Contributors to Food Poverty

Browse a selection of research findings on a series of contributors to food poverty:

Poverty Low Wages & Household Income Living Expenses

Government & Nutrition Assistance Programs Health & Health Insurance

Poverty

• More than 1.5 million NYC residents (18 percent) live below the federal poverty level (approximately $18,000 per year for family of three). (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2008)
• More than 3 million NYC residents live below 200 percent of the federal poverty level (approximately $36,000 per year for a family of three). (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2008)
• More than three-quarters (77 percent) of NYC residents accessing soup kitchens and food pantries have annual household incomes below the federal poverty level and almost all (96 percent) have incomes below 200 percent of the poverty level. (NYC Hunger Safety Net 2007)

Low Wages & Household Income

• A majority (92 percent) of NYC households accessing soup kitchens and food pantries have annual incomes below $25,000, 59 percent have incomes below $10,000 per year and 29 percent have incomes below $5,000 per year. (NYC Hunger Safety Net 2007)
• The average income for NYC households with employed members accessing soup kitchens and food pantries is $1,507 per month. (NYC Hunger Safety Net 2007)
• More than one–third (37 percent) of NYC households with an employed member experienced difficulty affording needed food over the past year. (NYC Hunger Experience 2009)
• A NYC resident working full–time year–round at the current minimum wage would earn approximately $15,000 (pre–tax) annually, below the federal poverty level for a family of three (approximately $18,000 per year). (Poverty level sourced from US Department of Health and Human Services)

Living Expenses

• From 2003 to 2009, the cost of food in New York metropolitan area increased by 24 percent. (US Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index)
• Among NYC residents with annual household incomes between $25,000 and $49,999, 47 percent experienced difficulty affording food, more than doubling the percentage in 2003 (21 percent). (NYC Hunger Experience 2009)
• More than three–quarters (79 percent) of NYC residents accessing soup kitchens and food pantries rent and pay an average of $570 per month, 59 percent of their average monthly household income ($970). (NYC Hunger Safety Net 2007)
• More than one–third (34 percent) of NYC households seeking assistance at soup kitchens and food pantries choose between paying for food and paying for rent/mortgage. (Hunger in America 2006)
• More than one–third (34 percent) of NYC households accessing emergency food programs choose between paying for food and paying for utilities/heating fuel. (Hunger in America 2006)

Government & Nutrition Assistance Programs

• Less than one–half (46 percent) of NYC households turning to soup kitchens and food pantries receive food stamps. Among households accessing emergency food who are not enrolled in the food stamp program, more than three–quarters (76 percent) are income–eligible for the program. (NYC Hunger Safety Net 2007)
• On average, NYC households accessing emergency food and enrolled in the food stamp program receive $147 in food stamps per month ($37 per week). Among them, approximately one–quarter (24 percent) run out of food stamp benefits in one week or less, 60 percent in two weeks and 84 percent run out in three weeks. (NYC Hunger Safety Net 2007)
• Approximately one–half (54 percent) of NYC households with young children (under five) accessing soup kitchens and food pantries are enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). (NYC Hunger Safety Net 2007)
• More than three–quarters (79 percent) of NYC households with school-age children accessing emergency food participate in the National School Lunch Program, while only 59 percent and 39 percent participate in the School Breakfast and Summer Food Service Programs respectively. (NYC Hunger Safety Net 2007)

Health & Health Insurance

• More than one out of every five (21 percent) NYC residents visiting soup kitchens and food pantries do not have health insurance. (NYC Hunger Safety Net 2007)
• Approximately one of every four (24 percent) employed NYC residents accessing soup kitchens and food pantries does not have health insurance. (NYC Hunger Safety Net 2007)
• Among NYC residents receiving food from soup kitchens and food pantries, 21 percent have been diagnosed with asthma, 20 percent with diabetes and 10 percent with heart disease. (NYC Hunger Safety Net 2007)
• More than one out of five (22 percent) of NYC households accessing soup kitchens and food pantries choose between paying for food and paying for medicine/medical care. (Hunger in America 2006)