% of those aged 65 and older said the pandemic shutdowns created the worst economic hardship, with 39% of all ages saying the same. Both groups believe the pandemic was vastly worse than the “Great Recession” of 2008 to 2009, as well as a period of major gas shortages and inflation in the 1970s.

But at the same time, figures show job growth, rising wages, and a healthy economy of consumers who are purchasing record amounts of summer travel, concert tickets and holiday shopping. As he runs for reelection, President Joe Biden has even touted this economic recovery as the result of “Bidenomics”, and has been desperately urging Americans to adopt this notion.

But Americans, many of whom are struggling to pay for basic necessities, don’t care to hear these figures.

According to the poll, 85% of Americans pay more attention to their own experiences than those who pay attention to national data (66%). At least 72% are paying attention to people they know personally, and 70% are watching businesses in their community to gauge the economy’s “strength”. A separate poll from November also found 81% of registered voters viewed the economy as either “fair” or “poor”.

And a staggering 76% of Americans said their income is not keeping up with inflation. As a result, the “American Dream” has stumbled: 64% of Americans now believe that only the upper class has a chance to "get ahead". And many Americans are uninterested in hearing about positive news as it relates to the job market. In October, a US broadcaster found that positive news about the job market in the US made “many Americans feel worse”.

And those on the frontline of food hunger in America are seeing staggering numbers reach out to them. In June, the nonprofit group Feeding America found that they had given out 5.3 billion meals in the past year, while an additional 1 million people applied for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps) over the past year.

Other programs are seeing a record increase in their levels of enrollments as well, with some administrators concerned that they won't have adequate funding to keep up with demand

“The demand is higher now than it ever was during the pandemic,” said Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, head of Feeding America. “This is not just one group’s issue, it’s an American issue. Hunger is an issue in America across every demographic group, and now, growingly, across more and more levels of income.”

Across all food categories prices have risen 25% since 2020. For example: milk, which has lowered in price in recent months, is still 20% higher than it was before the pandemic. Meanwhile, the number of American households that said they struggled to afford food at some point during the year increased to 17 million in 2022, (up from 26% in 2021 which was the biggest annual increase since 2008) according to the USDA.

Rent has also risen nearly 30% across the US since the pandemic first began. And at one point, rent was the “largest contributor” to the rise in inflation. Rent prices soared in the US to an average cost of $1,372, according to August 2023 rental market data.

According to a previously referenced poll, 80% of Democrats believe the US government should set price controls to tackle inflation while 56% of Republicans also agreed with this sentiment.

“You used to be able to get five bags of groceries for $50, now you only get one bag for $50,” said one mom from California, according to a Sunday report. “I am honestly scared to have another baby because I don’t think we will be able to provide for another baby. Now that she’s growing, she’s going to start eating three times a day, and just trying to provide the right nutrition to her, it’s hard.”

“There are definitely many times, as a mom, where you cook and you make sure they eat and you go a little bit lighter that night,” she added. “But I strive to make sure that they don’t go hungry.”